Spanish La Bodega – tapas and vinos

The restaurant menu said, “eat like the way the Spanish do – live to eat and not eat to live”, well “la Bodega – tapas and vinos” lived upto its Spanish ways. This tapas and wine place is as much of a live wire as most of the restaurants in Bukit Bintang. Tired of walking, but full of energy to try out the lively restaurants we chanced upon La Bodega at the famous Le Pavillon. Mandar started with his favourite wheat beer Hoegaarden while I ordered a House sangria and home-made nachos made from potato. While the beer was flat, sangria was watery and nachos were like potato chips, the tapas and the paella stole the show.

The waiter suggested we try the tapas marinated lamb skewer with spicy apricot chutney and garlic mayo which was a treat. I'm not a big fan on lamb but with this I became one. Next we tried the tapas with prawns in andalusia style spicy garlic n tomato sauce. This tapas was accompanied with bread and tasted like a less-spicy and non-vinegar version of Goan Prawns Balchao. Delicious. Mandar refilled his glass with a Stella beer while I asked for a light-bodied red wine, Vina brava, carinena, garnacha tinta torres.

For main course, after much thinking, we decided to try the Fideua - angel hair pasta cooked in a paella with chicken, braised octopus and peas. Well, the dish has a distinct wood-burn taste with the octopus tasting somewhere between a shrimp and a squid. Yes, it was our first time with the octopus, we mixed the octopus well with the vermicelli-like pasta so as to avoid its sight, eating it was definitely an achievement for us.