Located opposite the Bitexco building, Octo Tapas Restobar is a Spanish restaurant co-founded by chefs Julien Thabault and Jonathan Kang. The name Restobar is a play on words, a combination of restaurant and bar. And Octo is inspired by Latin characters, transliterated in Vietnamese to make it easy to pronounce and remember.
Passing through the spiral staircases, diners will step into a classic space created from old architecture with the main dark brown tones. Wooden ceilings and French-style brick walls of the 1950s, tables and chairs made of black metal in Western style give the restobar sophistication, simplicity and intimacy. The space is filled with sunlight during the day and lit up in the evening by warm yellow lights, bringing a feeling of lightness and peace.
On the left right at the entrance is the open kitchen, where the chef directly processes and serves diners on the spot. This area is designed with tables and swivel chairs, helping diners observe each stage of the chef's processing with their own eyes, bringing fun in the enjoyment process and also a unique Spanish feature.
The restaurant's direct chefs are mostly Spanish under the management of chef Patron Julien. In particular, the addition of chef Ignacio Sarasas, who used to be the head chef of several luxury restaurants in Seville, Spain, shows the goal of focusing on improving the quality of the restaurant.
For the chefs at Octo Tapas Restobar, a delicious dish is not only delicious but also requires meticulousness from the process of selecting ingredients, processing and presenting professionally and beautifully. In particular, chefs only use 3 to 4 types of spices for a dish, through which diners will clearly feel the freshness of the ingredients while enjoying.
Referring to Spanish cuisine, it is impossible not to mention Iberico salt pork thigh, which is known as the "king of pork" or "the most expensive pork in the world", only for the aristocracy because of its expensive price.
Iberico salted pork thighs are also known as jambon. Iberico is a traditional dish for 2000 years of people on the Iberian Peninsula, made from the Iberico black pig breed large, slender legs, long snout, and few hairs. They mainly feed on acorns that fall on the ground, olives, berries, seeds, grains, and grasses. Pigs are raised naturally for about 3-4 years, processed and salted for about 2-3 years. The total time from breeding to sale can be up to seven years.
Coming to the main course, diners can order paella fried rice, one of the traditional dishes of the land of bulls. In fact, this is a mixed fried rice dish cooked on a "paella" (a pan in the language of Catalan) with vegetables, meats or seafood originating from the Valencia region located on the east coast of Spain.
In addition to food, the restaurant also serves typical Spanish drinks. Some dishes have even become the best sellers of the restaurant. Opening with the PX Treacle aperitif drink, "the cocktail with natural flavors helps diners get rid of the troubles in life and forget the stress brought by work pressure", the restaurant representative shared.
Next, diners can choose a glass of Rioja wine with a strong aroma, distilling the essence that is condensed during the aging process and not too bitter to enjoy during the whole process of enjoying the meal.
Like Vietnamese, Spaniards also like to share and enjoy food together on small plates, rather than dividing into separate portions, according to restaurant representatives. Compared to the first days, a small change has been applied by chefs at restaurants to suit Vietnamese diners, which is the use of salt.
Octo Tapas Restobar's customers include both locals and foreigners, who love Spanish cuisine and boisterous weekend parties.
Address: 2nd Floor, Building No. 75 Ho Tung Mau, Ho Chi Minh City
Phone: 093 300 28 95
Open: 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. daily.
Diners park their cars at the parking area at the foot of the Bitexco building
https://www.facebook.com/Octotapas/?locale=vi_VN
Photo: Fb Octo Tapas Restobar
According to travelsig.vn