Spanish feast at Discovery bay

Had a feast at Solera and the food was great, some dishes were better than Ole Spanish in Central.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Photos of the restaurant:





★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cream salt cod spring rolls:

These spring rolls were dreamy, never would you have guessed there was silky mashed cod in the middle.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sauteed mixed mushrooms with sherry:

Mushrooms cannot fail and these were earthy with a delicious hint of sherry.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cold cuts:

I am not keen on cold cuts but the others finished it quickly.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Tomato bread:

I loved the thick tomato paste that was on top of the bread because it made the bread really appetizing.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Asparagus grilled with garlic and lemon:

The asparagus was tender with a lovely crisp texture and garlicky taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep fried squid andalucian style with smoked paprika alioli:

The squid was a litle chewy but nice with the garlic dip.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Seafood paella:

The seafood paella would have been amazing but the Squid ink paella stole the show.
It was good enough already because each grain of rice was so tasty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roasted suckling pig:

The suckling pig was tender with crispy skin and the cooked apples complemented it perfectly because pork and apples always go together.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
black ink paella with seafood:

The black ink paella was divine, the squid ink taste was so moreish and every grain of rice was so tasty.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Churros with violet icecream:

I was too full to try this.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Catalan cream:

This is the best Catalan cream I have had because it was silky and light compared to the one I had at Ole which had a weird lemongrass taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

I am a carbs person so I am going to be back for the squid ink paella, spring rolls, mushrooms and Catalan cream!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Solera Spanish Cuisine Concepts
Shop 101, 1/F, D’Deck, Discovery Bay

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Great food but better hygiene required

I have never heard of this restaurant but decided to go when I saw photos of the food posted by a fellow foodie.

This restaurant has been in business since 1998!!!

I was on my way there (on the 28th June) however I ended up going elsewhere because that restaurant had a captivating brunch.
After brunch I was still hungry so decided to check this place out for the squids but the staff said they were out of stock so I didn't dine there.
She took my number and called me back on Monday evening as promised (June 30th) so I decided to go the next day (1st July which was a public holiday).

Arrived and was allocated a nice big table.

The decor of this place was really nice.


The table next to me slightly irritated me because this local Chinese guy was talking really loudly and you could feel his voice resonate in your head.

Anyway, this was a minor issue as they had nearly finished and then left so it was nice and quiet.

Started off with the soups and found a strand of black hair in it.

This was promptly changed and I didn't think anymore of it.

However when we had dessert, my friend found a long strand of hair in the dessert!!!!!
It must be a 1 in a million chance of more than one person finding a strand of hair in two different dishes!!!

Now back to the food.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Stuffed baby squid with prawn and almonds:

This was amazing especially the squid ink sauce, each squid was tender filled with aromatic almonds in the middle.
The remaining squid ink sauce in the dish was not wasted because it was delicious with bread and potatoes.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Roasted suckling pig:

The suckling pig was tender and soft, the skin was crisp and delicious.
A definite must order.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried milk with toffee reduction:


This was a bit sweet but I loved it, it had a light crispy coating and inside there was curded milk flavoured by the delicious toffee sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

The food was great so I do intend to go again.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Ole Spanish Restaurant (Central)

1/F, Shun Ho Tower, 24-30 Ice House Street,, Central

Evilicious tapas at Casa's in Sai Kung

Casa
Shop 1, G/F., Sui Yat Building, 1 Sai Kung Hoi Pong Square
西貢海傍廣場1號兆日大廈地下1號舖

A newly opened Tapas bar in Sai Kung.

It's so new that its news hasn't really reached the city of Hong Kong and yet there are lots of people dining there on a weekday evening!
The Casa logo reminded me of Fred Cheng's (鄭俊弘) HOME band logo.

It is located behind the main minibus stop in the hustle and bustle behind the seafood restaurants.

I just had to dine there because it reminded me of 22 Ships in Wan Chai, and their staff were British too (great for expats).
The staff were really friendly and attentative.

Again it has an open kitchen just like 22 ships with lovely bench tables and stools.

I was attracted to the Bocadillos which were bite sized tapas on bread and there are six pieces per portion which is good for gatherings.
As well as Bocadillos, they serve hot/cold tapas, sandwiches, platters, desserts and drinks.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Bocadillos - Serrano Ham Quails Eggs:



These were too cute, fried quail eggs on top of serrano ham with freshly cracked black pepper on delicious crispy soft bread.
The quail eggs paired nicely with the ham and the size of the quail eggs were just right for the bread.
The yolk was slightly runny, which was really good with the bread and the ham was not too salty.
It must have been a nifty and fiddly job cracking these dinky eggs and frying them just right! BRAVO!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mussels:

These were fresh mussels and I loved the white wine sauce it was in.
The texture of these mussels were really soft and a bit like jelly, the byssus threads came off easily which was really good.
It is quite interesting that people use these byssus threads to make byssus cloth and seasilk.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Bocadillos -Anchovies and Tomatoes:

