Spanish Fiesta
As Spain celebrates its national day on 12 October, what better excuse than to share their pleasure with some good Spanish food and a dance?

El Pomposo Bar + Tapas (Roof Garden 009, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, 2196 8123) is celebrating with an España Fiesta on the night of Saturday 11 October, the restaurant’s special five course Spanish menu ($480 + 10% service charge) includes a glass of Spanish Rosado, Iberian ham soup or ensaladilla, a choice of five hot or cold tapas, a main course of meat, seafood or vegetarian and paella, then a dessert. The Flamenco dances of Carolina Vera will accompany the fiesta dinner.

Some have leapt on the excuse for a party to prolong the national day celebrations. For instance, Tapas Bar (64 Mody Road, Kowloon, Shangri-la Hotel, Kowloon, 2733 8756) are running a Spanish promotion from October 10 to 18. The special menu includes roast suckling pig, braised Iberian pork cheeks with garlic, mashed potato and wild mushrooms, Spanish sheep cheese tortilla, squid stuffed with butifarra (a white sausage) and more.
And for even more Spanish happiness, try El Cid (G/F, 13 Knutsford Terrace, 2312 1898; Shop C, G/F, Cleveland Mansion, 9-11 Cleveland St, Causeway Bay, 2576 8650) and Mijas (Shop 102, 1/F, Murray House, Stanley Plaza, Stanley, 2576 8650) who will be celebrating throughout the month of October. The restaurants recommend the roasted Iberico pork, the various paella and tapas. Flamenco dances between October 10 and 18 will further enhance the Spanish fun, as will movie ticket giveaways, lucky draws and other promotions. Call each restaurant for performance and
game details.

Mighty Mushroom

The Ambassador of Italian Cuisine, the 69-year-old Zeffirino Ristorante in the Regal Hotels (Regal Hongkong Hotel: 2837 1799 and Regal Kowloon Hotel: 2313 8612)
is celebrating fungus in a big way with chefs Marco Torregossa and Tamara Matti presenting what they have titled The Mushroom Feast this season. Having sourced the best mushrooms northern Italy can afford, the kitchen maestros have turned them into marvellous mouth-watering dishes.
Other than gourmet presentations like grilled mushroom with garlic and
mint or fillet of beef with goose liver served with fegato beans and chodini mushroom, a six-course set dinner brings diners multi layers of textures and flavours. “Seasonal” is the keyword – ingredients are flown in from Italy and served fresh. Starting with Parma ham with fresh Italian figs, the dinner includes a sautéed assorted Italian mushroom in Genovese style,a creamy cannellini bean and mushroom soup, homemade ravioli with Castelmagno cheese and pioppini mushroom and braised lamb shank with aromatic thyme and mushroom fantasia. It signs off with a traditional Italian bianco mangiare pudding with fresh fig sauce. Live music plays throughout this exquisite culinary journey – it’s a wonderful way to discover the might of mushrooming…

Healthy Steps

Urban Eatery (13 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, 2815 0868) has arrived Hong Kong from New York with burgers, salads, fries and yogurt. Urban Eatery cashes in on burger trend, their burgers coming with vegetarian, chicken or beef patties, six special sauces and 10 toppings ($48 for a patty, two toppings and a sauce, and additional charges on extra patties or toppings) but they also serve pro-biotic frozen yogurt ($26 for plain) and freshly tossed salads ($40 for one topping) as healthier alternatives.

Olive oil is reputedly healthier and easier to digest than other oils. It is also said that it may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. In an effort to promote the benefits of their oil, the Italian Trade Commission is hosting an olive oil seminar and workshop on October 10 starting at 11am at the Intercontinental Hotel Hong Kong. It includes meeting with the suppliers and experts, as well as tastings of different oils. The event is open to trade professionals only on a first-come-first-served basis for free. Interested parties should contact Ms Poon at 2846 6500.

Emperor Dining
The ancient emperors of China set high standards for their food, which included handpicked ingredients and premium wines. That has inspired the Regal Palace (3/F, Regal Hongkong Hotel, 88 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay, 2837 1773) to create an Imperial Banquet ($28,888 +10% s/c per person, minimum of 12 people) that includes lobster, sea conch, pigeon, sherbet, abalone, crabs and bird’s nest with glutinous rice. The chefs use 35-year-old Hua Diao wine in their cooking and a range of champagnes and red, white and dessert wines to accompany the food.

Seasonal Treats
Wasabisabi (Shop 1305, 13/F, Times Square, Causeway Bay, 2506 0009) is extending their oyster promotion through October to November. The oyster platter ($248), each with four oysters from France and America, is paired with unique sauces of fish stock, miso, citron & rice wine vinegar as well as a Japanese cocktail style of tomato and white miso.

With October on its way, Canucck Restaurant (G/F, 31 Elgin St, Central, 2523 3776) is offering a menu based on Canada’s autumn harvest of fruits and vegetables like zucchini, eggplants and corn. And in keeping with the cooler season, salmon and lobster are starting to give way to thicker soups and game meats. The restaurant’s latest menu includes fruity salads ($68-$75), lobster and shrimp bisque ($65), field mushrooms on grilled garlic toast ($68), roasted eggplant with spinach and cheese ($78), baked crab and spinach dip ($98) and various steaks ($135-$258).