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| - Came here for a Saturday night dinner after a few friends recommended it. We arrived around 5:30 pm with reservations; at that time, there were half a dozen other small tables. Most of the clientele here were affluent and white. Well ... surprise, surprise.
The menu is arranged according to the kind of meat you want - seafood, beef, etc. Luckily for us two, there was a whole page of vegetarian tapas, with 10 different choices. Our waiter, who was outstanding (up to the point where he started forgetting about us as the room began to fill up), suggested 6-8 tapas for two people. We ordered six and found ourselves pretty stuffed. Note that we also had complimentary bread and half a litre of red wine:
1) Green olives - Not a fan of green olives, so perhaps I'm not the best judge. Alright.
2) Pimentos stuffed with cheese - Not particularly impressive, rather bland. I kept thinking, maybe we should have gone to Frida. Damn, now THOSE were good.
3) Fresh peas with almond and tomato paste - Neither my partner or I smelled or tasted the alleged almond, but this was a nice light dish that we devoured quickly. I'd order this again.
4) Beets - For some reason it tastes like ... popcorn. Don't ask me, you have to try it yourself! My partner said that this was reminiscent of a Ukrainian dish. Not a fan of beets but it was still good.
5) Mushrooms - Definitely my favourite and I refrained from pouring the remaining garlic butter sauce into my mouth. I noticed another woman nearby who was dipping her fork in the sauce and sucking on it!
6) Eggplant - Were slightly soggy, but it tasted nice, dusted with salt and accompanied by spiced mayonnaise, which I also ate most of.
I would have liked to try the mushroom paella, which is the only other vegetarian main on the menu, but it cost $39 for two people and would have taken an additional 40 minutes. Maybe it's because I'm Chinese, but as much as I love good rice, there is no way I'm paying that much for it!
The meal was satisfying overall and while most of the vegetarian tapas were $7-10, it wasn't worth the price tag. Our bill, including tips, would have been $95. Luckily, we came with a Groupon, so we managed to save $25. Still pretty steep, if you ask me.
Will have to come back for the flamenco shows, and maybe just dessert.
3.5/5 stars
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