/ Reviews / Spanish
Bravo!
by Steph Wy Ng
on Friday, July 09, 2010 12:00 AM
It's a Spanish food invasion! While the Spanish Pavilion continues to host Michelin-star chefs at the Gran Melia, Mistral has started serving up its tapas delights; El Patio and La Finca are almost ready to flourish their wares; Taska is still aiming for a late summer opening; and Bravo 10 is putting the finishing touches to its décor. It almost feels like Shanghai is giving pasta the finger and moving on to its next cuisine craze.
Previously a bank, with its large high columns and tall double doors, Bravo 10 was the place that caught our eye this week. The owner of the restaurant, Mr. Song, actually used to work as one of the bankers; he's since bought the entire building. The floors above consist of a Chinese restaurant and a hotel. When deciding on the type of restaurant he'd open on the ground floor, Mr. Song elected to start up a tribute to his love for Spanish food, having visited the country twice before.
At the moment, Bravo 10 is in its soft opening stage, with the grand reveal planned for mid-July. The interior is easily identifiable as Spanish, from the traditional tiling inside the lounge and restaurant, to the small pillars, large umbrellas and Spanish brickwork outside the large terrace, which is perfect for a small party - once the air conditioning's been set up.
The authentic feel of the restaurant is further confirmed by Spanish Chef Alberto Alonso, who was picked out as the best from several experienced and qualified candidates. His Avocado and Crab-leg Salad (RMB88) is a light, fresh mixture of soft textures where the avocado, crab and prawns revel in a drizzle of slightly sour red wine sauce. The selection of Homemade Croquettes for RMB88 are a medley of lightly crispy batter and sweet sauces of honey melon and red wine, creating a balance of flavours with the savoury chicken and vegetable filling.
No Spanish menu is complete without paella, and here it's cooked with specially imported kitchenware from Spain to ensure the dish is made exactly as it would appear and taste en España. Though the Seafood Paella is a slightly expensive RMB228, and could do with more morsels of seafood, the dish's potent tastes are undeniable, immersing the fluffy oven-baked rice with the zest of the Mediterranean. It's a dish that recreates the real essence of Spanish cuisine.
The Bottom Line: Replete with the kind of décor and food you'd expect from a Spanish establishment, the concept has been fully implemented with a careful hand.
