There’s A New Spanish Restaurant In KL That’s Founded By A Michelin Star Chef
Tapas Club is a new Spanish restaurant in Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur.
By Jay Zee Lok — 30 Jul 2018, 08:05 PM
If your answer is sí every time someone asks if you’re up for Spanish food, then you’re in for a real treat!
Tapas Club is the the latest culinary addition to Pavilion KL that promises to transport to you Spain with their authentic dishes, while still keeping prices wallet-friendly
It doesn’t get more authentic than this: spices, Iberico pork, wine, and being greeted by two talented Spanish chefs made our first visit to the restaurant especially memorable and heartwarming
Manuel Berganza (left) and Jose Angel Alonso (right) at the grand opening of Tapas Club.
Image via Tapas ClubWe had the pleasure of meeting the two world-acclaimed chefs themselves: Manuel Berganza, who is the first Spaniard in USA to receive a Michelin star rating and Jose Angel Alonso, who was the hosting chef at the World Gourmet Summit in 2016.
Despite the saying “don’t mix business and friendship”, both Berganza and Alonso have been friends and ‘partners in crime’ for over 10 years, opening restaurants together in Singapore, Indonesia and now, Malaysia!
Tapas are meant to be shared, so make sure you bring along all your makan buddies with you... or colleagues like we did. Here are all the dishes we tried and loved at Tapas Club:
If you’re a fan of the humble potato, make sure to order the Croquetas De Jamon, which are yummy bite-sized ham croquettes. We love how these babies may look small, but they’re in fact big in flavour!
Seafood lovers will enjoy the Gambas Alajillo, which are fresh prawns cooked in a rich garlic and tomato-based sauce. The prawns are sweet and cooked to perfection so they had a nice bite to it. It was so good that we shamelessly used slices of bread to soak up every little bit of the sweet-spicy gravy.
If there’s one thing our carnivorous friends must order, it’s the juicy Cerdo Iberico on their menu
The Iberico has a nice crispy exterior and cuts like butter. It is lightly seasoned so you’ll be able to taste the Iberico’s true flavours.
Of course, no Spanish meal is complete without paellas
Tapas Club has five different versions of the paella, which is a staple dish in Spanish cooking. Our favourite was the Arroz Negro: squid ink paella and clams. One thing though - we recommend that you take a quick peek in the mirror before leaving the restaurant or risk going out with stained teeth!
Of course, every hearty meal should end with equally satisfying desserts, so we were super happy to finish off with fresh churros and spoonfuls of cheesecake!
The churros with hot chocolate were so lipsmacking, we had to try hard not to double dip - for obvious reasons.
The Mousse De Queso Con Frutos Rojos, a.k.a. Tapas Club’s very own version of a deconstructed cheesecake, was definitely a crowd favourite on our table
The deconstructed cheese cake had bits of graham cracker crumbs, dollops of cheesecake cream and blueberry jam. Make sure you get a little of everything in one bite.
