Catalunya

Fancy new Español restaurant with a fantastic location and view! Lots of pedigree here, with the head chef himself previously at work at El Bulli, so expectations were high. Welcome reception was excellent and polite. I arrived first and was placed at the bar to wait. Out came the bar menu and a glass of water. That glass of water was a clincher; a distinguishing factor between good and very good. Menu was simple: a mix of starters, tapas, meats and fish. The sangria was good. Sweet but not masking or watering down the red wine. The bread with salted tomato was a good appetiser. Nothing special about it but good to open the palate with. The fried aubergines was interesting. Served with a miso and yuzu/citrus sauce. You definitely need a liking for all the separate ingredients to like it. Main course was their suckling pig. Half of a 2 week old Spanish piglet. Very good. Soft, succulent with just the right amount of fats left on the skin. The skin itself was crispy but very unlike the Chinese version. The meat was well roasted, easily stripped off (as evident by the server dismembering the piglet using just a plate). Meant for 2-3 persons, but unless both parties are big pork eaters, 3-4 people to share will be better. It can get a tad too boring after a while. The roasted pineapples were great. Not many places do it other than the Brazilians and traditional Spanish places. Served with cinnamon and raw pepper, it as a great complement to the suckling pig. Dessert was uninteresting. Had the bread pudding with milk ice-cream which surely is an acquired taste to love it. Coffee was not good at all. Overall, a bar like ambience with poor acoustics but prompt and polite service and reasonable pricing.

Verdict: Will be back to try something different.