We’re big on tapas, especially exotic ones. You get loads of delightful variety, and as Mama always says, sharing is caring.
Over at Party Pier, touted once again as the next big thing now that the chengguan have taken over Xingsheng Lu, comes the Peruvian-inspired Cocina.
By the masterminds behind Le Saint Maxime, this part restaurant, part lounge, part nightclub on the sixth floor comes blessed with expansive, uninterrupted views – reason enough to turn heads. Its varied, modern menu is designed to share, as is most of Cocina’s food, which we quickly realized is as stimulating to the eyes as it is to the palate.
Start with a shot of Leche de Tigre (RMB28), a tart and spicy elixir leftover from marinating ceviche, served with fresh shrimp on a stick. Tapping on Nikkei influences is the dainty beef sushi (RMB42/2 pieces), topped with quail eggs.
Down some anticuchos (skewers) to whet your appetite for more solids – try the salmon cubes (RMB48/2) drizzled with a peppery sauce (amazing), followed by some of the most delicious ceviches you could imagine this side of town.
Highlights are the Pescado (RMB48): fish of the day served in a small bowl with peppers, onions, corn and micro herbs in a bath of leche de tigre. It sounds strange, but we would fish and/or swim across the Pearl River just for one bite.
The other dishes are good too, although they might raise some eyebrows for their commitment to culinary fusionism. The creme brulee foie gras maintains an aura of French refinery coupled with touches normally reserved for desserts, the quinoa salad (RMB48) features fresh cherry tomatoes, avocado and feta cheese and the succulent thin cuts of wagyu M4 (RMB95), served with mash and tomato salsa, will satisfy all red meat cravings.
The list goes on and the small plates keep coming – it’s the most fun, sociable way to spend an evening.
The beautiful meal ends, like all good things, with dessert. In this case, the suspiro de limena (RMB48) – a crumbly cookie made of flour and pisco – is served with a cloud of soft lemony meringue over dulce de leche that, according to one Peruvian poet, is as light, sweet and alluring as that of a woman’s sigh right after a steamy soiree.
Remember Christian Grey’s pleasure dungeon in Fifty Shades Darker, aka the Red Room, where he takes all of his subs through their paces? Visually, Cocina (which coincidently is a feminine noun for kitchen) appears no different, albeit with more pleasure and no pain.
Bathed in hues of seductive red, the sultry eating space features bold artwork, dramatic ceilings and chandeliers, plus a lounge where you can cozy up to Cocina’s well-selected tipples.
Try an icy Peruvian mojito (RMB80) or a smoking whiskey sour (RMB90), whilst you listen to trending tunes from their easy-on-the-eye DJ. Fancy some fresh air? Drinks in hand, saunter over to the patio and you'll feel like you're in the heart of some very hot action that goes on late into the night.
So of course, it seems only right you'd have to beg for her. A reservation, we mean. She gets busy, so book ahead.
Price: RMB200
Who’s going: those with trained taste buds
Good for: ceviche, tempting tapas and late-night patio parties
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