Shanghai-ers rejoice! There’s a new kid on the Spanish tapas scene in the Pearl of the Orient. Tomatito, a new modern tapas bar from the creative mind of Chef Willy Trullas Moreno, will soon be opening its doors to hungry diners in the Jing’an area of Shanghai. Last week, we got a preview of the menu at Tomatito’s pop-up at FoFo by el Willy in Hong Kong, accompanied by the ever so colourful Chef Willy. Voted “Best Chef in Shanghai” by City Weekend Magazine in Shanghai, Chef Willy has built himself a culinary empire over recent years, with delicious eateries such as el Willy, Fofo, el Coctel, Elefante and BIKINI.
The goods: We started our tastings with refreshing cool glasses of Pepe Rosado, the winning long drink in “The Sherry World Final”. The sparkling wine drink stirred with rose petals and fresh mint is the unique creation of Johan Holmberg, the Bar Manager behind the counter at el Coctel in Shanghai. There was an overwhelmingly full table of delicious tapas options, and we gorged ourselves silly on the Palometa en Adobo y Mojo Canario (wild fried fish), the Mollette de pate (spiced duck and mushroom melt), and the Albondigas (mama’s style homemade meatballs). The latter, of which, was succulent and tender, and tossed in a vibrant tomato sauce. The Potito, a low-temperature cooked egg with truffle eggplants and foie gras, was sinfully decadent.
A great addition to the Shanghai dining scene, Tomatito (or little tomato), will be serving quality tapas at very reasonable prices. The average spent per person, including wine, will be around RMB$300 – a very affordable price in an increasingly pricey city! Our only complaint is that we’ll have to fly over to Shanghai to get a taste of the menu, so we’ll just have to satisfy our tapas cravings at Fofo by el Willy in LKF instead. Speaking of Fofo, the entire restaurant will be undergoing renovation from August 9th–21st, and we’re excited to check out the new digs! Psst…we hear that the new renovation will create a lot more flow between the dining room and the al fresco bar!
Tomatito, 2/F, 99 Taixing Lu, Shanghai, +86 21 6259 8671
Fofo el Willy, 20/F, M88, 2–8 Wellington Street, Central, 2900 2009
