Rustico (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Continuing with the Spanish theme (our Restaurant Week theme), we headed over to Rustico, a rustic Spanish eatery on the ground floor of D2 Place for lunch today. This is my second Restaurant Week booking in two weeks. That, on its own, would be a personal record but no one was really counting.



I still remembered visiting Rustico during its infant stage when the Spanish restaurant was in its first week of operation and we had a good time then. Some of the dishes did make a nice impression but the price tags were a little too heavy for a small place in Lai Chi Kok so we never did come back despite the positive experience. Thanks to Restaurant Week, we were given another opportunity to re-visit this place at a very acceptable price ($118 for lunch).



Watermelon gazpacho, strawberry, feta cheese and basil oil - There's nothing better to have than a chilled gazpacho to kick off a meal on a hot summer day. Despite the menu that said "watermelon soup", I thought this tasted more like chilled tomato soup with a small dosage of strawberry and watermelon. That's perfectly fine for us though considering how it excelled as a thirst quencher.



Mushroom croquettes - The crust was hard and a little too crunchy but I like the fillings of mushroom and potato puree. A bit more paprika mayo would have been much better.



Black-ink paella with squid, pork and garlic sauce - I haven't had a good paella since Numero 15 closed down a few years ago but looks like I have found its replacement. This was just seriously good. The perfectly seasoned rice was rich in flavors and its texture was right on the spot. A little moist but not soupy. Very nice.



Roast suckling pig - I dropped a few bucks more to "upgrade" to suckling pig and that was the best move for me all day. The razor-thin pig skin was roasted to perfection with a lovely crispy texture and the meat was juicy and tantalizing. This had to rank right up there with the one we had at AMMO last week although some of us still think the one at AMMO was slightly better. What do I know about food anyways? (They're the real foodies here).



Blueberry tart - The weakest link of this meal. Very average.



Three out of five is definitely not bad at all. It looks like they're giving me an excuse to come back some other time.

Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop G01, G/F, D2 Place One, 9 Cheung Yee Street, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok
Tel: +852 2743-4511