Beautiful, delicate pintxos—a type of tapas from Spain's Basque region—with olives, cucumbers, anchovies (right).
In Asian nations, there's a big appetite for small plates. Tapas culture—the sharing of dishes among groups of friends—has close ties to the dining culture in China and other Asian nations, making it a natural fit, says Miguel Utque, vice president of the recently formed Spanish Chefs' Association in Asia.
It's not just the serving style but the flavors that have taken off, Utque says. "There’s no doubt that there is a triad of Spanish star products in Asia: olive oil, cured ham and wine," he tells the Foods From Spain industry site. Beyond, that, he sees high demand for Ibérico pork, Spanish sherry vinegar, cheese and fish.
Demand for Spanish food products is growing worldwide, confirms Ines Menendez de Luarca, director of Gastronomy of Spanish Trade and Investment (ICEX). "The potential is enormous and the market has room for almost anything," Utque says. "We are in the midst of a very important moment for Spanish cuisine in Asia."
Asia's urban centers, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai have all welcomed a spate of new Spanish restaurants in recent years. That being said, Spanish food is no longer a novelty, and competition is getting hotter than patatas bravas. Witness Hong Kong's much-hyped View 62 by celeb chef Paco Roncero, which closed in 2014 after just two years.
So what's the secret to success? Here's what a few Spanish chefs in Asia are doing right.
Adapting Spanish flavors to Asian palates
It's important to understand the local palate, such as the preference for salty, strong flavors in Hong Kong, says Spanish chef Alex Fargas, chef de cuisine at Hong Kong restaurant Fofo by El Willy. But a chef shouldn't compromise his or her vision, Fargas tells HK Magazine: Just do what you want to do, he says. "For example, using the premium ingredients at Fofo, there’s no need to change anything. Red prawns, ham… it’s the same taste here as it is in Spain." Give customers what they want -- namely, paella and omelets -- but also tempt them to broaden their horizons, he says: "It’s our job to help people taste different things."
Surprising diners with the unexpected
When Spanish food first arrived in Hong Kong, it was all about traditional tapas, Anna Chau, CEO of restaurant conglomerate King Parrot Group. Now, she tells CNN, "people are expecting great presentation, new cooking methods and skillful details instead of just straightforward Spanish cuisine."
For one of the best examples, look to Catalunya. One of the most successful Spanish restaurants in Singapore, Catalunya does almost nothing in a traditional Spanish way. The restaurant's physical presence hints at its playful modernist style. It's housed in a floating dome on Marina Bay, with all the seats angled to face the immense windows. The menu may sound familiar, but diners should prepare to be surprised. Spherical olives are, in fact, not olives, but a neat molecular gastronomy trick: balls of olive puree encased in an alginate skin. The suckling pig is vacuum-packed and steamed for up to 12 hours, then seared. "In fact it might be sacrilegious of me, but I think it’s better than the Chinese roasted suckling pig itself," food and beverage marketing consultant Seth Lui says in his review.
Building a memorable brand
Willy Trullas Moreno is one of the few celebrity chefs everyone in Shanghai seems to know. When Moreno opened el Willy in 2008, the restaurant was an instant hit — not just because of its modern Barcelona-inspired cuisine but because of the chef's outsize personality. "Sexy" became his watchword: sexy tapas, sexy rice, sexy Spanish everything. Moreno himself is known for his brightly painted and patched chef's jackets. Shanghai diners lapped it up, and Moreno has built a mini-empire. His newest venture is Tomatito, a sexy (what else?) little tapas bar with a lower-priced menu than el Willy.
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