Hola BCN!

I really like this place. BCN is one of the Spanish restaurants that have popped up in HK over the past few months and it is one of those places that I feel has the most heart. It is a small space. The bar stools are a little uncomfortable for a whole dinner but the table bar is the centre stage of what goes on in the restaurant. Eating at this table bar is great, you get to watch some kitchen action and talk to Chef Edgar, who is personable and keeps the whole dining experience casual.

I don’t know Chef Edgar very well (actually not at all), I was just another diner for that evening, but he entertained my questions and small talk. He talked about how he ended up in Hong Kong and he laughed about how sometimes he wakes up and wonders how he ended up here. I know that feeling. It is a mix of feeling nostalgic and homesick and yet excited about the surprises and adventure that awaits you. Perhaps it was the mood I was in that evening but the food gave me a sense of Chef Edgar’s nostalgia through the authentic flavours and the quality ingredients that he sources and imports.

This was my delicioso mini Spanish feast.

The meal kicked off with what I call the Ham and Cheese platter  – Manchego cheese, chorizo, iberico jamon and pan con tomate.

Following was a series of small bites – the best was the croquette, a good crunchy shell and creamy insides with the undertones of iberico jamon



iberico croquette.vegetable stack with aioli.foie gras and iberico ham crostini.bacalao with tomatoes and olives.


Tomato and melon gazpacho



The meal then took an interesting turn towards a very modern plate. Prawn carpaccio, thin sheets of prawn flesh topped with ingredients to enjoy it with, squid ink powder, pine nuts, olive oil and confit of tomato.



The high point at this meal for me was his paella. I’ve watched him cook it from my bar stool the entire night and the magic of it is in the rich brown stock that he cooks the rice in, that’s where the depth of flavour comes from. This is dished out from the paella pan into individual portions (maybe so we don’t fight) and topped with a perfectly cooked red shrimp. 


Suckling pig with sweet potato cream and a Spanish meat sauce.

The suckling pig is more like a suckling pig “sandwich” – two layers of tender meat, topped and bottomed by crispy suckling pig skin. Crisp and sumptuous, yum!



BCN
37 Peel Street
Central, HK
Tel: +852-28112851

Little Plates of Barcelona - TapaÇ 24

Diputacio 269
Barcelona, Spain
Tel: +34 934 880 977

Tapas are a great way to eat. They are miniature foods that are straightforward in taste since there is no space for side kicks. As an eater, you can also flirt between plates without guilt to take in a myriad of flavours and textures.

Barcelona was my first glimpse into the Spanish way of life with tapas. And in my books, it is a good habit to pick up. Delicious morsels that are washed down with some bubbly cava or alcohol of choice, what’s not to love? And with some great company, that is even better. But even if I had to do it alone, I would.

This bar was initially hard to navigate through without English since the menu is neither in English nor in Spanish but only in Catalan. But there are universal languages such as pointing to objects of your desire or making the appropriate animal noises or just throw caution out of the window and point at random items on the menu.

The place had a good buzz. They take no reservations so go early if not wait in line like the two of us did. Peek through the glass windows to survey happy faces and the food on offer but try not to stare. The anticipation, I think, is part of the experience.

They sat us by the bar, and we used our limited Catalan vocabulary of “cava” to start with and then the paper bag menus were presented.

Having read about this place, we know that the bikini C24 – truffle flavoured ham and cheese grilled toast – along with the McFoie – a mini hamburger with foie gras served with a foie gras mayonnaise – are the house signatures, and the for the rest we pointed to what people were eating and guessed with KD’s knowledge of the Spanish language.

The house signatures are “…mmmh!” good. A little injection of gourmet into the everyday fare is a fun and yummy, which should explain why they are a mainstay on the menu. I also discovered artichoke chips. Impeccably fried and lightly snowed with salty flakes these are a seasonal crisp that I consumed at every chance I got. Other plates such as stewed tripe with garbanzo that only I ate and persuaded KD to dip her bread to mop up some sauce, that she did enjoy, stood out from the rest.

* see the whole set here.