Uno Mas

Well, tapas bar wasn't exactly what I have in mind if I have to look for a venue for special occasions, but for a random night out for no particular reasons, it's just perfect.

We already set sight at this trendy tapas bar in Wanchai for some time, seeing all the good reviews in the press and nice words from our friends - I guess this is also why this place's always fully-booked. After several tries, we were finally able to score a reservation on one Wednesday evening, so we went with our friends r and a, who have tried this place before and raved about it. We don't usually go out drinking in the middle of the week, but for this particular time, we all feel we need something like that just to de-stress and let it out.

The restaurant's located on the first floor in a more decent block on Wanchai's Lockhart Road. Decor's chic, casual and comfortable - good atmosphere to chill and chitchat with friends. The food menu's actually a checklist of tapas on one side with several choices of main dishes at the back, so we order by checking what we want on the sheet of paper - sort of like how we order dim sum in a local Chinese restaurant. We ordered mostly tapas dishes with the exception of paella to share, which came in main dish portion.

As for drinks - it's a no-brainer really - Sangria of course! We almost went straight to the Sangria menu without looking at anything else and found that there's a good choice of six or so different types, be it red, white or cava, with all sorts of fruit combinations. We opted for the classic (and later followed by the more refreshing Cava plus Strawberry type). They do have a decent wine selection and other standard bar drinks available as well, and we were surprised to find Estrella Damm Inedit beer on the menu - something we just had a few weeks ago at The Krug Room with its manager telling us then that this beer's not available anywhere else in town. It's an elegantly-done beer with rich and creamy flavor. You will definitely change your perception (or lack thereof) on Spanish beer after having a sip of that. And if anyone knew any local supermarket starting to stock Inedit, please tell me so I can make a run for it.

No particular dish to die for but they are all very decent. The paella took a while to prepare but it's definitely worth the wait; chorizo is well, good old chorizo and you can't go wrong with that, I suppose. The tortilla de patatas is simple but flavorful - thanks to the aioli on top. We like the clams in white wine sauce but not its tiny portion (just 6 of them!). Plus a few more - we ended up ordering probably seven or eight of those to share. That's the beauty of tapas - tidbits of small dishes that have our mind calling more and more as we started digging in.

For dessert, we ordered the caramel flan and churros with chocolate cream, and they were all very good. The portion's so generous that we were unable to finish, even with just two dishes shared among four of us. On the menu it did say each dessert's to be shared by two, but still it turned out to be bigger than we expected.

Well the bar tab didn't come cheap but we were definitely enjoying our evening! Just be merry and happy, and be able to momentarily forgetting the work ahead in the middle of the week, it's worth it. And it feels good.

details:
when? june 17 2009
where? Uno Mas, 1/F, The Broadway, 54-62 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai
occasion? Mid-Week Tapas/Drink Night
menu highlights? Paella
drinks? Sangria (lots of them!)