Suspiro

It is no secret that my uncle loves Chinese food.  Although he dabbles in other cuisines, Chinese is his go to whenever we meet up when we are in the Bay Area.  Since I wanted to treat him back for dinner, it was up to me to decide on the place this time around.  Originally, we were going quite off-the-board by choosing Texas Roadhouse.  LOL.  Yah, we quickly changed gears and headed to Santana Row for some Peruvian tapas at Suspiro.  Coincidentally, we found some discounted gift cards while shopping at Costco from inKind.  Score!

One of the biggest draws for establishments located in Santana Row is convenience.  This comes in the form of free parking for the first 2 hours and easy access to all the restaurants.  Onto our meal, we started with the Ceviche de Atún.  This was a fairly large portion where the cubes of tuna were of a decent size and meaty.  As you can see, the plate had plenty of the leche de tigre which was tangy, briny and a bit spicy.  Although I appreciated the bright flavors and the nuttiness from the peanuts and sesame seeds, the other components partially obscured the delicate tuna.

The ceviche we had chosen was one of five on the menu.  Right above it, we found three choices for empanadas.  We opted for the Empanada de Carne.  This was quite good where the pastry was crispy and nicely browned.  Inside, there was a wealth of tender shredded beef which was natural tasting.  On the side, the huancaina sauce added some spice and tang to the dish.

Onto our next dish, we had the Croquetas de Jamón.  This could be had as a 4 piece or a 6 piece.  Since we had 5 people, we got the latter.  These  spheres were fried until golden and crispy.  Inside, it was more meaty than creamy since there was a good amount of Iberian ham inside.  Flavors were rather mild but the ham did provide a rich muted saltiness.  There was a bit of aioli on top adding creamy garlickiness.

Underneath all that manchego cheese sauce, the Berenjena y Salsa featured whole roasted eggplant.  The eggplant was tender, but a little bland.  I guess the generous amount of manchego cheese sauce did help providing nuttiness and savouriness.  The small streak of huancaina added some spice.

Whenever I see Patatas Bravas on the menu, it is a given I'll order it.  This particular version (which is a Spanish dish) was pretty solid.  The cubes of potato were medium in size sporting crispy exterior.  As a result of being a bit larger, the potato pieces were soft and fluffy in the middle.  I liked how there was just enough brava sauce and aioli on the outside for effect without drowning the potatoes.

Another classic Spanish tapas offering is the Tortilla de Patatas.  It consists of an omelette with potato and caramelized onion.   As much as the outside looked a bit overdone, the inside was still somewhat eggy and almost creamy.  The layered potatoes were tender but still had some texture while the onions added sweetness.

We ended up with the Ensalada de Betabel, which was a beet salad atop yogurt.  The assorted roasted beets were tender while varying in range of sweetness and earthiness.  These were tossed in a citrus vinaigrette which provided brightness and the silkiness of EVOO.  In addition to the tangy and thick yogurt underneath, we found sweet orange segments and crunchy crostinis.

Another classic Spanish tapas is the Pan con Tomate.  This version sat atop a thin slice of toasted focaccia.  Personally, I would've liked to see a thicker cut as this became more of a cracker and didn't hold up to the tomato as well.  Tangy and slightly sweet, the tomato was bright and enough to have in every bite.  

If you've noticed so far, the portion sizes have been rather large and un-tapas like.  Well, that continued with the generous portion of Pulpo Asado con Patatas.  If you couldn't tell from the picture, this was grilled octopus with potatoes.  Even though the octopus was tender with pleasant bite, I would've liked to see more charring and smokiness.  It was decently seasoned though and accented by pimenton aioli which helped add some smoky sweetness.

For our big meat dish, we had the Ribeye Tacu Tacu.  We asked for the steak to be prepared medium-rare and it was closer to medium.  It was still tender though, but it may have needed to be rested longer.  Nice seared on it though and there was enough char and seasoning.  As its name suggested, there was a side of tacu tacu (crispy rice & bean cake).  It was firmly crunchy with a nutty flavor.

The grand finale was of course, the Paella de Mariscos.  The thin layer of bomba rice had somewhat of a socarrat on the bottom.  There was enough seafood in the form of mussels, shrimp and squid rings.  They were cooked in intervals so that nothing was overdone.  Of course, we found dollops of aioli as well.  The result was a decent paella with chewy rice that was a touch salty but fragrant and briny.

