Plaza Mayor - Spanish Tapas on Moon Street

There is a place in the Hong Kong universe where the stars, the moon and the sun come together to play.  Where?  On Star street, Moon street and Sun street - a most quaint, local but also trendy area in Admiralty/Wan Chai.  The other night, Michael and I went to eat at Plaza Mayor, a restaurant that serves Spanish tapas and delicious wines.  Large Iberico hams hang in the window of their grocery store next door.

I love their olives and whole, peeled raw garlic (which are oh so pungent).  This time they gifted us a small taste of their egg and potato torta.

Tomato and onion salad (with the same tantalizing green and red olives):

 Iberico ham croquettes:

 Roasted variety of peppers, meltingly tender, marinated in vinegar and garlic.

 Warm, fresh bread drizzled in olive oil:

 Assorted platter of ham (I chickened out from ordering the $45 plate of Iberico acorn-fed ham):

 Vinegar-marinated anchovies in olive oil and garlic.  This is so good.  I know anchovies turn a lot of people off (Michael included) but I love them.  These were tender fillets that were just so flavorful.

 This is a view of the apartment above as we sat outside eating and drinking.

I really like the atmosphere and dishes of this restaurant, but having gone a couple of times now I admit that it can be a bit too heavy.  Everything is really tasty as you are chowing down (and the salt definitely makes the wine flow freely) but when we finished eating, we felt kind of bogged down.  There is a lot of salt in the dishes - whether it be the aged cheese, cured meats, smoked fish, or the "salads."

The most salient ingredients in the menu are garlic, garlic, and more garlic - which can be to your liking (or not), but it packs such a pungent punch that when my breath is still permeated with garlic the morning after, I can't help but think of it as an unintended souvenir...