Sherpa's food delivery service available.

In Awe of Iberia

Set in a renovated French Concession property, swathes of semi-transparent fabric hang from the ceiling of this restaurant, creating intimacy in an otherwise crowded dining room. The modern Spanish menu is fairly divided between tapas and appetizers, rice and pasta, and desserts, with four choices of wine by the glass (YY48 each, all of which were quite drinkable) and a healthy list of bottles. We began with an impeccably fresh raw scallop "ceviche" (YY60), sprinkled with crispy fried shallots and micro-greens, all atop an avocado mousse. Although the acidity of the mousse pretty much killed any scallop flavor, we absolutely loved this dish. Perfectly cooked lamb chops with smoked eggplant (YY52) and quenelles of thick yogurt were stellar with great flavors and a generous portion. Finally, angel hair pasta with pork and chicken (YY160), cooked like a paella. Although the smallish portion size and minute amount of meat meant we could almost hear ourselves being ripped off, the flavors were again lovely, rich and meaty with a grand dollop of aioli that brought us a step closer to mayonnaise-induced revelation. While we're sure the smooth service and superb cooking will be repeated on our future visits, we do believe we'll be sticking to the tapas menu. --Michael Elliott