We ended with a Flan Clásico with chantilly cream.  Well, this wasn't the prettiest flan we've ever seen, but it did eat decently.  I found it to be rich and creamy with the aromatics from the caramel.  It wasn't overly sweet and was a nice end to the meal.  Overall, I thought this was a good meal, but not great.  Obviously, this place is for the masses and does its job well.  I found the tapas to be rather large in size and although that makes it a better value, it makes it difficult for a smaller group to share a larger variety of dishes.

The Good:

- Decent tapas

- Attentive service

- Free parking

The Bad:

- Maybe the portions are too big?

Restaurant Beba

When perusing Canada's 100 Best Restaurants, I was a bit curious why a little restaurant in Montreal ranked #7 overall.   In fact, they rank #50 on North America's 50 Best Restaurants in 2025.  Well, it is a bit unique where their cuisine is a mix of Italian and Spanish while paying homage to the founders Ari and Pablo Schor's Argentine-Jewish hertiage.  Located in Verdun, the area doesn't scream world-class dining, but rest assured, Beba has changed that for the better.  I was able to grab a table for 2 from from the 28-seat capacity restaurant.

When they describe Beba as compact, they are being generous.  Let's just say you will get to cozy with the people beside you.  On that note, the menu is equally compact being truly focused on a few dishes.  We shared the Knish à la pomme de terre to start.  This little fried ball of tender slices of potato, onion and chicken fat that was well-seasoned and rich.  It was aromatic and had the silkiness of schmaltz.  On top, there was a generous dollop of osetra caviar.  This added briny saltiness to the bite.

No meal is complete at Beba without ordering their signature dish - Montadita au maquereau (mackerel).   My initial impressions of this wasn't necessarily great, but hey what do I know?  I'm glad that I kept my mind open because these bites were fantastic.  Served on warm crunchy sesame buns, the mackerel was a bit tangy and exhibiting that bright fishy flavour.  It was perfectly complimented by a lot of butter, grated horseradish, chives and salt.  Somehow, this combination of components just plain worked.  We had the creaminess of the butter, the mild kick of the horseradish (was not as strong as I would've imagined) and the brightness of the chives.

Another show-stopper was the Maitake on raw milk taleggio.  First and foremost, the slightly melted taleggio was creamy, sweet and savoury.  This by itself was already a treat, but on top, we found beautifully sauteed mushrooms that were aggressively salted.  Fortunately, we had a bright and garlicky salsa verde on top that helped cut some of the heaviness of the cheese as well as the saltiness of the mushrooms.  This was an outstanding dish yet, we felt some crispy toast on the bottom would've put it over the top.  Mind you, I'm pretty sure there is a good reason they didn't do that, so what do I know?

Trying to include some vegetables in our meal, we had the Radicchio & Escarole with potatoes.  This was a good interlude between heavier dishes.  The crunch from the fresh greens was great along with the tangy "bean-aigrette".  Lots of pecorino ensured that there was salty nuttiness to go along with the acidity.  We also had some tender chunks of potato to soak up all the flavours.

For our pasta course, we had the Tagliatelle with ragù genovese made with ox tongue.  Gotta say this was really good with chewy noodles that had an appealing firmness to them while still being fully cooked-through.  They were also seasoned well with an inherent balanced saltiness.  As for the ragù, there was a generous amount of tender ox tongue that retained its meatiness.  Rich flavours from the tongue (due to the fat content) and the sweetness of the onion really made this dish sing with umami.  Add in some parm and we had extra saltiness with nutty cheesiness.

Our last savoury items was the Bacalao with clams and peppers in a piperade.  The big piece of salt cod was only a bit salty and plenty tender and flaky.  The piperade was sweet and tangy.  It helped compliment the salt cod by balancing out the saltiness.  There was the faintest hint of spice which varied the flavours.  Add in the buttery clams and we got a touch of brininess too.

We ended up with 2 desserts including the Flan with whipped cream and dulce de leche.  This was one of the richest and thickest flans I've ever had.  They must've really went ham with the cream with this one.  It was good though, since it wasn't too egg-forward and was balanced in terms of sweetness.  That left the dulce de leche to do the heavy lifting in terms of providing that rich and deep caramel vibes.

