Spanish restaurant, La Luna, has been busy since it first opened in late February. Why? As I discovered, it's because of the food. Admittedly, many restaurants in Hong Kong are busy in the first month of opening as the city's dedicated gourmands and general punters give a new place a try. While I am sure that this was part of the reason behind the restaurant's immediate success, the reason that people will come back time and again, including me, is the food.

The restaurant serves classic and modern tapas, paella and a selection of mains at reasonable prices that have been lovingly crafted by passionate chef, Nathan Hogan.

Signature Selection

The first thing that is attractive about La Luna is the menu, everything sounds delicious. Next is the creamy roast garlic in oil and balsamic, and the cold potato/garlic/olive/herbs that is served with the bread.

We started with several tapas dishes from the Chef's Signature Tapas selection. First up was the Bacalao con Piquillo. Juicy, red Piquillo peppers stuffed with salted cod that was meant to have been truffle scented, served with quail eggs that are to be broken into the pepper to act as a sauce. The egg definitely gave the dish more depth and brought out the flavour of the cod. We enjoyed it for what is was, fished stuffed pepper, but we had been expecting more. The disappointment sprang from two factors: I had eaten Hogan's food on two other occasions (at other restaurants) and both times had been impressed, and for me this just didn't live up to past dishes; and secondly we could not distinguish any truffle oil. I wish I had asked the chef to come out and try our dish because when I told him about it later he was unable to experience what we had. I imagine that he has played around with this dish since as he took our comments onboard, and I would be interested to try the dish again.

Next was Terrina de Atun y Aquacate. A terrine of tuna, avocado, olive and tomato, finished with chilli oil and a touch of lime salt. This was a very lively dish. We both enjoyed the fresh flavours, and suitable level of spice. Although the texture of each ingredient was similar the dish worked because of the diversity of the ingredients. For me it danced on the palate and the explosions of lime when you came across a salt crystal was invigorating, with a chilli finish. 

We also tried the Croquetas de Foie Gras y Pollo, chicken and foie gras croquette. I was surprised by this dish. When I cut the croquette in half my dining partner still ended up with the lion's share of the liver and for me the richness was not apparent. My regular foodie companion thought it was great, but I think for this dish to be a real hit there needs to a little more foie gras.

Traditional Tapas

From the Traditional Tapas selection we enjoyed Patatas Bravas, comfort food with style. I think that Hogan is a big potato fan, he seems to have an infinity with the root vegetable that translates into excellent potato dishes, and this was no exception. Fat homemade chips served with tomato sauce, chilli oil and aioli foam. Hogan is a creative chef and in a nod to the likes of Adria Ferran is trying to incorporate some modern Spanish touches. Before opening the restaurant he spent time with the executive chef at the very hip Spanish restaurant, El Willy in Shanghai; the chef is apparently the only chef to have been paid for his time working at El Bulli. It was a surprisingly light dish to eat, although filling. Again there was a hint of spice and the flavours married together; the aioli was so creamy it was like having a fluffy cloud in your mouth. My dining companion loved this dish and devoured it like a child in bliss-land.

One of my favorite dishes was the Chorizo Frito a la Sidra con Crema de Patata. I could have easily eaten the whole dish myself. Pan-fried chorizo sat on top of creamed potato, with a touch of rosemary salt. The meat had wonderful paprika, smokey flavours that travelled through the divine fattiness with ease, but the secret behind the dish is that the chirozo is finished in a cider glaze. A must try.

Paella for Two

Instead of ordering a main course we went for the Caldereta de Bogavante, lobster juicy paella for two, which is more moist than the typical paella. Comfort food with sophistication was our overall impression of this rich, flavourful dish. The lovely lobster lingered on the tongue and the hits of the small pieces of dried fruit that were sprinkled on top were wonderfully surprising. The aroma from the fruit is evident when the dish is first presented. When the lobster-infused rice, with its great bite, met a chunk of lobster I was transported to food heaven.

It was back down to earth with the desserts. The Fuego y Hielo - Fire and Ice dessert was appreciated for the combination of hot and cold, but I found the hot chocolate souffle a little underdone, and the chocolate milkshake a little sweet and not packing the chocolate punch I was hoping for. My dining partner enjoyed it, and although not wowed by it he finished it all. We also tried the Tarta de Almendras, almond cake (based on an old Spanish recipe) with fig compote and fresh orange. It had a good texture and was moist but was not as good as it sounded.

While there are plenty of Spanish restaurants and a growing number of tapas joints springing up all over the city I am confident that La Luna will become the first choice for many. The food is packed with flavour, made with love, and created with passion...translation - yum!

Ambience, Service, Price

The small restaurant has a cosy, warm, intimate feel. It is simply decorated with browns and red accents and some interesting photography on the wall. The table in the window is the best place to sit if you are looking for a romantic spot; it almost feels like a semi-private room. The staff are friendly and the possibly Spanish hostess adds authenticity to the dining experience. Although the wine list is small the wines have been chosen with the food in mind and we enjoyed the recommended wines.

Tapas dishes range in price from $45 to $98, paella and pasta for two are $210-260, mains are $130-175, and desserts $40-58 each. The restaurant also serves brunch with dishes ranging in price from $50 to $75.

Related Restaurants

• La Luna (Closed)