Restaurant Reviews: Bocado

What: No frills Spanish

Where: 47 Yongfu Lu, near Fuxing Lu. Tel: 180 1727 0340

Why: Nothing settles the stomach for a night of drinking like paella

Sandwiched in between Shiva Lounge and The Apartment, Bocado is the much-needed classy dining addition to the Yongfu Lu bar strip, but don’t let the elegantly lit atmosphere of Bocado stop you from getting lubricated. Their white wine sangria (RMB 170 for a half pitcher, RMB 310 for a full) is some of the best we’ve had in town.

Tapas and appetisers make up the bulk of the menu, and the owner – you might recognise him as Charles Cabell from Mesa Manifesto – is happy to give recommendations as he passes on your bread, complete with salmoneja spread. The dip is basically a thickened gazpacho, and if you’ve ever enjoyed the cold tomato soup with a piece of crusty bread, this might become your new jam.

Unable to resist a meal of multiple dishes, we opted for a spread of tapas, starting with the croquetas. The jamon y pollo (RMB 43) version of the fried balls were cheesy enough, but the mushroom and truffle variety (RMB 43) are the real stars. The earthy flavours combine addictively, and the four balls will, alas, disappear far too quickly.

The langoustines al pil pil (RMB 62) translates into miniature shrimp in a simple but utterly mouthwatering garlic sauce. The overly mushy prawns were a completely irrelevant medium; I would happily dip a used tire in this sauce and still eat it if the rubber wouldn’t interfere with my digestive system. 

No Spanish restaurant is complete without patatas bravas (RMB 36), but this is one dish where the kitchen could put in a bit more effort. Slightly soggy, the potatoes weren’t helped by the uninspired garlic aioli and ‘brava’ sauce. Luckily, a redeeming bowl of meatballs in saffron and almond sauce (RMB 40) followed closely on the heels of the potatoes. The Andalucían speciality delivered the perfect combination of savoury and sweet that left our table wanting nothing except more of the same.

The shorter list of entrees was less enticing than the small plates, although the crispy skin on the suckling pig (RMB 188) was a nice first bite to the rather gamey dish. A salad of Spanish olives, tomatoes and confit cod (RMB 85) had too small a portion of fish to leave a lasting impression.

With eyes for tapas that far exceeded our stomachs, we never made it to the dessert plates or even the paella menu. But that’s just on the list of dishes to pair with many more glasses of sangria to come.