By Gia Linh

Việt Nam is a melting pot of cuisines from all over the world: Japan, Korea, France, you name it.

Whether foods from these countries have been served with their original flavours or been adjusted to suit local palates, they have been adored as evidenced by the relentless increase in the number of restaurants serving foreign cuisines across the country.

As a food-loving Vietnamese, my enthusiasm for trying new cuisines has taken me to various restaurants in HCM City, and none of them have failed me.

But I wanted to try something new – to taste foods that make me say ‘wow’ and nod my head non-stop.

After hours of poring over Google listings and Facebook, I hit upon a new gem: TOMATITO.

TOMATITO in District 1’s Calmette Street, HCM City, is a Spanish tapas bar that serves up quality food and drinks and excellent music. VNS Photo Gia Linh

TOMATITO is a Spanish tapas bar founded by chef Willy Trullàs Moreno.

Moreno founded el Willy “Fun F&B Group” in 2008 after years of hard work in Asia.

He and his team have since created fun F&B projects that are now under the group umbrella: el Willy, La Paloma, Bandido, and TOMATITOS.

The first TOMATITO was opened in Shanghai in 2014 on Taixing Road and became an immediate success.

It then expanded abroad, serving Sexy Tapas in Manila (the Philippines) and then in HCM City in 2018.

Unlike its brother el Willy, a contemporary Spanish restaurant, TOMATITO Sexy Tapas Bar (Calmette Street, District 1) is casual, colourful and funky, with its interior design inspired by Spanish bars from the 1980s but with a contemporary twist.

Everything here is red and polka-dotted, including a red, polka-dotted Vespa right at the entrance, huge red neon signs, red polka-dotted paper placemats, red polka-dotted napkins, and red polka-dotted menus!

TOMATITO focuses on family-style tapas dining, with an array of options from traditional to fusion dishes. The food menu has not only Spanish classics like croquetas, patatas bravas (Spanish fried potatoes) and paella (traditional Spanish rice) but also creative tapas.

As newbies to Spanish cuisine we decided to pick TOMATITO’S guest favourites.

TOMATITO cuisine focuses on family-style tapas dining with Spanish classics like croquetas and paella but also creative tapas. VNS Photo Gia Linh

The food arrived in almost no time.

We started off with “choux de sobrasada”.

The dish looked as fancy as its name suggests, and it was a flavour bomb in the form of little choux buns!

The filling had a soft, creamy texture and the iconic taste of sobrasada – raw, cured sausage from Spain’s Balearic Islands.

The honey, brie and walnuts on top added more layers of flavour to each bite, helping balance out the naturally salty nature of sobrasada. Virtually any alcoholic drink with it would be a match made in heaven.

With all the dishes served rapidly, within a few minutes our table was packed to the rafters.

We moved on to creamier and richer plates: “tuétano ahumado con tartar” and “parrilla de verduras asadas”. The first dish was smoked bone marrow with Angus beef, and the latter was mixed grilled vegetables with romesco sauce.

The crunchiness of the thin slices of toasted bread was a perfect match for the silky, creamy rich bone marrow.

The highlight for us was the tender and tangy raw Angus beef, which was a perfect contrast to the thick marrow.

The three of them made every bite a party of textures.

The vegetables were fresh and grilled to perfection. It is a simple dish, but the natural tastiness of the vegetables was enhanced by the tasty romesco sauce consisting of roasted red peppers, tomatoes, almonds, and garlic.

Of the seafood dishes, we first dug into “Pulpo a la Tomatito”. The ingredient pairing is among the most unique I have seen: octopus, potato, Iberian ham, and aioli. But know what? It works!

“A perfect balance of five elements” is the best way to sum up this dish’s spectrum of textures and flavours: 1. tender and thick octopus arms; 2. soft, chewy confit potato; 3. savoury Iberian ham; 4. crunchy garlic bits; and 5. creamy, garlic-y aioli.

But mere words can never describe how divine it was.

Choosing to ignore our nearly full stomachs, we dug into a huge cast-iron pan of “Paella de marisco” or mixed seafood paella.

“Paella de marisco” or mixed seafood paella is a flavour-loaded, must-try Spanish traditional rice dish. VNS Photo Gia Linh

Paella is at the heart of Spanish cuisine, with base ingredients like rice, aromatics (garlic, onion, saffron), stock, and add-ins like chicken, seafood and chorizo.

Our rice was bursting with flavours thanks to the aromatics and the seared seafood. The stock added a nice umami and savoury taste to the rice. The ratio of rice to seafood was reasonable, and there was even diced octopus.

We succeeded in saving the best for last!

The dishes cost VNĐ160,000-800,000 (US$7-32), but the food and drink at TOMATITO are worth the price considering the large portions and quality ingredients.

It is also a nice place to organise gatherings of all sorts.

TOMATITO has made it into my list of favourite places for its delicate dishes, quality service and impressive background story.

My experience is a testament to their dedication and seriousness towards what they are doing.

Bring your friends, blind dates, parents, and just about anyone for a fun night out, quality Spanish food and drinks, and, not to forget, some excellent music. VNS

TOMATITO Saigon

Address: 171 Calmette St, Nguyễn Thái Bình Ward, Dist 1

Opening hours: 11.30am to 3pm and 5.30 to 11pm

Phone: 0869 388 864

Website: tomatito.vn