Our second dessert was pretty darn good too in the Valrhona Chocolate Tart.  It was also rich and dense (but in a good way).  Hits of bitter dark chocolate with aplomb where each bite was impactful and purposeful.  The addition of olive oil and salt only helped heighten theses flavours.  Providing some nutty crunch, we found roasted hazelnuts on top.  So guess what?  I now know why Beba is rated so high in all of these lists.  Mind you, I'm a bit confused as to why some of my favourites spots in Canada rank behind them.  Yet, that doesn't take away that the food is pretty darn tasty.

The Good:

- Delicious

- Generous portions

- It's unique

The Bad:

- Super tight seating (and also hard to get a reso)

- Loved it, but not sure if it should rank that high

Bar Isabel

Although Bar Isabel is a Toronto institution, I've failed to visit it the last 2 times I have been in Toronto.  Even on this trip, it seemed like another fail since all of my dinners had already been planned.  However, I was able to squeeze it in for lunch on a Saturday at opening.  I know, I know, this is not really the best time to experience all of the libations and tapas, but hey, I was able to take advantage of their lunch special as a result!  For $69.00, you get a meal for 2 that includes enough food to get you full.  Pretty good deal in my books!

This started off with Blistered Shishito Peppers with maldon salt.  Sporting a good amount of large peppers, this was a great way to ease into the meal.  The tanginess and sweetness was appealing and we didn't find any of those pesky outliers that were spicy.  Personally, I would've liked to have seen them more blistered though.  There was enough salt on the outside to added the necessary seasoning to compliment the peppers.

Next, we had the Bar Isabel "Pan Con Tomate" Tomato Bread.  This featured charred bread that was crunchy at the crust and soft in the middle.  The tomatoes on top were mild with some tang and plenty of sweetness.  It had the silkiness and slight bitterness of EVOO that provided another layer of flavour.  Of course the charring of the bread afforded smoky and nutty notes.  If I had to compare, I liked the one at Bar Raval more as the bread was charred even more so.

We had a choice between the Chorizo Iberico and Manchego Cheese for the next course, where we stuck with the chorizo.  The thin slices of sausage were fatty and nutty.  There was the usual saltiness and spiciness accented by the smokiness of the praprika.  Moving from that, we got the Patatas Bravas topped with an inordinate amount of scallions.  Firmly crunchy in little cubes, the potatoes were well-salted and then drizzled with aioli and brava sauce.  Really enjoyed this version as the potatoes stayed crunchy throughout and didn't soften from the sauces.  Nice tanginess and earthiness from the brava sauce.

For the bigger item, we had a choice of Octopus, Pork Jowl or Mushrooms.  We opted from the Maitake & Oyster Mushrooms with Cured Egg Yolk.  This was a large portion of perfectly cooked mushrooms.  There was a nice sear and caramelization with no residual moisture on the bottom of the plate.  Mushrooms were buttery and delicate where the sherry stood out.  The cured egg yolk added intense savouriness to the dish.

Seeing how we like to have a variety of plates, we added the Mediterranean Octopus with lemon garlic dandelion greens.  This was one buttery sauce with a good amount of acidity to go with the aromatics for the garlic.  The bitterness of the dandelion greens help break up the heaviness of the sauce.  As for the quarter piece of octopus, it was crispy on the outside while tender with a chew on the inside.  It was deliciously enveloped by the sauce.

So we didn't stop there as we also ordered the Picanha Steak which was cooked to a perfect medium rare.  This was buttery tender with so much meatiness and flavour.  It was salted enough that it brought out the natural umaminess oft he steak.  It was evenly cooked on all sides and was well-rested.  There was no pool of juice on the plate even after it had been pre-sliced for the plating.  On the side, some caramelized onion provided a sweet condiment to the steak.

Onto dessert, which was also included in the set meal, we were served a Basque Cake with a hot sherry cream sauce poured tableside.  What a nice way to finish this meal!  The slightly dense cake was super buttery and aromatic.  Combined that with sweet sherry cream and it was finished in a flash.  Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at Bar Isabel.  Food was prepared well and tasted great.  Loved the eclectic decor and the vibes.  Probably best to visit it late at night though to get the full experience.

