This Spanish tapas bar is managed by El Willy, the same group of Fofo by El Willy, located in Sai Ying Pun Soho 189, a new building in an old neighborhood. Sharing the first floor with an art gallery, the restaurant successfully created a fun atmosphere, with plenty of pigeon decoration around, as La Paloma means pigeon in Spanish.
Seated at a table on the window side overlooking the street below, we ordered the Sexy Chef Menu which got eight different tapas and a main course plus dessert. First we had the Gazpacho Andaluz, which is the traditional Spanish cold tomato soup with toppings. The soup is thick and refreshing, with nice tomato flavors, plus some red onion and croutons.
Then there is Coca de Cebolla, which is a home-made flat bread with confit onions, cinnamon apple, blue cheese and walnuts. Originally I thought it was tomato because of the reddish color, but upon eating it didn't taste like tomato, with a clear walnut flavors so I guess this is the dish, but I am not too sure and forgot to ask...
Next is Paletilla Serrana, the cured ham from Spanish white pig. The ham is very good with the appropriate salty and savory flavors and thinly sliced so it essentially melted in the mouth, without the fiber sinew which makes many Iberico ham difficult to chew.
The Ceviche de Lubina y Papaya is a ceviche with sea bass and papaya. Very appetizing on both the appearance and taste, with good tartness, the ingredients are all fresh but the sauce maybe just a bit too acidic for us.
The fourth tapas is the Tuna Ahumado, a yellow fin tuna with a 'puff' which got some chipotle cream inside. The tapas has to be eaten in one go, with the interesting contrast of the tenderness of the tuna, the crunchy of the puff, and the creamy texture of the filling.
Gambas al Ajillo is sauteed prawns with garlic and chili. With a good sprinkle of chives on top, plus nice olive oil used to saute the prawns so it is flavorful, pretty on the serving, and another no-frill tapas that demonstrate the quality of the restaurant and chef.
The last tapas is the Iberian Croquettes, with the croquettes just deep fried, with the crunchy skin and soft interior, plus the ham providing the savory taste to the potato mashes. After completing all the different tapas, even though each is fairly small and of bite size, we were already quite full.
The main dish we have selected Paella Valenciana, the traditional paella with chicken, rosemary, green beans and artichokes. Cooked to perfection with a slight crispy toast on the bottom, the paella is flavorful and nice, though maybe without too much pleasant surprises as well.
Last comes the dessert which is Churros, the traditional fried crispy dough with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, with the dough doused with cinnamon sugar which added another dimension to the flavor, and when dipped with the chocolate and ice cream really wraps up the night with satisfaction.The service is decent, certainly not bad but in my opinion could be improved by checking in with us more often in the meal, and also to explain a bit more on the different tapas when serving. Having said that I could understand this is a tapas bar so the service level should also be tied to that.
The bill on the night was $919 for two persons, with me also ordering a virgin sangria (because I was driving) and a bottled water. With no service charge the price was very reasonable, and of course we tipped quite generously in the end too.
It is a tapas bar I recommend, and maybe next time would like to try more of their other tapas. My overall rating is 65/100.
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