Tras Street is home to a strip of very well respected restaurants, but none are as busy as this casual Spanish-Japanese eatery by Chef Pepe Moncayo. We were skeptical a year ago of yet another place doing fusion tapas but the interesting, value-for-money menu and the bustling open kitchen here make this a solid option. The menu is brief and changes often, but features a legit mix of Asian and Western ingredients. Take the pork ear, smoked eel, quinoa and edamame: it’s a riot of textures and flavors—chewy and fatty from the pork ears, citrusy and mild from the dressed quinoa, fresh and vegetal from the edamame. And it’s $7—not bad, even for a small plate. We also like the gong-gong with leeks roasted to creamy perfection ($9) and the decadent richness of crunchy-fried baby sotong dipped in a sous-vide egg, topped with chorizo bits ($16). Or get the omakase menu which is $120-180 for seven courses. There are close to 100 sake labels in the glass-paned cellar and of course a sake sommelier on hand. Or you can just go for the house cava ($13). Service is not exactly seamless, but it’s chatty and well intentioned. Plus, there’s no service charge.
