Kevin L.
Yelp
Any restaurant that proffers legitimate cloth napkins in the toilets for you to dry your hands off with is a venue I'd consider upmarket. You can benchmark your expectations on what a dining experience here is likely to cost you based on this fact alone.
The most noteworthy aspect of our meal here wasn't the food (though that was quite nice) or the ambiance (which was exceptionally swanky), it was the service, full stop. We're talking the kind of all-up-in-yo'-bidness service where you couldn't take a sip of wine without someone immediately coming by to refill your glass. And the exacting standards of presentation that would rival Monk's OCD. Truth.
It's unclear whether or not this was intentional, but our dishes were served in order of homely to heavenly.
Starter Tapas:
- 'Nuevas' Patatas Bravas were inventive, but more like blah potato balls than the crisp, spicy, creamy mixture we expected (and honestly, would have preferred)
- Serrano ham croquetas were marginally better, and improved even more with the savoury tomato dipping sauce
Heavier Tapas:
- Our grilled octopus was suitably fresh and tender, conjuring images of sitting on a sun-drenched deck overlooking the glittering aquamarine of the Mediterranean
- And the ox tail with 'green apple textures' offered a rich, mouthwateringly lush tender meat dish balanced against the tart apple for a clean finish
Main:
- Do not miss out on the suckling pig. Served on rosemary mash au jus, this was unquestionably the pinnacle of our meal. In fact, if we'd skipped over much of the first half, it would have been worth the trip for this alone. Crisp, fatty, succulent, and scrumptious, it was everything a main should be. It was only enhanced with the side of padron peppers we ordered along with it
Dessert:
- After considering the options, the Valrhona liquid chocolate cake stood out the most; it vanished without a trace, even though we were both feeling quite satisfied
As if all the above wasn't enough food, we were offered gratis lemon syrup lady fingers and chocolate ganache truffles on espresso beans. They even poured us some Zoco Pacharan [http://aol.it/hJyWu3] for a post-prandial digestif to seal the deal.
All that goes to say... if someone else is shelling out the cash for a multi-course meal and a bottle of wine here, there'd best be some putting-out happening afterwards. I'm just sayin'...
I dig it, but don't expect to be back. It's just a little too rich for my blood, and just a little too not-spectacular to justify the expense.