Mahony's Po-boy Shop (New Orleans)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: New Orleans, USA
Address: 3454 Magazine Street
Website: http://mahonyspoboys.com/
Type of Meal: Lunch
After seeing Mahony's Po-boy Shop featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, it became a must-do during our visit to New Orleans. There are many po-boy institutions in the city but what sets Mahony’s apart is there inventive creations. Sure, you can eat the traditional fried oyster and shrimps variety but they also have alligator sausage, hamburger and French fries with roast beef gravy amongst others.

Between the four of us, we ordered two of the large po-boys (a little more than a foot long each) with sides to share. Their award winning creation, the peacemaker ($14.95 for a regular or $21.95 for a large) enticed us with the promise of fried oysters, bacon, real cheddar cheese slices, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and mayonnaise. The bite sized oysters were lightly dusted with corn meal adding nice crunch. Surprisingly, the flavour that stood out the most for me was the cheddar and for some reason the bacon became lost with everything else. The peacemaker is a good sandwich but needed another sauce for my taste, luckily the hot sauce on the table helped satisfy that a bit.


Although it didn't win any accolades, the favourite for our table was the grilled jumbo shrimp ($14.95 for a regular or $21.95 for a large). Topped with juicy cornmeal crusted fried green tomatoes and remoulade sauce it was such a great combination with the smoky char from the juicy shrimp, crunch from the tomatoes and the flavourful spicy sauce. The remoulade is essentially Louisiana’s take on tartar sauce except with a kick from the addition of cayenne pepper, paprika and/or hot sauce. This sandwich was not dressed, so doesn’t include the traditional lettuce, tomato, pickle and mayonnaise combination but had more than enough flavours and textures in it. Why isn’t this winning any prizes?


On the side, we ordered the small creole coleslaw ($1.95) dressed in a light mayo based sauce with a bit of seasoning. For me, it needed a bit more creole seasoning and the addition of this coleslaw (with more seasoning) on the peacemaker may have been an even better combination; alas, I ate the sandwich before I could try it.


Meanwhile, the small order of onion rings ($2.75) was gigantic compared to the coleslaw (says something about trying to eat “healthier”). Mahony must have used Vidalia onions as they were light and slightly sweet. Rather than thick rings, these were in a thin shredded form, lightly battered and topped with a liberal sprinkling of sea salt. I’m normally not a huge fan of onion rings but these were good. I could simply munch on them even as a snack.


Seeing Mahony’s was my one and only experience having a po-boy, I can’t comment on how it compares with the other popular shops. But, if Emeril Lagasse stands behind it, you know it can’t be that bad.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
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Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!



Brar's Sweets and Restaurant (aka Food Culture of India) (Brampton)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Brampton, Canada
Address: 199 Advance Blvd.
Website: www.brars.ca
Type of Meal: Dinner
If you pull into a dark deserted commercial plaza you’re in the right place. Make a right and turn the corner and once you see a gathering of people and cars you’ve found it. I didn’t expect much from the undescriptive surroundings but upon entering was pleasantly surprised with the bright, clean and colourful setting.

Brar’s is an establishment that has been built upon. Starting with only the sweets and snacks takeout area, they’ve gradually added a dine-in café area and buffet as well. We were hoping to eat at the restaurant buffet ($20.99 per adult on Saturdays), but unfortunately the wait was too long so opted with the café instead. 

Dine in area (1)

As a warning, for new visitors, the purchasing process is a bit confusing, but staff are responsive if you stop and ask them questions. I’ll attempt to describe the procedure so you’ll hopefully have to ask for less help than we did:
  1. Order and pay at the cashiers up front, where they will give you a metal number to save a table in the café area.
  2. Bring your receipt to the buffet area at the back of the restaurant (where there’s a “pick up order here” sign) to continue. You’ll need to be patient as there’s not always someone available; wait until someone returns and gets your receipt.
  3. Pick your curries (it can get a bit chaotic as this is also where regular buffet patrons get their food) and dessert.
  4. Go back to your table. Pick up the water, pop or juice you may have paid for from the fridge.
  5. After about five minutes they will bring the food you’ve chosen, with fresh hot naan or roti (depending on your choice), to the table. 
 
Buffet area (1)

To get a taste of many items, I ordered the thali ($7.99) which offers a choice of:
  • Three curries – many options were available including daal makhani, chana masala, malai kofta, various paneers (malai, shahi, palak and matter) and jal frezi to name a few. You won’t find anything with meat here as Brar’s is a 100% vegetarian restaurant;
  • Rice – between pualo (saffron and vegetable) or plain basmati;
  • Second starch – naan, roti, bhatura or puri;
  • Dessert – gulab jamun or gajar halwa; and
  • All include a salad of cucumbers, tomato and pickled vegetables.
 

With so many curries to choose from I was a bit flustered and decided to stick with the ones I recognized, rather than hold up the line and ask questions:
  • Mattar paneer: peas and paneer (a firm soft cheese) stewed in tomato sauce with garam masala. Brar’s paneer was fresh and in big chunks, some of the best I’ve had. This is also good for individuals who can’t stand heat as it wasn’t spicy.
  • Jal frezi: a drier curry that involves marinating vegetables and paneer and then pan frying with spices. This dish had more of a kick to it but not overwhelmingly so.
  • Daal makhani: a lentil curry stewed for hours with cream and butter until the lentils soften. It was average, a bit watery compared to the creamier versions I’ve had previously.

The pualo rice, in my opinion, went better with everything mixing in the all the delicious curries. The naan was fine, I’ve had better, but it was annoying that the bottom had pieces of char stuck on it which I had to slowly break off least end up with a mouth full of hard burnt bits. 

The pickled carrots in the salad was quite nice to contrast the hot curries. Be careful as there are also whole green chilies mixed into it so you don’t want to be eating this in forkfuls. Surprisingly, the thali didn’t include any raita (the cooling yoghurt mixture). Luckily, none of the curries were overly spicy so it wasn’t necessarily needed.

In terms of dessert I ordered the gajar halwa, a carrot pudding made with grated carrots, milk, some type of starch and sugar. It takes some getting used to as I didn’t expect the shaved slivers but the desserts grows on you with successive bites. Having a piece of my friend’s gulab jamun, essentially curdled deep fried milk solids soaked in syrup, it wasn’t as sweet as I expected and decent as well. 

We each added a samosa to our meals ($0.75). Slightly smaller than a baseball, it arrives with a sweet & spicy tamarind sauce and a jalapeño spiked cilantro yoghurt. The samosa contains tons of potatoes and the oil used seemed fresh based on the golden colour and clean taste on the wrapper. It’s a filling samosa with the dense potato mixture inside but I still prefer ones that contains other vegetables like peas and carrots. Personally, my favourite is still the tried and true Samosa King in Scarborough where samosas are only five for a $1 (sauces extra). 


At first we were disappointed when the wait for the buffet was so long (everything looked so good). In hindsight, the thali provided a variety of choices and we couldn’t even finish what we ordered – fortunately it's served in a take-out container. At only $7.99 it was an amazing deal for all the food we received!

Plus, eating in the more casual dine-in area gives you a view of their beautiful sweets (most were $10.99/lb) and snacks display. Brar’s website claims what sets them apart is using high quality ingredients and ensuring most items are made fresh daily. So, while eating you can start planning for all the take-home goodies to buy!

Sweet display (1)


Overall mark - 7 out of 10
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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

 Photo Sources:
  1. Brar's interior photos - TripAdvisor posts (http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g154982-d793981-Reviews-Brar_Food_Culture_of_India-Brampton_Ontario.html)


CLOSED: MoRoCo Chocolat Relaunch (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 99 Yorkville Avenue

 In November 2014, MoRoCo welcomes a new Chef and sommelier, Eyal Liebman and Rebecca Meir-Liebman, along with a new menu featuring sweet and savoury dishes (most laced with chocolate) with suggested pairings to match. It’s nice seeing that although dishes have been revamped, it doesn’t deviate from what the restaurant is all about … chocolate! This has always been a place for connoisseurs to enjoy the ingredient in its many forms - eat, drink or dip.

At their Bubbles and Bites launch party, hosted by Abbey Sharp and Mike Chalut, I was given a preview and taste of their new offering.  Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of chocolate – I know a shock. But, then I also didn't think it’d go with something like salad; after taking the salad caprice de reine ($13), my mind changed. The greenery (endive, arugula and apple) was crisp, light and vinegary. But, as the shavings of Valrhona blond chocolate subtly comes through there's an added creaminess and extra essence to an otherwise simple dish.

 

Another great combination was the confit de canard ravioli ($27) where the dough incorporates chocolate. Filled with a fair amount of tender duck, the dark chocolate adds a hint of bitterness cutting against the richness of the duck. Finished with a fragrant porchini broth this is one worth eating again.

 

An intriguing main I didn't try is their MoRoCo chocolate wellington ($29). Chef Eyal is no stranger to cooking meat having worked at Harbour Sixty. How exactly would beef taste wrapped in a chocolate crepe and puff pastry?

 

The event treated us with a table set-up to make s’mores with house-made marshmallows, fresh thick graham crackers and tons of chocolate. Having only roasted a marshmallow I already found it delicious. Not to showcase anything that’s not actually offered on the menu, this torch at the table s’more is available normally as well ($22) and serves up to 3 people.

 

If no one wants to split the above with you, don’t worry, you can also stick with the s’mores love ($14) dessert where you get all the ingredients on top of a chocolate lava cake with ice cream.

 

Personally, the sweet I liked most was Eyal’s cheesecake ($14) which was simple but delicious. The cheese was fluffy, almost like a mousse, and the graham cracker buttery and crumbly. The dessert was also nicely balanced between sweet and salty.

 

For those who aren’t a fan of chocolate, do not fret as there are things that you can eat too! Below are but a few of the offerings that may tempt you.


Steak tartare ($16) served with greens and crostini.

 

Salad nicoise ($25) with a choice of wild salmon or roasted chicken.


Napoleon á ma façon ($12) a beautiful lemon mousse layered between orange tuilles and topped with sweet berries.

 

In speaking to Chef Eyal, customers should expect freshness in all their dishes. Ingredients are thoughtfully sourced to make sure they are high quality and even ingredients such as bread will be baked in-house daily. Indeed, this new philosophy should create scones that are better than my first experience with MoRoCo. Eyal certainly exuded passion for his food and his craft. Hopefully, visitors will feel and taste this passion come through on their new menu… it may just be time to give them another taste.


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Willie Mae's Scotch House (New Orleans)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: New Orleans, USA
Address: 2401 St Ann Street
Type of Meal: Lunch

I never quite trust a restaurant proclaiming they're the “best in the ____” for anything. But, I did hear about Willie Mae’s Scotch House through various best of lists and Google their name with "award" and their 2005 America’s Classic award from the James Beard Foundation will inevitably pop up. Of course, the dedication of their fan base may also say something about the quality of their food. After being destroyed in Katrina, a group of individuals donated $200,000 and three years’ worth of time to rebuild the restaurant – all for a daily free meal!

With that in mind, Willie Mae’s became a destination for me during our New Orleans trip. After a nerve wracking half an hour journey (more to come later) my friend and I settled down in their simple dining room to tuck into a dish of America’s best fried chicken ($10). Each plate contains three pieces (thigh, drumstick and wing) and for a $2 supplement you can upgrade a piece to white meat. We stuck with the dark meat – after all this is where all the flavour resides!

Honestly, I’m not an expert when it comes to fried chicken – I can count on two hands the number of restaurants I’ve had it at (with KFC and Popeye’s being part of the mix). So, the fact that it’s the best fried chicken I’ve had in my life may be but a small testimonial to Willie Mae’s offering. But, what made it stand out from the rest? Pretty much everything from the crunch of the crust, juice in the meat to overall freshness of the dish.

The thick and crispy batter remained airy and light; with a flakiness to the crust so that each bite broke through layers of delicious coating which shatters in your mouth. Additionally, it’s well seasoned - if you are sensitive to salt you may find it too salty - but I love it so the flavourful taste was perfect. The meat must have been brined prior to cooking as even by itself the flavours held up and plenty of juice still remained leaving each piece moist.


With a choice of one side, we stuck with potato salad which was decent and had a fresh crunch from the green onions mixed in. Some mushy peas also accompanied the chicken and luckily weren’t too soft; left plain its naturalness helped calm down the rest of the dish.

Back to our tense journey prior to the meal. In reality, it’s likely an overreaction – after all, we arrived safe and nothing actually happened to us. But, after spending most of our days in the lively French Quarter and Central Business District, to walk through neighborhoods which have not been rebuilt and are more industrial in nature was a bit unnerving. So, if you’re going to visit Willie Mae’s I’d suggest hailing a cab or at least walk along Basin Road to Orleans Road before cutting onto St Ann Street.

Whatever you do, just go there early. We arrived at 11am on a weekday and after finishing at noon the restaurant was starting to fill up. We overheard the waitress telling another table that normally the lines don’t start until after 12. So, if you don’t want to wait while smelling the intoxicating fried chicken scent in line … be an early bird.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10
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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

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The Praline Connection (New Orleans)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: New Orleans, USA
Address: 542 Frenchman Street
Website: www.pralineconnection.com
Type of Meal: Dinner
The Praline Connection has been serving good ole’ Cajun-Creole style soul food for almost 25 years. True to form the portions are gigantic with each entrée accompanied by corn bread and two sides (greens, beans, macaroni & cheese or potato salad). The cornbread is likely the healthiest part of the meal, likely lacking oil in the batter it tasted a bit dry. Of course, there were pats of butter on the side so you could slather on extra moisture and flavours if you wanted.


Sharing three entrees and an appetizer between a table of four there was still too much food! As we were waiting for the entrees we decided to get some fried pickles ($5.95) to munch on. Cut into circles rather than lengthwise, the pickles were crunchier given the higher batter ratio. Overall, they weren’t bad but could benefit from being dried longer (as they were getting soggy near the bottom) and being dusted with cornmeal as well. 


When I think of soul food, fried chicken ($13.50) often comes to mind. So, we had to try an order. Praline Connection’s had a light coating - similar to what you'd find at KFC except crispier. Although the chicken meat was very tender and moist, the breading needed a bit more flavour in terms of salt and/or spices. However, it did go nicely with the thick and creamy potato salad. The salad had hints of mustard and something tangy in it (perhaps vinegar) which helped to round out the flavours of fried foods nicely.


The barbeque ribs ($17.95) had a wonderful thick tangy sauce slathered all over them (albeit no smokiness). Also very tender, this was the sole dish of the evening that left me wanting more. The collard greens were decent with a hint of spice; if only they weren’t as mushy it would be even better but I understand they are generally served this way.


Lastly, the fried catfish ($15.95) was another moist and freshly made dish. The fish, lightly dusted with a thin crispy crust, was a fair portion. The lackluster tartar sauce did need more relish in it as it resembled mayonnaise more than tartar. The macaroni and cheese was fairly cheesy with two types of cheese used throughout, yet wasn’t too heavy. Additionally, the macaroni noodles were quite long so that you could almost twirl it around a fork. Unfortunately, it was under seasoned and could have used a bit more salt.



The Praline Connection is ideally located on a busy corner of Frenchmen Street. Indeed, during our visit upon leaving the restaurant we were greeted with an impressive live jazz performance street side. So, if you’re looking for a place to start the night, The Praline Connection may be a good choice. But, you may want to share to avoid feeling overly stuffed for the rest of the night. 



 Overall mark - 7 out of 10
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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!



CLOSED: The Old Coffee Pot Restaurant (New Orleans)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: New Orleans, USA
Address: 714 Saint Peter Street
Type of Meal: Breakfast
If you’re looking for affordable prices and home-style cooking The Old Coffee Pot Restaurant is the place for you. Situated in a house, upon entering you feel like you’ve come to grandma’s place – especially if grandma lives on a plantation. Complete with framed pictures of the staff members on the mantel it’s as if you’re visiting their home. And to sum it up, the general mood seems to be just like that. They are welcoming and laid back, pretty much fine with wherever you'd like to sit, but not above joking around as well.

I went with the abundant plantation breakfast ($13.25) likely intended for hard working harvesters rather than a meandering tourist. With choice of eggs, ham, biscuit or grits and a side of calas cakes you can easily share this breakfast. I have to be honest, the ham and eggs were average and the grits fairly bland (luckily there’s hot sauce, butter or sugar on the table); the eggs benedict my friend ordered looked much tastier. 


However, what drew me to the breakfast was the promise of calas cakes - what The Old Coffee Pot is known for. Their website notes the recipe dates back to the mid 1800’s, not long before when the restaurant was established in 1894. Essentially a blend of rice and spices, formed into a ball, deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar the cakes are reminiscent of rice pudding with cinnamon shining through. It was served with syrup on the side but I found the powdered sugar already gave it the right amount of sweetness, especially for the first meal of the day.  


Known for their breakfast options, a portion of the menu served all day, there’s an abundance of options to choose amongst. The meals aren’t fancy but are more than filling and fits into the homey feel of the restaurant. Although the food (with the exception of the calas cakes) isn’t fantastic the laid back atmosphere is quite nice and makes The Old Coffee Pot worth a visit. 

 Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10
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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


CLOSED: Shiso Tree Café (Markham)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by
Location: Markham, Canada
Address: 3610 Steeles Avenue East (in the J-Town area)
Type of Meal: Dinner
Located in the J-Town complex, from Steeles the structure looks like any other office building. But, once you park you’ll start to discover the little water display, court yard sitting area and the wonderful smells wafting from restaurants in the area. One of these restaurants is Shiso Tree Café with the promises of Japanese style pasta to come.

A selection of pastas are available with typical options such as bolognese, arrabbiata or rosé. But, why would you come to a Japanese restaurant to eat something so quintessentially Italian? At Shiso Tree their claim to fame is the “wafu” (or Japanese style) selection where every dish sounds tempting.  Amongst our table of four, we ordered three to share. To clarify, the noodle is not Japanese, it is in fact spaghetti, but rather the sauces and accompanying ingredients is what gives the pasta Japanese flair.

Shiso clam vongoles ($15) was the one that would be the most “my style” – I love simple olive oil based seafood pasta and this did not disappoint. In this case, along with olive oil, white wine and garlic the sauce also had bacon, tomato and shiso. Sisho is a leafy herb (also known as parilla in Korean cuisine) and tastes like a cross between basil, mint and lime leaves. Of course plenty of fresh Manila clams also accompanied the spaghetti. Light and refreshing, from the shisho, this is a good summer dish. 


Okonomiyaki, at other restaurants, is generally a savoury pancake smothered with various sauces and containing pieces of seafood. At Shiso, the shrimp okonomiyaki ($14) arrives in pasta form with the typical ingredients you’d find in and on the pancake mixed into the spaghetti. The pasta was tossed with fragrant bacon, onions and garlic and then topped with tender sautéed shrimp, bonito flakes, mayonnaise and a tangy steak sauce. Compared to the other dishes I found this a bit bland despite all the sauces; the pasta needs to be cooked a bit more to allow it to soften and really soak up the sauces. But, all in all, still not a bad dish.


Surprisingly, my favourite dish of the night was the sukiyaki ($15). The shoyu broth spiked with beef jus was delightful and flavoured the spaghetti so well. Salty, sweet and aromatic, we even started dipping the garlic bread into the broth to have more of it! Topping the pasta were tender thin beef slices, plump mushrooms, toasted nori slivers, fresh green onions and shiso.  All pasta dishes also came with half a slice of garlic bread and a small salad dressed in a wafu dressing (a salty yet light vinaigrette).


Another dish worth trying is the nori fries ($6) a great start to munch on while waiting for the pasta. A fair amount of freshly made fries is tossed in wafu dressing and topped with slivers of dried crispy nori (seaweed). The result is a crispy fry that’s coated in a glistening salty & sweet sauce and emits an intoxicating seaweed aroma.


Prices are reasonable and the food arrives at a decent pace. Service was satisfactory but surprisingly not as friendly and upbeat as most Japanese establishments.  I appreciate the creativity in their creations and that pastas still arrive al dante. Overall, Shiso Tree Café is worth a return visit as there were so many other wafu pastas (including a daily specials black board) that sounded and could be equally delicious. 

 Overall mark - 8 out of 10
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 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Tapas at Embrujo (Toronto)

Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2014 by

Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 97 Danforth Avenue
Website: www.tapasatembrujo.com
Type of Meal: Dinner

 Tapas At Embrujo has replaced the previous Embrujo Flamenco and with it arrives a new menu with additional small plates and lower price points. Everything is meant to be shared, especially the large paellas, suggested for two but could easily feed more. 

Amongst the four paellas, we ordered the seafood ($42) which was topped with shrimp, squid, mussels and a scallop. The rice was saucy and flavourful but would have been even better if there was less liquid so that a crust could develop on the sides and bottom of the pan. The seafood was overcooked and despite the abundance of shrimp, squid and mussels it was a bizarre that there was only a single scallop. All in all, although not the best in the city (I’d suggest Carmen for paella), it was nonetheless a satisfactory dish.


With tapas in their name, they certainly offer a large selection. Varying in sizes, some like the duck confit with pear ($11) could even act as a main with the addition of a salad. A fairly large duck leg is prepared confit style arriving tender and flavourful. Served piping hot with a sprig of rosemary, it was an enjoyable dish, much tastier than the other meat tapas we tried that night.


Having tried both of black angus sirloin tapas, the steak with three sauces ($10) was the better of the two. Four strips of beef were accompanied with sweet parsley, Romesco and sweet mustard sauces for dipping. The end piece I tasted was fairly tough, but my friend noted the middle portion was nice and tender. The dipping sauces were also an acquired taste - the sweetness in the parsley and mustard sauces were not for me, I would have much preferred something tangy or spicy instead.


The second sirloin dish was the steak with salsa de mostaza ($10); Embrujo’s take on steak frites. The sirloin, served in chunks, was overdone. The fries were decent arriving hot and crispy; however, was likely the frozen variety and a fairly oily.


If something fried is what you’re craving, the eggplant fries ($7) is the better choice. Although not extremely crispy, there is a nice light crust around each piece and a soft tender centre. Topped with a liberal sprinkling of sea salt and served with aioli these are great for munching on. If you can save some of the salmorejo, the garlicky Spanish tomato sauce that accompanies the bread, try it with the eggplant as it pairs quite nicely. Just be careful on the first fry as they are hot!


In fact, just save the bread period. Especially, if you’re ordering the clams with chorizo ($9). A bowl of clams cooked in white wine and flavoured with spicy chorizo, the clams are decent but the flavourful broth is the highlight. It would go so nicely with the crusty bread – too bad we had already ran out of it.

tapas at Embrujo clams

The shrimp with chocolate ($10) was a surprisingly good dish. Normally, fruit flavoured chocolate is a detested combination but with the non-sweet cocoa Embrujo used in combination with the orange juice actually was quite nice. The addition of chilies into the dish really helped to keep everything savoury. If only the shrimp wasn’t floured it would have been better as the crust sort of crumbled off and became mushy.


One of our table’s favourite dishes of the night was the quail egg crostini ($9). More of the delicious tart and garlicky salmorejo sauce is spread on a grilled crostini, then layer with Serrano ham and topped with a fried quail egg. The dish not only presented well but the combination of flavours, crunch and runny egg yolk proved to work well together.

tapas at Embrujo

After enjoying a half an hour live performance (Thursday – Saturdays only), of entertaining Spanish songs and Flamenco dancing we finally digested enough for dessert. Sharing the flan ($6), the Spanish version of crème caramel, it’s a decent dessert. Much denser than the other custards there's a cake-like consistency to it. But, it was well flavoured and the watery caramel nicely sweetened.

tapas at Embrujo

Wondering what “Embrujo” meant but not finding it on the internet (imagine that), I finally wrote into the restaurant; turns out it translates to “bewitched”. The name sums up our experience quite well – although not every dish was a hit we nonetheless had an enjoyable night at Tapas at Embrujo. In the end, it’s the captivating experience is what matters - our waiter was delightful, the food plentiful & affordable and the cava/sangria/wine even more so. With the right company and atmosphere, this adds up to a great night.  

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
Like the blog? You can now follow me on twitter for notifications - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog

 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

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