I loved this one because it had a piece of fresh tomato, a piece of fresh basil and a piece of anchovy and all the tastes complemented each other especially the fragrant basil leaves.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Bocadillos - Blue cheese and caramelized onions:

This had the strongest taste out of the three but the strong taste of the blue cheese was balanced by the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the fancy leaves took away the heavyness of the blue cheese.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Cherry, Almond Fudge Ice-cream:

The icecreams served here are made by Happy Cow which are all made with Coconut milk and not milk!
It had an interesting taste because there was a strong hint of coconut and the texture of this icecream is much creamier than icecream made with milk.
It was really smooth as well and there were generous pieces of cherries in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Payment using Paypal:
When I was about to pay, I was really surprised they said it would be done using PayPal but luckily I did not have to log in my personal PayPal account.
Basically they took my card and put it in their device, after keying the bill amount, I thought to myself am I going to be signing on that device!!!

My questions were answered when he passed me the stylus to sign on the device.
(It feels weird signing digitally! The screen below is blank because I have not signed it yet!)

The receipts for this restaurant and paypal were emailed to me imediately after the transaction with the address I provided!
I was really surprised with this payment method in pre-historic Sai Kung!
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Back for more tapas @ Estudio

Estudio (Admiralty)

Decided to go back and try more tapas.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Anchovy fillets in seasoned vinegar:

The anchovies were delicious with bread, the fillets were soft and the all the bones had been removed.
I loved the sharpness of the fillets because it was soaked in vinegar and they were definately not canned ones because they were not mushy and hard.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Scrambled eggs with black sausage:

The eggs were cooked with black morcilla and it was basically scrambled eggs with black pudding sausage and skinned peppers.
There was a metal holder put on the plate before serving, the scrambled egg took form of a cake shape when served.
The taste of the black pudding was faint and the texture of the egg was so light and the scrambled egg was like droplets of cooked eggs forming into one. mass.★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Galican style octopus with potato and olive oil:

The octopus was a bit boring compared to the squid ink I tried last time.
It was quite chewy, and this dish was a bit too plain to be honest, because it was a sliced potato with octopus on top drizzled with olive oil.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Hola to Tapaella grill at Kennedy Town

Located in Kennedy town is the Tapaella grill on Hau Wo Road where there are lots of eateries.

 

I have not had Tapaella in ages since Uno mas closed down so I was craving for Tapaella again.

When you enter this restaurant, there is a cocktail bar facing you, with tables either side, there are sofa seats as well.
The style of this restaurant is really nice which is Western style.

 

Tapaella grill is a really nice place to hang out with a group of friends because their portions are quite big compared to other Tapas places.

While we were waiting for the food, they will give you bread as a starter and there is a bottle of vinegar and olive oil for dipping the bread.

 

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Traditional Spanish Vegetable cold soup:

 

This was the first time I tried the cold soup and it was lovely and refreshing, the soup was strong.
The taste was cooling and refreshing with a lovely mix of pureed red bell peppers and cucumbers in the soup and the julienne cucumbers and red bell peppers gave it more depth.
It is an ideal soup for the summer.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ham & Chicken Croquettes

 

Compared to other spanish croquettes I have tried, I found these bigger and contained more meat in it.
Despite that there was lots of meat in it, it still remained silky and there was some potato in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Fried Potato with Spicy Tomato Sauce:

 

These pieces of potato were heavenly because they were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside sprinkled with paprika.
They tasted nice with or without the tomato sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep-fried Squid Ring with Aioli Sauce:

 

The squid rings were tender but I found them slightly bland but they were compromised by the mayonnaise.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sauteed Artichoke Heart in Olive oil and Garlic:

 

The artichoke heart was nice and tender with strong olive oil taste.
It was nice having a sauteed version because they are usually pickled and sour, however this one was mushy and had strong garlic taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mixed green with orange, roasted green apple, Buffalo Mozzarella with Chef Dressing:

 

The salad was big and wholesome with refreshing apples and oranges to cleanse the palate, and the buffalo cheese was soft and delicate which paired nicely with the strong fruits and dressing.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Saffron flavored Spanish rice with variety of Seafood:

 

When this came, the smell was amazing, it was rich and the peas in it contrasted the redness of the rice.
The rice was in rich thick sauce with strong seafood taste and it was slightly bitter because there was strong white wine in it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pan-seared Sea Bass Fillet in white wine tomato broth with Fennel, Potato and Asparagus:

 

I loved the fish, it was tender and soft accompanied with tantalizing tomato sauce.
The potatoes which looked like mushrooms were delicious as well because the texture was lovely and the potato skin was gorgeous without being too dry.
The asparagus was nice and tender too.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Ginger Ale:
Compared to other ginger ales, the ginger taste was faint.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★.
Refreshing Spanish Drink Sangria:
Although I did not order this I tried some and it was really nice and pleasant to drink for a drinker because the fruit juice taste in it is strong.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

I will definitely be back with a group of friends to try the Spanish omelette and other items.