Espuma: Why is there Salami in my Paella? 辣肉腸你迷了路嗎？

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Favs 推介: Espuma Coffee Macchiato凍咖啡瑪奇朵, Mr. Grey Likes Crème Brulée 伯爵茶焦糖燉蛋, Jamón and Spinach Tortilla 西班牙火腿菠菜奄列

3/10 plates emptied!

[Written by Gobay in Chinese, Carly in English]


With much anticipation, the Gang was a little thrilled knowing that Espuma, one of the most popular average-priced Spanish restaurants has taken a step further and moved into Central. Mixed reviews were casted against this place, and here comes our verdict. Everyone was much in awe with the relaxing, laidback ambience at Espuma’s Central branch – ceiling to floor glass window, colorful wooden tables and chairs, orange-ish vintage light bulb on transparent lamps, classy and bold statements on walls and server’s uniform.

“Espuma”西班牙語原意是泡沫，目前是美食界裡“Mousse (慕斯)”和“ Foam (泡沫)”的代名詞，在分子料理的烹調中它一直是炙手可熱的製作手法，能最大程度地保留食材的原味。看來餐廳的命名也是有一定“Fusion”的含義，而且希冀自己能做到原汁原味的菜餚。我們一直都對Espuma中環分店的開幕帶著小小的期望和興奮，源於它在香港西班牙菜中的好名聲，傳聞中性價比也是頗高。確實，餐廳的裝潢，氛圍都相當有格調，從彩虹般的木桌，七八十年代的皮凳，天花板上帶有浪漫光暈的燈泡，到印有藝術太陽花的濕紙巾和花滿紅酒木箱的吧台側牆，都給人一種很舒服放鬆的感覺，有淡淡的巴塞羅那味道。

We picked a few a-la-carte items and tried their lunch sets to see if their food was considered decent enough as the environment did raise our expectations a bit. I have to say that the staffs were pretty inexperienced as no one knew what the daily dessert was for lunch set until they asked the kitchen staff. I asked for recommendations and the lady stated that she’s new here and she doesn't know. Oh wow, are you here to promote your restaurant or no? The restaurant manager was openly busy checking his phone when we all got up to leave. Typos on the menu. And I saw some other customer was outside at the door knocking and waiting to get in while the staff was just too inattentive and staring in blankness. They did keep pouring water in our glasses ensuring we had enough fluid throughout the meal though.


我們選了幾樣單點的菜式和兩個午市套餐，點餐途中，Carly希望能得到一些特色菜的建議，很可惜侍應對餐牌不熟悉，而四周“矗立”着不忙碌但眼睛發直、魂游太虛的男同事們都沒有留意到她的窘態，餐廳經理也一直在頻繁地查看手機。所以西班牙的那種熱情，巴塞羅那的暖陽，我們很遺憾地沒有感受到。廢話少說了，下面是我們當天試吃的菜式：

So let’s get started with the food.


Truffle Fries 黑松露醬薯條
| Crispy fries with rich sumptuous truffle sauce |HKD68

I cannot stress enough of how much I love truffle for life, my favourite truffle fries still goes to Café Habitu if you all may get surprised or the ones at Bricklane are amazing enough. Espuma’s recommended truffle fries was a letdown, to be exact, the fries were thin cuts making them impossible to be heavenly mushy on the inside. Minced pork and portabello mushrooms were sprinkled on top, combining with the truffle sauce – it tasted like Chinese dim sum taro springrolls. It was a surprise, not in an appealing way.

