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Believe it or not, after my delicioius lunch earlier today, I actually went to the gym at the
Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen for my usual quick run. I can't remember the last time I worked out in a hotel gym while traveling, but it was good to get back to it.
I desperately needed to rehydrate after running, and fortunately the hotel provided me with a bottle of
pear with white fungus (银耳雪梨汤), which was very helpful.
After watching the sunset in my room, I headed up to dinner at
Tapas 77, with commanding views of the Shenzhen skyline. Chef Ivan Arroyo has had an interesting journey in his culinary career, but now focuses on introducing the local clientele to classic Spanish fare.
Jamón Ibérico Joselito cortado a cuchillo pan de la casa -
jamón ibérico is always a good idea, especially when it comes from Joselito. This was aged for 48 months.
Sangria blanca
Ceviche de Vieira y fruta de la pasion aceite de Arbequina picante y caviar - the scallop comes from Dalian (大连), and this was dressed with some harissa olive oil from
Castillo de Canena.
These
crisps were soooo good, thanks to plenty of butter...
Centollo a la brasa, mojo verde y nuez de Macadamia - the Alaskan king crab legs came with some
mojo verde and shavings of Macadamia nuts on top.
Albondigas en salsa Española - these meatballs were pretty tender, and so, so much better than
the ones I had 12 years ago...
Pulpo a la Gallega - always nice to have grilled octopus tentacles, especially when they deliver those smoky flavors.
Gambas al ajillo - the classic dish on the menu of every Spanish restaurant in Asia. However, I must confess I have a preference for prawns that are smaller as they are usually more tender.
Paella de mar - in Asia I think it would be considered weird if one leaves a Spanish restaurant without having tasted some paella. This seafood version came without meat, just prawns,
mi-cuit scallops, mussels, and squid. Interesting that Chef Ivan now uses carnaroli and not bomba rice for his paella.
The rice was on the wet side, and obviously the chef was adapting to the local palate, as the locals aren't used to rice that is too dry with
socarrat. This was a little surprising to me because Cantonese people would certainly DEMAND that their clay pot rice came with rice crispies (飯焦)! used arborio rice to make this instead of bomba rice. Thankfully tonight there was a tiny bit of
socarrat that we could enjoy.
Sangria Rosa
Churros con chocolate - we were so, so happy to see these
churros as they were so thick! With plenty of sugar and chocolate sauce on the side. Yum!
Chef Ivan also sent out an interesting dessert that, after learning that he once worked in the kitchens at
Azurmendi, reminds me a little of Eneko Atxa's work.
Seawater granita, seaweed crisp, lemon and apple sorbet, and lemon mousseline combined acidity, sweetness, and salinity. Pretty interesting stuff.
We went to check out
MO Bar, which has a vastly different vibe than the one which has just closed at the
Landmark Mandarin Oriental. The theme here is the movable printing press, and there are actually printing presses and moving types inside the bar. Some of the signature drinks are also named after different ingredients of the printing process.
Grape Expectations - definitely a "girlie drink" up my alley, with grape must, Sauternes, Fino... etc.
It's been a day, but it was time to head back to my room and catch up on some news that broke while we were at the bar.
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