Acouple of weeks ago when I stumbled upon social media posts indicating the opening of the city’s first restaurant offering exclusive, ‘authentic’ Spanish cuisine with a Mediterranean touch, I was intrigued. My primary concern was how they will manage to pull and subsequently retain customers when Spanish cuisine comprises quite a few unfamiliar ingredients that our local palate is not used to.

Que Rico – roughly translating to delicious – is located off M.M. Alam Road where once Yoglicious used to stand. The façade is a beautiful fusion of contemporary and classic European architecture with arches, panelled wooden doors and windows and yellow lamps against which the ample outdoor sitting space gives a serene vibe. Add to this, a couple of violinists occasionally playing subcontinental music (at a Spanish eatery!!) could make the outdoors the perfect spot to enjoy a meal on a winter evening.

Inside, one is welcomed with an Ola and a simultaneous Asalam-o-Alaikum. The warm, spacious interior done mostly in grey and white is divided into sections and is adorned with black and white photographs, and fascinating metallic sculptures. The menu is just enough not to confuse a customer, and also includes some exotic options such as duck, ostrich and lamb rack to name a few.

First up were some tapas. Pil Pil Prawns were a stack of soft, scrumptious, juicy prawns marinated in garlic, non-alcoholic white wine, Spanish paprika dipped in an olive oil and paprika mixture. Great start to a meal.

The Croquettes had a soft crispy shell with a creamy centre filled with two types of mushrooms, topped with parmesan shreds and served with parmesan foam. I loved the Seared Seed-Coated Tuna Bites that were thick slices of fish coated with mixed herb seeds and served on a bed of julienned carrots, green onion, cucumber and drizzled with delicious sesame oil and tuna sauce. These bites were savoured up to the hilt.

From the mains, I had the duck confit – leg cooked in its own fat overnight -- served with cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, mushroom and capsicum, all sitting on katsu sauce. I would have liked the duck skin to be crispier, though the meat on it was cooked well and the salty, barbeque-esque katsu sauce provided the much-needed kick to balance the subtle duck.

The Seafood Paella was a sunny, riot of colour of Arborio rice cooked with saffron, olive oil and smoked paprika serving as a bright yellow bed on which were laid out mussels, prawns and capsicum in a pattern. This was a tricky plate of food, as the rice were only subtly seasoned with olive oil and paprika, hence the flavours feel unusual, and mussels could be alien to most people here. So, one would need to develop a taste for such food that might be bland – even when it isn’t -- for some.

The Salmon En Papillote came enveloped in foil to retain its freshness. The soft, fresh slab of Norwegian pink salmon was served with shredded seasoned capsicum, onion and other veggies and topped with a subtly tangy lemon butter sauce. What’s great was they let the fish meat retain its taste and did not load it with spices and oils. But the presentation could have been better; it appeared messy when the foil around the fish was unwrapped.

The dessert section was tantalising with each item sounding equally delectable. I first had the Torrija which was a loaf of bread soaked so much in milk that the texture almost feels like a pudding, dipped in egg and fried; does remind one of French toast, but nothing like it. It was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a caramel sauce on the side. I would have liked the sauce to be smooth, not grainy, but the bread truly was the star: soft, squidgy, aptly sweet and pure comfort.

And how could one not have the Spanish favourite, churros! Fried pastry, fresh out of the fryer and dusted with icing sugar, served with a smooth, dark, hot chocolate sauce. This one’s not to be missed!

The ‘24 karat gold’ chocolate and strawberry desserts mentioned on the menu instantly grab one’s attention. I ordered the chocolate one out of sheer curiosity expecting a choco dome or something sprayed with golden colour. What appeared was a work of art, by all means, but I found myself searching for the gold and, upon asking, was pointed to minuscule bits of gold paper on the top of the dessert. A slice of plain cake with a layer of velvety chocolate mousse and a dollop of strawberry sauce all enclosed in a white chocolate shell glazed with a shining strawberry sauce with a gooey white chocolate panna cotta sitting on top and a thin chocolate swirl carefully wrapping all of this together. On the side was a scoop of vanilla ice cream sitting in a meticulously created chocolate cup, and some more chocolate moulded as a spoon. Rich, indulgent, and any chocolate lover’s dream served on a gold-rimmed plate.

While one could get nearly flawless food quality at Que Rico, and presentation as good as an artwork, one thing they’re certain about is that this place caters only to a tiny niche market that has some idea of what Spanish or European cuisine entails, hence is even priced accordingly – it could leave a gaping hole in one’s pocket!

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2018