對松露和土豆有著幾乎瘋狂熱愛的Carly來說，這道薯條絕對是必試的，這樣就能在將來的某一天找出全香港最美味的黑松露醬薯條，每次Gobay感受到那種熱愛都會想起BBC的一輯講河豚的紀錄片: 《Fugu: A taste to die for (河豚：一種可為之獻身的味道)》，也許之後吉碟幫會為此出一篇專題！目前Carly至愛的黑松露醬薯條依然是Café Habitu的出品，即使某些食客覺得Bricklane的更為驚艷。Espuma則令人失望，厚薯條外層不是特別脆身之餘，內裡薯仔粉嫩的薯泥口感更加欠奉。意外的是這裡加了豬肉碎和冬菇絲，入口的味道極似中式茶樓的芋絲春捲，或是鹹水角的餡料，讓我們有點哭笑不得。

Jamón and Spinach Tortilla西班牙火腿菠菜奄列
|Classic tortilla with a twist adding Ibérico ham & spinach| HKD68

Tortilla – being one of the most traditional Spanish tapas dishes. Espuma nailed it with its own modification. Rather than traditional way of potato slices and egg alternating, creating that layered textural experience. Onions and potatoes were shredded in the egg-based tortilla, instead of ham/chorizo cubes, slices of Ibérico ham gave a decent savory kick, chopped spinach and cilantro to tone down the saltiness. The tortilla seemed a bit dry on the edges but it was surprisingly still a bit runny on the inside, it was unexpected yet did come out quite flavorful with that bit of spicy herb powder sprinkled on top. 一下吸引人眼球的絕對是 “Ibérico Ham”這個詞——對西班牙火腿稍微有點認識的人可能會覺得心痛，竟然用國寶級的火腿來做奄列。其實Ibérico Ham也是有分等級 (文末會有較詳盡的解說)的，但他們都是用同一種西班牙黑毛豬製成的，而頂級的 “Bellota” 是比意大利Parma Ham更優秀的火腿。這個菠菜奄列有其獨特之處，除了傳統的雞蛋和土豆粒，切開後可以看到很分明的層次：淺黃色的雞蛋，暗黃色的土豆片層，深綠色的菠菜和芫荽葉，頂上還撒了少許Paprika (紅辣椒粉)。菠菜味不是很濃，可能被芫荽蓋住了；外部的口感比較硬實有彈力，內裡還是挺嫩的，Carly那塊甚至還有一點半生熟的感覺，頂部的辣椒粉提供了舌頭上很微弱的一點熱度，總體感覺不錯，有自己的特色。

Pizza Espuma西班牙薄餅
|Thin pizza dough with spicy chorizo, Iberian Ham, mozzarella & tomato sauce| HKD98

Thin pizza dough but not crunchy, nor crispy at all, was in fact quite doughy. Pickled artichokes were added but it tasted rather like sour preserved bamboo. More chorizo should have been added to give that right spicy kick, now it does seem to be rather mediocre like a regular ham and cheese pizza you get from Pizza Hut. 這個薄餅實在是難以恭維——餅底粉實，一點都沒有薄餅底的那種鬆脆感，大約6小塊的醃製洋薊，口感很差，不用咬就散爛在嘴裡，給人一種很不新鮮的感覺。連我們不一定吃得慣的醃製酸筍都要比這個好吃很多，起碼口感是爽脆的。至於那僅有的幾片辣肉腸和扯絲的Mozzarella芝士都是中等水平，無法挽救這份失敗到家的薄餅…

Paella con Marisco (for two) 海鮮西班牙炒飯（二人份）
|Paella with chorizo, prawn, mussels & squid tossed with fresh parsley served with lemon wedges|HKD398

Generous portions of seafood were cooked with the paella, I would have much preferred a traditional seasoning of saffron and paprika. Espuma’s paella lacked the authentic flavorsome herbs and spices like saffron or red pepper powder so the overall risotto tasted quite bland. Squids, prawns, mussels were average as not much seasoning was added to the seafood either. Not impressed especially when it comes to the risotto’s texture, so overcooked. Did the cook lost its sense of time? And why is there salami in my paella? Huh?

