After the amazing meal at Santi, I had always been on a lookout for great Español restaurants. And Olivia is exactly one of my few fruitful finds where I find meticulously prepared, awesome, authentic Español food and great service.
Bikini "Barcelona" is taste and texture done to perfection. The slight char of the bread, the melted stretchy cheese, the earthy aroma of truffle and the nutty aroma plus saltiness of the Ibéricó ham all work so well together to yield a harmonised flavours from all spectrum. And I like the thickness of the bread: thick enough to introduce the wholesomeness of wheat and thin enough to let the other ingredients shine through and maintain the moist texture. A must-try here.
Jovial Martini is a lovely creation due to the aroma of vanilla and sparkling wine. The egg white foam at the top makes for interesting texture. It sure packs a punch due to Volka added.
'Secreto Ibéricó' Pork is amazingly good. When I have my my bite of this, I go, "Wow, this meat is so creamy! I never had such creamy pork before." Okay, the creaminess comes from the rich oils interwoven with the meat. What I love about this pork is that the oils make the meat moist, juicy and filled with delicate nutty aroma, and the oils, not in plain sight, is only released from within the meat when I bite into it, producing that creaminess effect. So each bite of this is rewarded with a burst of the acorn goodness.
The sauce is done just right to add bits of extra flavour to the pork while letting the meat's flavour comes out fully. It tastes even better when paired with the cubes of tomato since the fresh refreshing tangy juices contrasts very well with the creaminess of the meat. The Padrón peppers, which has a mild distinctive pungent taste of peppers, is good eaten on its own and with the pork.
Olivia's Creamy Homemade Cheesecake is unbelievably good. The cheese filling is like creamy cheese cloud! One spoonful to taste the distinctive strong savoury flavour of blue cheese and then poof, just like a cloud, it melt off to leave off a lingering taste of the cream, cheese and almond. I love havinf this with the almond stable since its light sweetness balances up with the saltiness of the cheese filling.
The interior of the place is cool, chic and rustic all at the same time. I like the warm lights, rattan chairs and brick walls that induce a mood for chilling out and just enjoying good food. And the arched windows that one can peek through to see the lush green foliage outside add on to laid back vibe of the place. Service here is excellent and impressive. Upbeat, enthusiastic, friendly and attentive, Saroj and team, including the bartender of course, always make sure we patrons are well attended to. It's so easy to get their attention. Sometimes, just a turn of the head, the service staff, especially Saroj, will come up to help already. When I'm finished with my course and set up my cutleries to indicate so, one of them will come up soon to clear the plate while asking about how is the food. This level of attentiveness is awesome.
With a visit to Olivia, I finally found my favourite Espanõl restaurant in this place. Everything is so well-executed. I look forward to going back to enjoy more of the good food here.
Thoughts: Awesome Espanōl Food and Awesome Hospitality
