Weekend Spanish Lunch

I increasingly felt La Rambla is becoming what Catalunya aspired to be before this restaurant of the same group closed a few years ago. The more central location (in IFC) meant it's much easier to draw a crowd day or night, and the open kitchen and spacious, well-lit dining area makes the venue much livelier, and of course, it's all backed by the same level of excellent food and drink selection.

I was here a few times recently for the more casual dishes or drinks, but this time, I got to try something a little fancier with their tasting menu on a Saturday afternoon. There's no surprise that most customers opted for the outdoor seats as the sun is out but much cooler these days, but we were just fine sitting inside by the window, air-conditioned but still with the gorgeous harbor view.

We began with a few "snacks" served tapas style. The iberico ham and parmesan provided a double punch of the strong cheese flavor in the form of cripsy crackers and shaved cheese underneath the thin slices of jamon iberico. The tartare de mar brought our mood to right by the beach with the flavors of the sea, with oyster tartare served with caviar, plankton pearls, a light dressing of the beurre blanc sauce and garnished by a pink edible flower and bread crumbs.

I felt the foie and uni dish was a bit too rich to my liking with plentiful foie pate shaved and mixed with the fresh Hokkaido - probably better if there's less foie and more uni for more balanced texture and taste. Meanwhile I love the steak tartare roll, well seasoned and served on a mini brioche. It's a perfect snack.

We then moved on to something more substantial. I am probably more used to churros being served as dessert but this savory version was interesting, with a sour cream filling and topped with caviar. I also liked the next two seafood courses - first scampi served in a rich sauce made with consomme then the sea cucumber with pork feet terrine, spinach foam and cured egg yolk. Both course was beautifully plated too with colorful ingredients.

Seems like everyone finished their meal with Paella here, and ours was served with red prawns and shaved bone marrow for the rich flavor. No churros for dessert this time but instead it's a baked brie cheesecake with shaved white truffles. I certainly ain't complaining. I still think their weekend brunch menu is my favorite and offered the most bang for the buck, but perhaps I might have an appetite for this fancy menu some time when I wanted a proper yet casual sit-down dinner in this hood.

When? November 2 2019
Where? La Rambla by Catalunya, Shop 3071-73, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central
Menu Highlights? Churro and Caviar
Web: larambla.hk