The Optimist
239 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
2433 3324 | theoptimist.hk
Entering The Optimist on the ground floor of Hennessy Road, you feel instantly transported to a Barcelona tapas bar. You can stay and enjoy drinks and tapas here from just $48; we had a dinner booking, so we made our way up to the 3rd-floor dining room. The décor is welcoming, with hues of lush green providing an understated elegance, offset by some fun and quirky art.
We started with a glass of Prosecco ($80) and our teenager chose a delicious Salty Pineapple and Thyme Mocktail ($60). As we perused the menu, the waiter brought a basket of freshly baked warm bread and aioli.
Hailing from his native Spain, Executive Chef Victor is a recent addition to The Optimist team. He has worked extensively in Asia and this influence can be seen in some of his new dishes.
The à la carte menu is split into sections. From “La Dispensa” (charcuterie and cheese) and “De Tapeo” (tapas), we chose five dishes to share. Pan con Tomate ($55) is a simple but delicious dish of coca bread and the ripest of tomatoes. I single-handedly devoured a portion of perfectly seasoned soft Boquerones ($85). And we tried one of the chef’s newest dishes, Crispy Beef Tripe ($130) seasoned with garlic and chilli served with a housemade romesco sauce – this is bound to be popular with Hong Kong diners. There are three varieties of croquettes too – ours with salty Iberico ham ($120) hit the spot.
Spanish chefs and cooks are renowned for combining two humble ingredients, eggs and potatoes. Here, the Huevos Rotos ($140) is the perfect example, a bed of crispy potatoes adorned with perfectly cooked eggs and more of the Iberico ham.
We next chose two dishes from “Platos Principales” (mains). The evening’s showstopper was the Slow Cooked Lamb Tomahawk ($580), served with roast potatoes. Chef Victor cooks the lamb sous vide and finishes it on the Josper Grill resulting in the perfect marriage of tender lamb and crisp skin. Our daughter was equally enamoured with her chicken dish, Pollo a la Brasa ($210), served with roast potatoes and a punchy smoked chilli sauce. Don’t miss the Truffle Mashed Potatoes ($95), adorned with a generous shaving of truffle.
There are four desserts; Chef Victor recently introduced a Burnt Basque Cheesecake ($110) – it’s among the best we’ve ever tasted. Meanwhile, the soft and decadent Chocolate Mousse ($95) is garnished with olive oil, sea salt and honeycomb crumb. For our next visit, we love the look of the chef’s signature Churro Bao ($120), a playful twist on two classics.
There’s an extensive drinks list, including wines and sherries from Spain. We chose a bottle of Paco Garcia Tempranillo, very well priced at $350.
As with all Pirata Group restaurants, The Optimist has a good value set lunch (including a 90-minute free-flow Friday lunch – “Frunch” – from just $198) and weekend brunch options.