Shenzhen has long been known for its great variety of Chinese cuisines, and now restaurants featuring European delicacies are also becoming common in the city.

Located in an alley behind the Taizi Hotel in Shekou, Tasca Spanish Tapas Restaurant is the first restaurant in Shenzhen to offer authentic Spanish food.

Housed in a yellow European-style building with a spacious courtyard, Tasca, which means “local gathering place,” creates an inviting and relaxing ambiance with old style wooden chairs, red tablecloths and murals depicting Spanish bullfighting scenes and festival celebrations.

Tasca, which opened about three months ago, appeared in Shekou by accident. The owners, a Chinese woman called Susan Xu and her English husband are world travelers. Xu, having worked in the catering business for years, developed a love for Spanish food during one of their overseas trips, and her husband then decided to open a Spanish restaurant near their home in Shekou with the help of his friend from Scotland. They found a Spanish chef called Xavi Andres to serve as consultant.

Andres, who used to run a restaurant in Barcelona and has 13 years of cooking experience, provided an excellent introduction to the rich and varied flavors and aromas of Spanish cooking.

He devised an extensive menu, which includes caramelized codfish, grilled sea bass, smoked duck breast, fried octopus, Spanish Iberian and Serrano ham, and three mouthwatering versions of paella (155 yuan, or US$22.55, for 2 people), the national dish of Spain and specialty of the restaurant.

Of the 36 different types of tapas, or starters, Spanish tortilla (38 yuan), the traditional Spanish potato omelet, gambas (48 yuan), shrimps fried with garlic, olive oil and chili, albondigas (48 yuan), Spanish-style meatballs in a rich tomato sauce, and a portion of Serrano ham (85 yuan) are recommendations by Andres for those who haven’t tried much Spanish food.

“China and Spain are the only two countries that have such a diversified array of starters,” Andres said. “Serrano ham and Iberian ham, which are flown in from Spain, shouldn’t be missed. In Spain, there are only two or three places fit for breeding pigs that are used to make the ham. Jabugo is one of the places, where the air is clear and pigs eat wild herbs. The process of salting, drying and curing the pig legs takes a long time, from a few months to two years, which ensures the exceptional taste and nutritional value.”

Sangria (150 yuan per jug), a typical Spanish wine punch, is another specialty. Andres mixes red wine, Fanta orange, chopped orange, apple and pineapple and his own special secret mix of liqueurs to bring out a refreshing and exciting taste of Spain.

The authenticity of the cuisine has attracted diners from beyond Shenzhen. Javier Bellanco, a Spaniard working in Zhuhai City, heard about Tasca from his friend and traveled to Shekou to eat the food he had been missing.

As a dinner for two costs around 240 yuan, Xu strongly recommends people go in large groups in order to be able to try more dishes.

Add: Shop No. 3, Back Taizi Hotel Taizi, Taizi Road, Sea World Shekou, Nanshan District (南山區蛇口海上世界太子路太子賓館一樓后排3號商鋪塔斯卡西班牙風味餐廳)

Open hours: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.

Tel: 2669-8564

E-mail: restaurant.tasca@gmail.com

(Shenzhen Daily July 2, 2008)