Music and food from Spain and Germany
The mid-Autumn season brings flavors and fiestas from Spain and beer and music from Germany to Hong Kong. From now until Nov 23, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce is organizing Spanish October — a series of cultural and gastronomic events ranging from Spanish food promotions and flamenco performances to Spanish art and films.
Hotel Stage in Jordan, Kowloon gets lively with the launch of Viva España — the inaugural Spanish Food and Wine Festival that runs from now until the end of this month in Kitchen Savvy and Muse Wine Bar, where celebrity chef Gioconda Scott created an unlimited tapas semi-buffet.
Further up the road in Lai Chi Kok, Taverna Rustico is celebrating Spanish October in true Catalan style. From now until Oct 24, chef Carlos Salvador Asensio serves the taverna-style snacks and classic dishes typical of Basque country. The promotion features traditional pintxo skewer with Cantabrian anchovies, Basque chilli and greens at HK$88 and the marvelous Spanish snail stew in Vizcaina Basque sauce made of red onions and choricero pepper puree at HK$158.
Tolosa’s red beans stew comes with chorizo and pork. Salted cod aficionados can enjoy juicy cod throat tortillas, fish cake Basque style or the famous fisherman’s stew — garlic and cod fish soup.
Other Basque specialties include Tudela’s artichoke confit with traditional black soup and Serrano ham that celebrates four distinctive Tudela artichokes from the Ribera region of Navarre. Try a grilled 1 kg piece of prime rib bone-in US steak, grain fed over 365 days and served Basquestyle with artichokes, new potatoes and piquillo peppers. Another grilled item is rainbow trout stuffed with Serrano ham and garnished with garlic, parsley and extra virgin olive oil.
There’s also Basque profiterole-style dessert — yummy pastry tubes filled with chocolate and vanilla cream.
Not forgetting Oktoberfest, a riotous celebration of beer held annually from mid-September to midOctober. An important part of Bavarian culture, Oktoberfest is observed in Munich, Germany since the Middle Age.
From today until Nov 10, Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel will host its outdoor German Bierfest. As part of the ongoing 27th edition, traditional German bites such as sausages, pretzels and strudels — including the famous roast pork knuckle served with braised red cabbage and gratinated potato — are being promoted. To keep the party going there’s an extensive selection of German beers, as well as all-night dancing against the panoramic backdrop of Victoria Harbour.