 由於是兩人份的緣故，海鮮分量不少：4只大蝦和8只青口，飯裡摻雜著不少魷魚塊。額外的兩片辣肉腸讓我們覺得很迷惑：它們是迷路了被扔進飯裡的嗎？——顯得格格不入。青口挺新鮮的，但是有一些有沙；蝦則中規中矩。至於整個菜的主角，飯，則在上桌時就被Gobay看到米粒都被煮得“爆開花”了——太爛熟了，沒有任何質感。西班牙海鮮飯的飯其實很像意大利飯(Risotto)，要吃起來有俗稱“煙韌”的感覺，有些人會形容為“夾生飯”，但其實夾生的是做得不好的，意大利米煮得剛剛熟是不會在米心夾生的。Gobay在馬德里，和南意的Sorrento吃過正宗的Paella和Risotto之後就一直沒有在香港找到可以媲美當地的煮飯火候。其實想想也對，正如我們在香港吃日本米，永遠比不上到日本當地吃。再者，這道沒有任何花俏的西班牙海鮮飯，缺少了可以使米粒金黃色的番紅花 (Saffron)還有撒在飯面上的紅椒粉，這使本來已經口感缺缺的海鮮飯更增 “傷感”。

Fettuccini con Portobello y Crème Trufa 黑松露醬炒鮮雜菌寬條麵
| Sautéed portobello & mushroom in cream truffle sauce| HKD98

This is considered a Hong Kong style of pasta, the fettuccini was cooked till it turned soft, not the best al dente form it should have been. I agree with Gobay’s comment claiming, “Truffle aroma was strong when it was served to the table, but the truffle flavor was rather subtle far from the heavenly good smell, it tasted so bland.”
松露的香氣很突出，但吃在嘴裡卻非常微弱，幾近沒有，這讓我們很吃驚。闊條面的口感還是可以的，是普羅大眾都會覺得挺習慣的口感，有點嚼勁但不會太韌。忌廉醬太稀少，以致表面上的闊條面吃起來太乾身。
Mr. Grey Likes Crème Brulée伯爵茶焦糖燉蛋
|Freshly baked Earl Grey Crème Brulée| HKD58

Figured that earl grey goes so well with generally sweeter desserts as the natural tea aroma complements well with caramel, cream or even coffee flavor kind of desserts. Espuma’s Crème Brulée was ultra-smooth, milky creamy in texture, earl grey tea leaves were added to both the pudding and caramel crisp. Espuma did a well job in hitting a note for its presentation and flavor as a caramel crisp was nicely placed as an art decor on top of the Crème Brulée.
這個甜品絕對是驚喜——伯爵茶香在整個蛋布丁當中很突出，但很和諧，它的甘中和了甜味，平衡得非常好，就算吃完整個都不會覺得膩。而且口感柔滑，配上能清晰看到片片紅茶葉的淡焦糖薄脆，味道與賣相實在不錯。
Churros 西班牙油條
| Homemade Churros with dipping chocolate sauce|HKD48

Relatively thin and small size of churros. Not crunchy on the outside nor slightly chewy on the inside, menu indicated that there should be a dipping sauce on the side but chocolate sauce was dripped all over the churros instead. Lack of cinnamon powder; hence, this lacked flavors and sweetness for a traditional Spanish dessert.  Espuma’s churros did not meet my average expectations and half of it was left on the table at the end.
這裡的churros比較細長，短小，本來以為這樣可以增加脆韌的口感，可惜完全沒有。餐牌上寫的是點著朱古力醬吃可是上桌時，醬已經直接滴在了churros上…並沒有絲毫的肉桂的香味，所以最後有一半都 “留在碟上”。
[Lunch Set]
Spinach & Chicken Soup with Toast忌廉菠菜雞湯

Flour was stuck on my spoon after the first sip, hmmm, I was expecting something more authentic Spanish when it comes to a regular lunch set appetizer like cold served tomato herb soup. This was nearly like local cha chaan teng（茶餐廳）style and quality.
湯太過稀了，沒有忌廉湯稍微濃稠的質感，即使顏色看起來很暖綠，但味道確實只有普通茶餐廳的水平，而且湯上桌的時候並不是很熱。
Sautéed Chili Garlic Prawn Linguine 香辣大蝦炒扁意粉 | HKD98

