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2014-08-09
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Our tasting of the "Theatre of Tapas by Pedro Samper" began with a couple of cheerful cocktails to wash off the stifling heat of the day while we waited for my favourite place at the dining bar. My dining partner had a Martini - something light and soothing, with cucumber. I didn't ask for the name or ingredient details but I tried it and it tasted very refreshing. I had a cocktail with tequila, fresh lime juice, lemongrass, lime leaf, egg white and a splash of Angostura bitters. Potent, very ad
We first received some olives stuffed with white anchovy, which is a less "pungent" anchovy and gently awakened our tastebuds.
Then came a selection of chilled red, orange and green melon cubes that had been infused with different types of sangria and came served on a bucket of crushed ice. I'm not normally a big fan of honey dew melon (orange or green), but the Sangria definitely did the fruit some favours and we gobbled them up quick enough.
Next came an old favourite of mine - foie gras lollipops - this time, dressed in a shocking green coat of crunchy pistachio: An absolute winner!
The item Pedro then put before us could only be described as the tastiest, funkiest, coolest caterpillar I've ever seen: King crab wrapped in cucumber with sour cream and capers - this delightful critter was soft and cool and creamy. It went down the hatch in no time.
The red prawn Carpaccio came served with Ajoblanco, toasted pine nuts, tiny croutons and green apple - decorated with edible flowers that made it "almost" too pretty to eat - well, almost: We said our oohs and aahs - and then it was gone.... The sweetness of the red prawn was perfectly counterbalanced by the tartness of the apples while the crunch of the croutons and pine nuts were complimented by the creamy Ajoblanco.
Then we had a cold dish of delectable lobster cubes with a tender bite but without being chewing. Served with some rather wonderful raw almonds from Spain (imagine your usual almonds, twice the size and juicy moist - awesome!) and bathed in a chilled tomato and beet Gazpacho - so delicious and refreshing, just perfect for this weather.
We also had some of the highly addictive croquettes (some stuffed with mushroom & cheese, others stuffed with Iberico ham and cheese and topped with even more Iberico ham) as well as the home-made Chorizo with fresh bread, which are all absolutely divine, but I spoke about these items in an earlier review and don't want to repeat myself.The veal sweetbread was sautéed with buttery chanterelles and surrounded a perfectly executed 63-degree egg that, once married with the sweetbread and the mushrooms, melted into something so heavenly, you'll close your eyes and moan when you eat it.
Next came a visual extravaganza of buttery tender Churra (a very lean cut of beef that draws its flavour from being air-dried) with a medley of gorgeous vegetables (including sugar snaps, baby corn, carrot, purple cauliflower). The veggies were cooked to perfection and were really crunchy while the beef was melt-in-your-mouth tender. A mix of artisan fleur de sel emphasized the natural sweetness of the veg and the seductive red vinegar reduction added further depth to this dish. The beef had a nice seared exterior while retaining its juicy moisture inside, just how we like it.
The last main course was one of my favourites: a delightful suckling pig with crispy crunchy skin around the tender meat, served with a mouth-watering red apple puree and a dark Oloroso sherry sauce. Had my top button not given my belly a painful imprint already, I would've asked for seconds!
We had a hard time doing the dessert full justice as we had over-indulged on the mains but the mint mojito sorbet with jelly was very good
and it was hard to decide between this and the sorbet of Valencia oranges, topped with a slice of caramelized orange, with an orange and cinnamon Torrija (Spanish version of the comforting French toast).
And... yes, of course, there's always room for chocolate, especially if it comes in form of a giant coffee bean on a bed of praline crumble so we finished that one, too.
This was yet another amazing dinner and the quantity of the food we consumed never distracted from the quality, which is quite astonishing given the amount of food we ate. I'd like to express special thanks to Pedro Samper who is a true tapas master and an excellent conversationalist. Also, I'd like to thank James, who's been the most gracious and attentive host.
张贴
