Early Bird Tapas Dinner at Tapeo

Tapeo

Au's Bldg, 15-19 Hollywood Rd, Central, Hong Kong 

+852 3171 1989 ‎

http://conceptcreations.hk

Rating: 7.5/10 

Price: Early Bird Dinner (150HKD + 10% charge)
Although I had originally wanted to try out Les Fils a Maman, after skipping lunch I could not bear to wait till 7PM for their opening time! So, after a little research on the internet I came across the Early Dinner Special at Tapeo, which is basically:
         From 5-7PM: for 150 HKD (+ 10% service charge), you can have 2 Tapas (except the Jambon) and a glass of sangria, house red, house white or beer! We came in around 6PM wihout reservation which didn't seem to be a problem but they seemed to be booked after 7PM so we couldn't stay for too long :(

And continuing our little game of not repeating any type of cuisine before trying ALL types (haha) of food available in this culinary institute of a city, we gladly went to try their Tapas Menu.

The portions are actually not that big! Luckily we picked tapas that were quite big-poritioned but I can imagine needing to order 3-4 more on top of the Early Bird Dinner to be completely full...

Their Tapas Menu is as shown below!:

I got a glass of Sangria to start, and it was actually pretty decent! Not the best Sangria I've had but still it had been a while since I got to have one so it was a nice break from the usual wine or beer!

We decided to try 4 different Tapas to be shared between us... and after a quick glance, we happily settled on these four!

Manchego Cheese with Honey (4/5)

We ordered this without the slightest clue as to what Manchego Cheese was, and although we were enthusiastic about getting to know a little more about it.. the manager in charge was not very helpful in explaining it. He simply said "You know...it's cheese from Manchego". Thanks.

Anyways, being more resourceful than our unhelful staff, here's what Wikipedia explained it to be as:

Manchego (officially Queso Manchego) is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed. Official Manchego cheese is to be aged for between 60 days and two years.
Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, and often contains small, unevenly-distributed air pockets. The colour of the cheese varies from white to ivory-yellow, and the inedible rind from yellow to brownish beige. The cheese has a distinctive flavour, well developed but not too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and leaves an aftertaste that is characteristic of sheep’s milk.

AND it was AMAZING!!!! It really did taste great, with the crispy toast and the sweetness of the honey went well with the strong flavor and firm-texture of the cheese! The flavor was quite strong, but quite different from the rather 'smelly' ones that I was used to.

Tomato, Red Onion and Goat Cheese Salad (3/5)

Although I loved this dish because it had three of my favorite things in it, it wasn't anything spectacular. Unless you're really into tomatoes or goat-cheese go ahead and try something else! :D 

Classic Tortilla-Tortilla Espanola(4/5)

Okay...apparently Tortilla has more than one form..because this was the last thing I was expecting when we had ordered Tortilla! Apprently the Spansih Tortilla (Spanish Omelete) is not the flour tortilla that we all know and LOVE but instead is this lovely dish of thick egg-omelete with potatoes fried in pan!

The dish was rustic and simple-flavored and was a delight to eat, (and thankfully rather filling after the two previous ones). Although next time I would be interested to try one with extra flavors such as the one with Chorizo and Spinach!

Albondigas- Spanish Meatballs (4/5)

These looked and tasted great! The tomato sauce paired perfectly with the seasoned meat-balls that were juicy and great fun to chew on. I even ate all the sauce after I ate the meatballs. And just look at it, it's just to pretty and delectable to be eaten without enjoyment!

In addition to our food! I also (still being hungry) looked around to check up on what other people ate and judging by their reactions and the appearance of the food, these ones are the note-worhty ones to be tried later on:

        -Crispy Pork Belly

        -Stuffed Peppers 

and Ham Croquettes! and although I refused to admit it out of jealousy... the ladies to the left of me seemed to be loving their champagne and their cold cuts of jambon :)