The Good:

- Well-prepared eats

- Good selection of drinks

- Nice service

The Bad:

- Seating is a bit tight, but it would be like that in Spain, so it is the full experience

- Would be hard to get a seat during peak times, best to make a reso

Telefèric Barcelona Palo Alto

It isn't often that I do a repeat visit when we are travelling to a place we've been before.  However, I've done that in Fullerton with Mr. BBQ and also Bai Tong Thai in Seattle.  This time around, we hit up the very same location of Telefèric Barcelona in Palo Alto.  Okay, I'm going to make sure everyone understands that I do not believe this place is the best tapas I've ever had, but it is a place we enjoyed the last time we were in the Bay Area.  So that is good enough for us to come back.  Ironically, we sat at almost the same table outside as last time!

To start things off, we had something seemingly simple in the Jamón Ibérico de Bellota or 38 months cured Iberian acorn fed ham.  This was melt-in-my-mouth and silky in texture.  There was so much going on in terms of flavor with a bit of saltiness, nuttiness and almost even fruitiness.  So complex and utterly delicious.  The side of buttery grilled sourdough was a great match for the ham, but we wished there was more of it!  We did ask for more though and they brought it over.

Now for the one item we had to get, the Tuna Tacos!  The kids love this so much, we actually got 2 orders since there were only 3 to a serving.  These featured a crispy and light crispy wonton shell filled with marinated ahi tuna and mashed avocado.  As you can see, they were shy with loading up each taco with the buttery tuna.  Avocado was fresh and creamy while the drops of aioli added creaminess.  Some chives on top provided some brightness.

With a slice of Iberico Ham on top, the Ham Croquetas were a nice little bite.  These one or two-biters were crispy and light on the outside with very little greasiness.  Inside, they were creamy and none too dense.  Seasoning was on point where the croqueta itself was rather mild with some nuttiness and aromatics but the slice of ham on top provided the necessary saltiness.   A dollop of aioli added more creaminess and of course some chives too.

We didn't stop with just he ham croquetas as we also added the Crab Croquetas after the fact.  Although these were similar, they ate remarkably different.  Naturally, with crab nestled in these fried little bites, there was a bit of fluffiness as well as some subtle brininess.  They were crispy on the outside while topped with tuna sashimi and spicy aioli.  Since the tuna was more of a textural thing rather than the saltiness of the ham, the flavours were more mild.  However, the spicy aioli did add a slight creamy kick.

Whenever I go for Spanish tapas, there is no doubt I will order the Patatas Bravas.  Although I would've preferred a more spread out plating, this dish was still good.  Underneath the mess of aioli and brava sauce, we found little cubes of fried potatoes.  Inside, they were creamy while the outside was a bit soggy.  Since all of the sauces were on top, it was a bit awkward to eat.  A larger plate would've allowed for more customizable amounts of sauce for each bite.

Onto our next dish, we had the Pulpo Telefèric or Galician octopus with truffle oil & 'pimentón' potato purée.  This was a composed dish that was nicely plated.  The octopus tentacle itself was tender while still sporting an appealing chew.  It was a bit crispy on the outside with a nutty and light truffle earthiness.  As for the puree underneath, it was creamy, smoky and zesty.  Great for dipping the pieces of octopus!  

 

Attempting to get some veggies into this meal (yes, a pathetic attempt at that...), we had the Cali-Flower consisting of crispy fried cauliflower "pops" with tangy romesco glaze.  The cauliflower florets were still firm but cooked all the way through being tender.  On the outside, there was some crispiness as well as some caramelized nuttiness.  As for the sauce, it was indeed tangy with some sweetness.  Adding more aroma, we found fried garlic chips and some fresh chives.

Adding just a bit more vegetable, we had the Grilled Salmon topped with snow peas and crispy Ibérico ham.  The salmon itself was prepared properly being flaky and barely cooked-through.  It was nicely salted and stood quite well on its own.  However, the ham did add a richer saltiness to the dish.  Crunchy snow peas kept things bright while the cauliflower cream underneath provided a robust sweet creaminess that went well with the salmon.

