Coming in straight from the culinary heaven of Spain's Basque Country, specifically the legendary Asador Etxebarri grill restaurant (ranked #10 in the World's 50 Best 2015), Head Chef Cotes has transformed La Paloma's menu to incorporate his tasty signature dishes. In keeping with La Paloma's 'sexy tapas' style, the dishes aren't so much meat-centered but more encompassing of all kinds of Spanish dishes. We enjoyed bits and pieces of the new menu, and the verdict was awesome. We loved the vibrant home-cooked style dishes that were brought out, all of them rich and robust in flavor. See below for some of the highlights:
The Jamon Iberico "La Prudencia", slices from an acorn-fed ham leg, kicked off our meal, served along with crunchy crystal bread. This + wine is a killer combo!
The Boston Lobster Roll (Bocadillo de Bogavante) is served with a thick helping of lime jalapeno and crispy shallots - which I loved. Never had a Spanish style lobster roll, and this just might be my favorite one in Hong Kong.
New Head Chef Jose Cotes at work in the kitchen.
These squid ink croquettes were a brilliant translation of the French croquette into something totally Spanish. Loved the aioli that complimented the smooth, creamy filling with tiny chunks of fresh squid. Just a word of caution in case any of y'all are planning to come here for a first date - this will turn your teeth momentarily black!
The star of the night - the Iberico Pork Paella with Wild Mushrooms (Paella de Cerdo Iberico y Setas). The arroz was perfectly al dente (can you say that about grains of rice?? oh well, you know what I mean) and had the nice, crunchy bites on the bottom and around the sides. Gorgeous saffron / mushroom flavors throughout, and made even better with a generous squeeze of lemon.
The grass fed Wagyu short ribs (Churrasco de Buey) with sweet potato fries, brussel sprouts and wine reduction has been painstakingly slow cooked for a whole 16 hours overnight, resulting in the most tender, slide-off-the-bone short rib experience you'll ever have. The presentation was rustic, and felt like a dish you'd encounter in any Spanish home.
Restaurant Information - La Paloma Tel – 2291-6161 Address – 1/F, SoHo 189, 189 Queen’s Road West, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong Email – info@lapaloma.hk Website – www.lapaloma.hk