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2015-12-06
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Mentioned in Time Out Hong Kong as having the best paella in town, QUEMO is a place I always wanted to try. It seemed like this was THE Spanish restaurant to go to.As it was American Thanksgiving, we decided to celebrate it here. Ok...I know. It's a Spanish restaurant so what has this got to do with American Thanksgiving? Well...Christopher Columbus had the backing of the Spanish court to find a passage to China and without him, the good old USA would not be born because he found his way to Chin
As it was American Thanksgiving, we decided to celebrate it here. Ok...I know. It's a Spanish restaurant so what has this got to do with American Thanksgiving? Well...Christopher Columbus had the backing of the Spanish court to find a passage to China and without him, the good old USA would not be born because he found his way to China but North America.
QUEMO is located in Wanchai in QRE Plaza. Though not very big, they did have a nice al fresco balcony area for those that want a quick drink and a private VIP room for group gatherings. When we arrived, the staff was cordial yet friendly. We were informed that they had a new chef, Chef Martin Carrasco who is actually from Spain and brings with him a few new dishes. Curious, we decided to give it a try as I looked him up and he seemed pretty impressive, working in the famous Via Veneto restaurant in Barcelona. A place I plan on trying to get a reservation if I ever go to Spain. Layout was spacious with blackboard menus for the latest specials.
As we were waiting for our dinner, we were informed there was an Iberico pork slicing demo done by the owner of Dona Luna was in the restaurant and was slicing Iberico ham from his farm. This was fascinating to me as I had NO idea about that there were different parts of Iberico ham. Seriously ... I just buy the stuff at a store and feed them at dinner parties. I always thought everything was the same. What an educational moment. We were informed that Dona Luna feeds their free range pigs with acorns and the meat is cured for at least 40 months. So FASCINATING! I felt like I was watching an episode of Heston Blumenthal's Search for Perfection when Heston explains why he would rather choose dry pasta over fresh.
Dona Luna 100% Iberico Ham Platter ($200). We decided this an appetizer while we waited. We were offered four areas of the leg and it was suggested we start from the left to the right. Thank goodness for Wikipedia so I could look up the names! The left piece is called the Jarrette and is actually the part near the heel area. It was a bit tougher in texture and actually reminded me of jerky. The next piece is called Maza and is near the bottom thigh area. This was actually very soft with a bit of sweetness. The piece after is Babilla and is the top thigh area. This was even more fat in content and even more succulent and soft. The last piece is Punta which is the hip area. It was the most moist and succulent of all. It was sweet and not salty at all. An amazing learning experience that I remember forever. I learned so much about the simple ham and have a new found respect for Spanish cured meats. Before this, I only liked Italian cured meats and wasn't a big fan of Spanish ones until now.
Dona Lola 100% Pure Iberico Ham Platter
$200
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Giant Spanish Oysters with Duo Foam ($116). We chose oysters as our appetizers as the staff showed us they had fresh oysters from Galicia, Spain. At $58 each, I felt they were a bargain. They were presented in two ways. The one on the left was topped with a gin tonic foam. It had little yellow spherical beads that burst into little bubbles of olive oil. The one on the right had a salsa topping that was gave it a fresh taste. I, however, preferred the gin tonic topping as it was like a burst of lemon and hint of gin that lifted the oyster to another level. The oysters were fresh and sweet without being overly salty. I'm an oyster addict so these were really good.
Giant Spanish Oysters Duo Foam
$116
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Seabass with Potato and Green Bean Terrine ($178). This was a new dish created by the new chef of QUEMO. The seabass was cooked perfectly and flaked away perfectly. It was marinated in Gin Mare which gave it a nice light fragrance to the fish. It was topped with a light Gin Mare and Tonic foam so it gave a bit the fish a bit of acidity. It was placed on top of a potato and green bean terrine which was not too heavy. It plate was scattered with pieces of choi sum that gave a bit of crunchy texture to the dish. I appreciated that the chef used choi sum in his dish. It was not only very east meets west but it showed that the chef wants to use and support local produce that is fresh and does not need to be imported.
Skin Cooked Suckling Pig Terrine with Potato Foam and Seasonal Vegetables ($188). Another new menu item from the new chef, this was nothing short of tastebud blowing. Often I have suckling pig, I just really hate the skin as I KNOW it's supposed to be crispy but geez man ... does it have to be so hard that I feel like I have to break my knife while slicing into it? And that feeling of eating nonstop fat just makes me shudder. This was possibly the best suckling pig I've ever had. The skin was thin and crispy yet not tough. The meat just literally fell away like paper with my fork. You really didn't need a knife, it was that moist. It was scattered with fresh snow peas, another support for local produce! But the most mind blowing of all? The potato foam. It was eating buttery rich mashed potatoes but it was actually a foam. This made the whole dish not heavy but still gave you that feeling of comfort and love that only a hearty dish can give you.
suckling pig with potato foam and sesonal vegetables
$188
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This is what it looked like. It was so pretty. I'm a sucker for jelly. Jello is my ultimate guilty pleasure. This was wonderful fancy jello shot. The jelly and the cream was made with the Licor 43 that tasted like an alocholic version of vanilla whipped cream. It was so lush. Cutting into it was this tart citrus ice cream and a snow of Sangria and orange zest. Yes .. a very fancy jello shot that I love.
jelly and cream licor 43 with sangria snow
$58
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The juices of from the head is squeezed into the rice, giving the whole thing a great salty seafood taste. The dish was exactly enough for two people.
The rice was cooked al dente and the seafood broth was rich. The mediterranean prawn had a very lobster like texture and taste. It didn't taste like prawn at all. I would probably say it was like a langoustine.
Tarima Hill 2012 ($88/glass). We were suggested this as our wine for the mains. It was very rich red wine and went down very smooth with a hint of acidity.
Coconut and Ginger Mousse with Mango Cream and Cocoa Soil ($58). There are days I go to restaurants that claim to be "fine dining" and though the food is excellent, they always have to mess it up with some over dramatic display of squiggles and swirls that make the whole thing unappealing. So, when this was presented to me, I fell in love. It was simply laid out but yet it was beautiful. The bright yellow mango cream framed this simple white block of coconut and ginger mousse. The mousse was rich and fragrant with coconut with a touch of ginger. The mango cream was acidic, cutting into the richness, balancing it out. Topped with a crumbly cocoa to look like soil.
Coconut and Ginger Mousse with Mango Cream and Cocoa Soil
$58
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A beautiful evening of excellent food and a very attentative staff. I noticed they have very reasonable lunch sets and weekend brunches. Portions are quite reasonable in size and prices not outrageously expensive for what you are servfed. I would return again and suggest to friends who want a very special evening out.
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