Prawns were big enough yet a bit too burnt on the sides, slightly overcooked. Linguine was not al dente as it was boiled in the water for too long and turned relatively soft. It was rather mild-flavoring even though the dish is supposed to be both “sautéed” and “chili garlic”, technique-wise for a stir fry dish, it lacked the “breath of fire”.  I saw the chili in the pasta but barely tasted any spice or heat in the linguine.
大蝦的新鮮度還是可以的，但稍稍煮得過老。意粉本身也是，太軟身，時間控制得不好，炒得也不夠火候，“香辣”二字在意粉裡也沒有任何的體現。

 Fishman Risotto with Sole Fillet in Hollandaise Sauce 龍脷柳芝士荷蘭汁燴飯 | HKD108

Risotto was too overcooked till it turned mush and lacked structure on the palate. Sole fillet was pan fried till it turned golden brown, luckily, not too overcooked and the white fish meat was firm and silky. The tomato-based sauce (which is a hollandaise sauce?) was very flavorful as onions, parsley, herbs were well-seasoned and mixed to add a bit flavor to the relatively mushy and bland risotto.
飯和上述的海鮮米飯是一樣的質感——沒有質感，這裡就不贅述了。反而龍脷魚柳則口感實在，咬的時候能感受到 “一疏疏的肉”——這是在吃魚或蟹的時候能明晰感覺到的肉的層次，一條條疊在一起，厚實。雖然找遍整個碟子都找不到荷蘭汁的踪影，但番茄汁的香草野味確實帶來點驚喜，似乎加了海鮮湯頭一起熬製，味道濃郁。這個配著意粉吃一流。

Daily Dessert: Red Guava and Lychee Mousse cake紅石榴荔枝慕絲蛋糕

Mousse was too sweet with that artificial lychee fruitiness and the mousse cake was not creamy enough either. I would have preferred a scoop of ice-cream then some overly sugary cake to finish my lunch set.
慕斯蛋糕太甜之餘不夠絲滑而且荔枝的味道明顯是人工甜味而不是新鮮的水果味——是哦，冬天哪裡來的新鮮荔枝呢？



Espuma Coffee Macchiato凍咖啡瑪奇朵| Additional HKD15 with Lunch Set

This coffee did give us a thrilling surprise! Even though it does not quite meet the expectations of Gobay when it comes to an original “macchiato”, I couldn't help myself but to finish the whole large cup of macchiato which was presented in a rather tall beer-like type of cup. Heavy, milky and slightly icy cream foam sat on top of the sweet, thick espresso-based coffee served in huge ice cubes. I have a strong liking for sweet-savory food and this Espuma coffee made in the house did satisfy my craving for that.

這杯咖啡非常地 “不傳統”, 但味道很讓人驚喜！上面的cream加了鹽，半軟雪糕狀半泡沫狀的口感，鹹味帶出了更多的甜，而且起到了解膩的作用，感覺有點像珍珠奶蓋紅茶上的鹹奶蓋。Carly非常喜歡這款咖啡，最後默默地——把整杯解決了！


Overall, not impressed with the food nor service. Environment was brilliant for a stressed out Central banker or any busy bee out there who needs a place to spend their nice little lunch break. Just don't get too excited about their tapas, main dishes. Desserts are worth a try but not the best in town. Loved their house brewed coffee despite it was slightly too sweet, I would give it a thumbs up for the icy milk foam with a hint of sea salt which enhanced the whole coffee drink.
整體而言，這裡除去環境以外，讓人滿意的地方實在是太少，也許甜品和那杯特色的冰凍瑪奇朵才是他們的救贖吧。



