In a city that’s notorious for its shifting allegiances when it comes to fine-dining, it’s no doubt an achievement for a restaurant to stay in business for 20 years. And that’s exactly the feat that Spanish restaurant Olé has achieved, not only by staying open for two decades but by serving to full houses for most of that time. Indeed, as our visits to this Central-located cuisinary on separate occasions revealed, Olé is as popular with the office-goers on weekdays as it is with the brunching crowd on weekends. And its popularity can be surely and safely be traced back to one thing – no-frills-attached authentic heartwarming Spanish cuisine.
So when Olé launched seven new winter-special dishes this year, we knew it was something we had to try. And, boy, are we glad we did! The first course itself – Scampi with Pork and Beans ($210) is a specialty from Catalunya that has so far been only rarely served in Hong Kong. So it was with slight trepidation that we tried this unique combination of scampi with pork feet and white beans, but it proved to be an explosion of flavours in our mouth, with the freshness of the scampi combining perfectly with the tender texture of the pork and beans.
The next dish too, Quail in Chocolate Sauce with Green Apple Mash ($180) was all about blending unusual flavour profiles, but it turned out that cooking with chocolate sauce is a tradition that is prevalent in Spain for centuries. The Spaniards clearly knew they were on to something novel here, because the flavours that hit your taste buds as you savour the quail infused with bitter chocolate and the sharp tangy green apple is unexpected in its deliciousness.
Having led us on a path of gastronomic adventure, Olé brings us back to familiar territory with Caldeirada Gallega ($388), a traditional seafood soup from Pontevedra in north-west Spain. Its unique cooking method ensures that all the ingredients – large chunks of octopus, red shrimp and clams in this case – retain their fullest softness and marine flavours. It was, however, the mild, aromatic broth, that won us over completely, while tying the dish in a fruitful fusion.
Next up was the Pan-Seared Royal Pigeon with Meloso Rice (Whole $380), another dish inspired by the Spanish hunting culture. In keeping with the traditional cooking style, the pigeon was served almost raw, which wasn’t something that we were expecting, but Chef Antonio assured us that this was the most authentic way to bring out the full flavours of the bird. Indeed, we let the meat speak for itself, so to say, as we savoured the complex taste mixed with spoonfuls of buttery smooth rice. However, this dish is not meant to be a crowd-pleaser, with both its taste and texture meant to be enjoyed by none other than a true meatophile.
Instead if you’d rather order the most popular dish on the menu, that would undoubtedly be the Iberico Lamb Shoulder and Mortar Potatoes ($630). While we were familiar with Iberico pork, this was our first tryst with the Iberico lamb, which we were told, had been especially grain-fed to give it the same tenderness as that of its boarish namesake. To further ensure enhanced flavours, the meat is then slow-cooked for 12 hours and roasted to give the skin a crispy finish before being served. The end result is an aromatic, succulent piece of meat that literally melts in the mouth in a moment. Accompanied by the creamy mashed potatoes sourced from Aragon, it’s a smooth, soft, wholly satisfying sensation all the way from our mouth to the belly.
Though we had hardly any space left for dessert, the homemade Cheesecake, Crumble and Fig Preserve ($110) looked too tempting to pass. Distinctly less sweet than the New York style of cheesecake, it even works for someone who doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth. The other dessert, the Turron Fondant ($90), however, turned out to perform better in the taste department than in the looks department, with Chef Antonio cleverly combining Turron marzipan and the French-style fondant cake, by using Turron marzipan imported from Spain to create a marzipan lava cake, filled with warm fudgy almond marzipan. Sweet heavens, we say!
After such a sumptuous gourmet experience, there’s really only one regret we have, that it’s only on offer for a very limited time. So for those who want to embark on a similar Spanish culinary adventure, head to Olé without further ado, for these delectable dishes are on offer only till 28 February.
Olé Spanish Restaurant & Wine Bar
Address: 1/F, Shun Ho Tower, 24-30 Ice House Street, Central
Reservation: (852) 2523 8624
Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay