We went to The Bazaar for my birthday dinner this year! Spanish tapas style~ I was debating between this or Animal, but decided that I am in the mood for Spanish food~
It is a tapas-style restaurant, so the menu is pretty big, and you should expect 3-4 dishes per person because dishes are tiny! I like small dishes because I can order more variety, at the same time I hate small dishes, because I have to order more to fill me up. It is a love-hate relationship.
Well, it is my birthday. Definitely calls for a drink (or drinkS lol), and I ordered Passion Fruit Up! (orange rum, passion fruit, ginger-laurel syrup, passion fruit foam) It is really fruity (you can tell the fruit is fresh), but not too sweet. I also ordered some white wine for the seafood I ordered below!
Oyster & Hibiscus - passion fruit, finer lime, vanilla oil
Great fresh oyster, always nice with some acidity
Tuna Ceviche & Avocado Roll - jicama, micro cilantro, coconut
It is very fresh and tasty, but in an expected way.
Hokkaido Scallop Ceviche - leche de tigre, sweet potato, freeze-dried corn, cilantro (Above)
The plating is really bizarre to me...... but it is delicious! I always love the leche de tigre, it is a Peruvian citrus-based marinade in ceviche. Besides the acidity, the sweetness from the sweet potato balanced it really well.
Gazpacho - chilled tomato, green bell pepper, cucumber (To the left)
It is a little strong for my taste, but very interesting.
Sea urchin Steamed Buns - avocado, eel sauce, tempura flakes
Interesting plating using Chinese bamboo steamer. Pretty generous on the sea urchin, and it tasted really fresh.
King Crab Steamed Buns - pickled cucumber, shisa, mayo
The pickled cucumber goes surprisingly well with the crab.
Eggplant Tempura - local honey, buttermilk
It looks like... um.... fried eggplant.... but the taste is very unexpected. The honey foam gave it a hint of sweetness.
Grilled Spanish Octopus - caramelized onions, chicken escabeche, cherry tomato
Highlight of the night! This is definitely a must-order dish! It might be an ordinary traditional Spanish dish, but it's cooked exceptionally well. I have never had octopus like this. And the cherry tomatoes were juicy and plump. Perfect dish.
Rossejat' Negra paella-style pasta - squid ink, sepia sofrito, shrimp
Had a very similar dish at Ink, and I think it's just as good. I really like the paella-style squid ink pasta. I have made it my mission to learn how to cook this.
Seared Scallops, Romesco sauce
My first time having the Romesco sauce, and it goes so well with the scallop! It is basically a nut and red pepper-based sauce originated from northeastern Spain. I felt like there's more to the sauce, but I can't tell what it is..... I felt like there's some egg yolk in it?
Seared Rabbit "Al Ajillo" - Garlic, potato, parsley
Rabbit is always a little gamey for me, but this one was not!
Jamón Croquetas - fried quail eggs, escalivada puree
Loved the quail eggs on top! Couldn't taste the ham so much though.
"Philly Cheesesteak"* - Air bread, cheddar, wagyu beef
Tiniest Philly Cheesesteak you will ever seen! Beef was cooked perfectly as you can see in the picture.
Dungeness Crab "A La Donostiarra" - Tomato sofrito, seafood broth, toasted bread
Love the tomato sofrito with the crab meat, very nice. A tad bit salty though.
Beef Tartare - Kimchi crackers, pickled shallot, fried capers
Love the crispy and soft texture combination. I can't tell is it too little seasoning or they just want us to taste the beef itself.
Caramelized Dark Chocolate Mousse, Vanilla Crème brûlée, Crispy Praline Cake
Very artsy presentation. Good combination of flavors. What can go wrong with chocolate, vanilla and praline?!
Mille-feuille, Caramel Cream and Salted Caramel
Very tasty. I always love mille-feuille, and this one was delicious. I love the caramel cream, but I think the caramel in the middle might a little much.
Traditional Spanish flan, vanilla & citrus
How can we not try the traditional flan when we were in a Spanish restaurant! I loved the vanilla cream and the hint of citrus in the flan, but the flan is a little too heavy (can use a little less cream I think).
Overall, it was a great dining experience. Service was excellent. Food was delicious. The octopus is my absolute favorite. Price is fair for the quality of food. 4.5/5