Of course we were going to get a Paella right?  The one we chose this time was the Ibérico Pork Paella.  This featured an entire acorn-fed bone-in pork chop with pieces of pork belly strewn throughout as well as chicken and mushrooms.  The thin layer of rice was still chewy while a socarrat did form on the bottom.  I would've liked it to be every crispier though.  The rice was delicious, soaking up all the flavors from the pork and chicken.  Nice aroma and background saffron notes.  The pork itself was tender and appealingly fatty.

We not only added another order of croquetas to your meal, but also the Burrata Bowl.  So as you can see, it was actually a plate, not a bowl.  However, it was full of plump tomatoes and sweet strawberries.  The creamy burrata was topped with basil pesto and chopped pistachios.  Lots of things going on here despite the appearance of simplicity.  We had nuttiness with herbaceousness along with the sweetness of the strawberries.  Tang was provided by the juicy tomatoes.

Dessert was the usual in the Churros con Nutella.  As its description said, these were deep fried sticks of dough filled with Nutella and coated with cinnamon sugar on the outside.  Pretty standard stuff here with the crunch from the outside giving way to melty and sweet hazenut-chocolate spread.  This was quite sweet, but that is the point of it all!  Overall, Telefèric Barcelona delivered once again.  Tapas were appealing and presented in fairly good portions. 

The Good:

- Solid tapas

- Good service

- Lively atmosphere

The Bad:

- Once again, the potatoes could've been crispier

Paella Guys: Live the Experience (Dine Out 2024)

With memories of their Paella cooking class still fresh in mind, I was looking forward to the Paella Guys Live the Experience as part of the Dine Out Vancouver Fest.  Rather than being in their commissary kitchen, they take over a quaint spot at Dageraad Brewing just next door.  Seated at a communal table, it is a night truly to be with friends and to make new ones.  This I did since Jackie was stuck at Metrotown due to a shutdown of Skytrain.  The people around me were fun and we had great conversation.

Onto the food, much like the Paella cooking class, we were presented with a collection of tapas to share.  This included Marcona Almonds, Tortilla de Patatas, Anchovy Marinated Olives, Spanish Iberico Meats and Jamon Iberico.  These were a nice start to the meal and as I've said before, Marcona almonds are the best!  So light and crunchy.  Meats were solid but the tortilla was my favourite as it had just enough potato to compliment the fluffy egg as well as some onion for sweetness.

Now the tortilla was delicious, but the Empanada Gallega de Atun was even better in my opinion.  These little pies featured a light and flaky crust that was a good match for the tuna filling.  With olives, tomatoes and peppers, the filling did have some antipasto sauce vibes (yes, I know that is Italian, but you get the idea).  For my beverage (extra cost from the meal) was the Japanese-style Dark Larger with wild rice.  Despite the dark hue, this was still refreshing and crisp with more depth.

Usually, I'm as excited about a salad as a root canal (I've had one, so yah, I'm serious).  However, this Ensalada Mediterranea was absolutely stunning to look at and super delicious to eat.  When they were preparing it, they tossed in a good amount of salt.  This really helped bring out the flavour of the vinaigrette as well as the natural sweetness of the beets, tomatoes and corn.  As such, I went back for seconds!  A salad!  Beneath the vibrant veggies, we found a mix of crisp greens.

Onto the main event - the Paella Mixta with bomba rice, chicken, red peppers, mushrooms, onions, shrimp, prawns, tomatoes, garlic, pimenton and house-made seafood stock.  As big as this paella was, the entire thing was perfectly cooked.  Beyond the al dente and super aromatic rice, we found pieces of socarrat that was both nutty and provided a nice mouth feel.  The chicken thighs were still tender while the shrimp and prawns were just barely cooked through.

For dessert, we had the Tarta de Santiago.  I've had this before and yah, this was just as delicious as last time.  This almond tart had aromatic and buttery crunchy edges with caramelized sweetness.  Inside, the almond was nutty, buttery and purposefully sweet.  Loved the obvious taste of lemon in these as it brightened things up.  Overall, this was a fun night that was more than just the food.  Yes, it was fantastic (and also plentiful, because you can have seconds), but the communal table, live music and vibe were the things that made this a unique experience.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- This is how we should eat this food, with friends, music and drinks
- Excellently-prepared Paella
- Unique

The Bad:
- Once again, the parking situation in the industrial parking lot is challenging