I walked in and was greeted by the PR team at Uno Mas. The first thing they said was that Uno Mas is the only Tapas restaurant in Hong Kong with a Spanish chef from Valencia. The confidence of that statement only raised my expectations ceiling high and I was anxious to try out and see whether the food lived up to its hype.

Situated in the middle of a busy Wan Chai bar district on Lockhart road, you walk up to the second floor and instantly feel a certain buzz, everything is quite happening! From the open kitchen, to the two balconies, the big bar area, the cushioned seats, the tall chairs, everything is simple yet modern. The restaurant is huge, having the capacity to sit around 90-100 people and around 200 at night combined with the standing crowd.

To begin our meal, we were served with the Tabla de Charcuteria (serves 2); selections of Spanish cold cuts and condiments including Jamon Serrano, Chorizo Gran Doblon and the Pork liver pate with sherry and Lomo Emburchado. The cold cuts are similar to any premium cold cuts you get anywhere else, but what stands out here is their pork liver pate – simply scrumptious! and their portion is made for two people.

We moved on with the main courses and my favourite was the Cochinillo Asado; roasted suckling pig with sautéed dried apricot compote and orange sauce. I love the crisp skin and the tenderness of the meat which trapped enough moisture to make it juicy. The use of apricot and the orange sauce was a surprisingly delicious combination which cuts through the heaviness of the dish and won’t fill you up with the richness of it.

We then tried the Sardinas and their home made Salsa Verde. The sauce was divine and a great dip for the sardines. This dish isn’t too salty or too rich and the texture of the sardine was just right – not overcooked and perfectly succulent.

The third dish was the Tortilla De Patata Chorizo, a northern Spanish dish of Potato tortilla with chorizo and spicy paprika. Although it was still delicious, I am glad this dish came last because it is a typically filling dish and could fill the belly before you have the chance of tasting the many other delights on the menu.

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole dining experience at Uno Mas from the black and white themed décor, the ambience, the pricing and, most importantly, the food. Uno Mas lends itself to any form of social gathering from tables for two, group dinner and social cocktail events with a great view down on the ‘sin suburb’ of Wanchai!