Review: aqua nueva Spanish pop-up restaurant at Statement, Tai Kwun, Hong Kong

Review of the aqua nueva pop-up, one of London's top Spanish restaurants, at Statement restaurant in Hong Kong

Calling all lovers of Spanish food! There’s a new tapas pop-up in town and it’s on for the next three months at Statement. aqua nueva, their sister restaurant in London, has brought their award-winning recipes (food and cocktails) to our dear city and keen to showcase why they’ve been a hotspot for over 10 years.

We went to check out their five-course brunch menu ($358).

First up was a glass of their Nueva Sangria (free flow starts from $100 per person). Light, smooth, delicious. We enjoyed this while nibbling on rustic tomato bread while waiting for our food.

For some of the sections, there’s a choice between two dishes. My friend and I chose to pick one of each and share both.

Para Empezar

Poached egg, bread crumbs, potato foam, smoked oil

Rocket, pumpkin puree, olives, toasted chickpeas, roasted tomatoes, rosemary, lemon

Croquettas platter (an additional $85)

While it’s always nice to have eggs at brunch, I enjoyed the pumpkin option a bit more. The variety of textures and flavours was lively and interesting. The croquettes platter is an add-on but worth it as it comes with five different kinds: manchego and black truffle, Iberico ham, lobster bisque, wild mushroom, and black seafood.

Para Picar

Chorizo, jamon serrano, fuet, queso tetilla, pickles y aceitunas, Pata Negra acorn fed 30 months (+ $68 per person)

Who can resist such a decadent platter? Eat the queso while it’s hot and ask for more bread!

Tapas

Beef short ribs, potato gratin, chimichurri

Roasted octopus with green chili sauce, potato, chorizo foam

The short ribs option looked beautiful but the taste reminded me a bit of airplane food... The roasted octopus was much better and very fresh.

El Almuerzo

Peppered rib eye with piquillo and baked potatoes

If you’re dining as a party of two, you’ll both have to choose the same option - either a seafood paella or a peppered ribeye. We opted for the latter and didn’t bat an eye when our server recommended it served medium; many chefs recommend this as the higher temperature allows more of the fat to melt. Unfortunately our pieces came out nearly well done. This could have been a one-off but may be worth having a longer chat with your server.

Dulce

Spanish dessert platter

We loved quite a few items on the dessert platter especially the nougat! A piece each was not nearly enough…

Verdict

Book your table soon if you’re interested in this pop-up. The restaurant was nearly full on the weekend we went. Note that a vegetarian option is also available.

Police Headquarters Block 01, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Rd, 2848 3000