Cadero Grill and Oyster Bar is a restaurant with a split personality. From the name one can understandably assume that it is a grill and oyster bar, and it is. The oysters some of the best I have eaten in Hong Kong. However to my surprise when opening the menu I saw that the cuisine being served was Spanish, a fact that is not even noted on the official description.

Before this surprise I had some expectations of the meal ahead, but with page after page of tapas I was thrown into a spin of uncertainty. A spin that I was still reeling from at the end of the meal.

Salty, Sweet, Creamy

The obvious place to begin was the oysters, although the seafood platter was also tempting. A small board was brought to our table that listed the oysters available, there were 11 from the US, Australia and France, priced at $45-70. We went for the platter of twelve oysters as chosen by the chef. Six varieties were chosen for our enjoyment: Eagle Rock, North Bank, Longnose, Coffin Bay, Tsarskaya, and White Pearl; we were instructed to eat them in the order written here with flavour intensity developing as we went.

The jet freshness of the oysters was obvious, with one variety having little wriggling worms on the shell - a sign that the oyster is still alive. Each one had its own characteristics. The Eagle Rock was large, salty with a taste that lingered, the North Bank was intensely salty - a short sharp burst of flavour, the Longnose had some of my favourite wants in an oyster - creamy and salty, and at it this point it shone out from those eaten previously. The Coffin Bay was plump, creamy and juicy.

As an Aussie I am proud of our oysters, but I have to admit that there is a reason that French oysters enjoy the reputation as the best in the world. Certainly on the night it was the two French oysters, left till last, that got our vote for the best of the best. The Tsarskaya was a rich, delightfully metallic oyster with a flavour that was long lasting, and the classic White Pearl was super creamy with a flavour that lingered, a definite class act.

I love oysters and so after this I was in an elevated state, feeling happy and indulged. I lingered in this blissful state for as long as the spirit of the oyster remained on my tongue. 

Tapas Surprise

As mentioned I had been thrown by the tapas and so we had been unable to decide earlier and were now trying to figure out what dishes to have to try to discover the true Cadero experience. We went with six tapas and one grill choice.

The Shrimp and Crabmeat Timbale with Mango was the first of the tapas dishes to arrive. Again expectations got the better of me as I was expecting something different based on the description. The prawns were served separate and had been deep fried with a coating that was too thick to allow the prawn flavour to come forward. The crab timbale looked good but it had a flavour that reminded us of milk, a fact my dining companion enjoyed. Next was the Olives on Grilled Vegetables, which was served in a radicchio leaf. I loved the three types of olives, all were excellent and different in taste and level of saltiness; the vegetables however consisted of only two types of button squash.

I had also selected the Crispy Serrano Ham and Asparagus Roulade with Arugula and Balsamic because I thought it sounded interesting. We were brought the classic Serrano Ham with Melon by mistake. It looked great and after we got the right dish we wished we hadn't said anything. The asparagus, the ham and the crunchy coating all fought for our attention, instead of playing with our taste buds in harmony, with the salty, crunchy ham winning. On the positive side it was like having three experiences for the price of one. The Patatas Bravas was comforting as this dish is meant to be, but the potato was slightly undercooked and the tomato sauce was not spicy as described on the menu.

Our final two tapas choices were Crisp Fried Garlic Prawns with Orange Butter Sauce, and Tortilla with Chorizo and Cherry Tomatoes. The prawns surprised me, an ongoing theme of the night. From the description I expected them to be pan-fried, in the same manner as the crisp fried ham but unfortunately the prawns had been coated the same as previously described and were deep fried. While they were cooked perfectly and had a good flavour I had been hoping for prawns dripping in garlic and swimming in a butter sauce. It didn't help that this was the second time we were eating these prawns, perhaps the staff could have pointed that out when we ordered as it was not obvious from the menu. The sauce was served on the side and reminded me lemon-curd.

The tortilla, was a Spanish omelette of eggs, tomato, potato and chorizo. It was tasty and homey.

In a Heartbeat

The grill selections include Wagyu, Lamb, Salmon, Salt-Crusted Sea Bass and King Prawns. We went with the Australian Duck Breast with Apple and Mango Sauce. Unfortunately it had an unusual chewy, tough texture as if it was overcooked, yet it had the appearance and colour of perfectly cooked duck. The sauce itself was nice and the yummy potato it was served with reminded me of potato dauphinois.

Dessert, thankfully, was superb. The Melting Chocolate Timbale with Ginger and Orange Salad was intensely chocolate-y and was served with a sauce consisting of orange and passion-fruit littered with blueberries, strawberries and pistachio pieces. It was a great counter to the chocolate richness.

A great start and a fine finish always makes a diner forget the mostly ordinary middle as was the case here. Maybe Cadero is like my local hit-and-miss Italian restaurant. Some of the dishes I give a miss after the first try and some have made it to the always-a-hit list and are the reason I keep going back. Maybe we just picked more misses than hits on this first visit. The oysters were such a hit that I would go back in a heartbeat for more.

Ambience, Service, Price

The restaurant's ambience is also split, inside the ambience is relaxed yet elegant, with the harbour lights twinkling in the distance. The balcony (where we sat) is unusual for its placement and view, which is lovely if facing the harbour, but somewhat industrial if not, highlighting the traffic that is just below. The restaurant was busy for a Monday night.

The service is good. Staff know their oysters and can also suggest dishes from the menu. They are also sensitive to the need by some diners for a rest in-between courses. 

A platter of eight oysters costs $400, $600 for 12, or $1,100 for 24. The oysters can be ordered fresh or cooked in a variety of four ways. The Jumbo Seafood Platter is priced at $980. The tapas we had ranged in price from $45-85, and come in medium and family size servings. The duck was $195 and dessert was $60. The menu is divided into oysters, soup, tapas, paella/pasta, vegetables, grill and sauces, and dessert.

The wine list is quite extensive, yet there are very few Spanish wines, and very few wines by the glass and none were Spanish.

We became familiar with the restaurant's music by the end of the evening - we heard the same CD three times!