Gobay話你知：關於西班牙火腿

大部分食客對Ibérico Ham的印象就是 “西班牙國寶”、“黑毛豬”、“榛子香”、“貴”、 “入口即融但不肥膩”這幾個印象。其實，並非所有的Ibérico Ham都是這樣。首先，西班牙火腿先分為Ibérico Ham (黑毛豬)和Serrano Ham (白豬，類似普通家豬，所以價格便宜很多)。其次，Ibérico Ham從高到低依次有三個等級：Bellota, Recebo, Cebo ——有點像魚子醬的分級。Bellota才是符合上述所有高貴印象的Ibérico Ham，因為所用的豬是終生只食用橡子，在Dehesa牧區放養。說起橡子，看過《冰河世紀》動畫電影的朋友肯定都記得那個一直追著一顆 “松果”的那隻松鼠Scrat，其實那是一個橡子，也就是橡樹的果實。它的營養成分類似橄欖，而且純吃橡子長大的黑毛豬在晝夜溫差極大的地區進行高溫風乾，油脂在白天就會融化流走；肉身在晚上低溫下會收縮變得結實。在《十二道鋒味》的節目中，第5集就有講到這種火腿，並稱之為 “行走的橄欖”，因為它能幫助降膽固醇，蛋白質含量高的同時脂肪含量很少，是很健康的肉類。
中文 “火腿”的含義就是指肉色紅如火，在Jamón Ibérico de Bellota身上得到完美體現：在持有切火腿證書的技師手中接過切得如紙般薄的火腿，你可以清楚地看到紅如火的肉和白如雪的脂肪。吃這種頂級的火腿，最好用手，而且什麼蜜瓜之類的配料都不要，直接放進嘴裡。口感非常地軟，而且不油膩，但有能締造出一種近似入口即化的感覺，鹹香的程度很高 (不會過鹹)。Recebo級是指黑毛豬在宰殺前有少於9個月的時間是吃橡子，而Cebo級則指黑毛豬完全沒得吃橡子而是吃飼料或牧草長大的。買的話挑36個月的熟成時間就足夠了，不需要到48個月都已經很甜美。其實國內也有非常一流的火腿，但很少生吃，以後有機會吃 “火瞳”時再給大家介紹金華，宣威和諾鄧。
Gobay’s food knowledge corner: Spanish Ham
Ibérico Ham - treasure of Spain, hazelnut aroma, expensive, goodness that melts in your mouth yet not oily at all, the general impression to this ham. However, the heavenly delight does not apply to all Ibérico Ham out there. Spanish ham consists of Ibérico Ham and Serrano Ham (home farm, relatively cheaper in price). 3 tiers of Ibérico Ham from high to low: Bellota, Recebo, Cebo, similar to a caviar top-down classification. Bellota matches with the noble image of Ibérico Ham from the renowned Large Black pigs, they are only fed with acorns, rich in nutrients, large amounts of protein, carbs and fat, very similar to olives. Large Black pigs who only eat acorns for life are placed in highlands, packed in sea salt, dry in cool winter air as the fat melts away under sunlight. Being regarded as the "walking olive", it helps to reduce cholesterol, high in protein yet low in fat, your healthy choice of meat.
Ham in Chinese "legs in the color of flame", Jamón Ibérico de Bellota is the perfect illustration of finest ham. Professional slicers, cut them into paper-thin slices, fiery red meat contrasting against white fat on the edges. Best to enjoy superior ham with hands, melons aren't needed at all, just let it melt away on your palate. Never oily, bursting with aromatic savory pork taste without being salty. Recebo class of Ibérico pigs eat acorns for less than 9 months before they are slaughtered, Cebo class is farm-fed or eat on grass. 36 months of Jamón Ibérico are decent enough, 48 months would come in mild natural sweetness as well. If we ever get a chance to introduce some of the ham that the Gang can purchase in China, we will introduce some of the noteworthy brands. Stay tuned!

Espuma
17/F, M88 Wellington Place, 2-8 Wellington Street, Central
中環威靈頓街2-8號威靈頓廣場M88 17樓


2973 6088