Eat & Drink

Hot Tables

Rubia

Located in the heart of Soho on Hollywood Road, right across from Tai Kwun, Rubia’s open ground floor entrance beckons warmly. This trendy outlet has become a well-known dining hotspot, offering classic Spanish and Catalan tapas and comfort food dishes served with a variety of cocktails, wines and beers.

Occupying two levels, Rubia offers two separate dining experiences. The ground floor is a Spanish taberna (tavern) where guests are served snacks or sharing plates over favourite drinks – a pub ambience perfect for social gathering. Upstairs, the restaurant provides a proper dining space for lunch and dinner.

Spanish cuisine is one of our favourite comfort food choices. Couple that with delicious drinks and we knew we were in for a treat. Rubia's chef, Martin Carrasco, is a Catalan who grew up near Barcelona and honed his culinary skills both in Spain and overseas . The menu, which sources a variety of Spanish ingredients augmented by other regional seasonal items, reflects Chef Martin's multi-layered experience.

For our dinner, we started with Padron Peppers, Pinch of Salt ($75), which is fresh and tasty. The tapas came next and they were all delightful and delicious. Sustainable Tuna Tartare Our Way ($198) is a real treat. We liked the texture and savoury taste of tuna tartare, with just the right seasoning. Roasted Vegetables Coca with Anchovies ($78), a popular Catalan flatbread (coca) vegetable dish, is another pleasant surprise. The salty anchovies offer a nice balancing flavour to the bread and the roasted vegetables. Lazy Omelette with Gambas Al Ajillo ($90), which is omelette not flipped and topped with minced sweet onion, mashed potato and prawns cooked

in garlic sauce, is another yummy comfort food that we like a lot.

For our main, we had Rubia Gallega Boneless Ribeye ($499), served with patatas fritas in 100% extra virgin olive oil, Piquillo peppers, butter lettuce with mustard dressing. The ribeye is pan-fried in a hot skillet. Rubia Gallega is a cattle breed from Galicia in northwest Spain; the cows graze on the meadows of Galicia for up to 8-12 years and are known for their intensely flavourful and marbled meat. The meat was indeed succulent and deeply satisfying in its flavour.

Still in the mood for comfort food, we ordered the popular Huevo Rotos ($73), which is Spanish broken eggs with mushroom and chorizo. For good measure, we added Chorizo Iberico Potato Salad ($55), which was also excellent.

Rubia serves an eclectic collection of Spanish gin and, surprisingly, Hong Kong–made gin cocktails. We had the Perfume Tree, Hong Kong ($150), which is gin infused with Bergamotto, tonic, fresh lemon peel, rosemary and pink peppercorn, served in a block ice cube. The Spanish gin we opted for was Nordes Atlantic Galician Gin ($115), with oakwood tonic, bayleaf, fresh lemon peel and cardamom, which is nicely fresh and fruity.

We wrapped up our meal with Warm Cheesecake, Whisky Ice Cream ($70) another tasty treat and a fitting finish to our delightful dinner.

Rubia is an excellent place to hang out after work or to indulge in yummy Spanish comfort food while soaking up the vibrant Soho scene. It also offers an excellent 2-for-1 happy hour deal. Do give it a try.

G/F, 35 Hollywood Road, Central

2889 1199