Espuma Central (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Despite all the new restaurant openings in Central, I am suddenly running out of ideas for tonight's dinner. Instead of heading over to Soho or Sheung Wan, I decided to go with a familiar name in Espuma, which is conveniently located at M88 and just a stone's throw away from where I was hanging out. 



Speaking of Espuma, it's been a while since I last checked this place out so it was nice to get re-acquainted with the surroundings and their food menu again.



It was around Christmas time so most tables were already reserved for company dinner. We knew the place would get pretty lively (and noisy) soon so it was a good idea to start early and finish early.



Mini chicken wings ($68) - the signature caramelized chicken wings, this is how I usually start my meal at Espuma. Still an excellent choice with the perfect amount of seasoning.



Jamon Caesar salad ($128) - A simple Caesar salad with Iberico ham helped set the tone. Not bad.




Fish n' Bites ($98) - I wanted to try their crispy beer battered fish and thick cut golden chips for a long time. For a place that prides itself as a Spanish restaurant, I certainly didn't have high hopes of getting an authentic fish and chips here but boy, was I wrong. Both the fish and the chips were very very good and the portion was quite generous (for that price tag).  



Spaghetti Aglio Olio with prawn ($88) - The staff so far was doing an excellent job with the pacing. They waited for us to finish the fish and chips first before bringing the spaghetti up so it won't get cold. Very hearty service.

Like the previous dish, I was pleasantly surprised with this pasta. The spaghetti was pretty al dente and the supporting cast of chorizo, prawn, garlic chips, dried chili and olive oil was solid. I really liked the basil leaves in there too.



Jasmine tea creme brulee ($48) - I was more than 90% full at this point but something seemed to be missing, something sweet. Waffles are always popular choices here but I was looking for something different, like a creme brulee and they have a very good one here. 

The jasmine tea flavored creme brulee was indeed very nice with the mixed berries providing some much needed acidity. That left a lovely fragrance of jasmine tea in the mouth.



Food Rating: 5/10
Price: $$$
Address: 17/F, M88, 2-8 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 2973-6088