CAVA RESTAURANT AND BAR
No 71 Jalan Bangkung
Bukit Bandaraya
Bangsar
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2093 6637 / 017-356 0133
Website and email: www.cava.my / mailus@cava.my
Business hours: Monday to Saturday, noon to 3pm (lunch) and 5pm to 1am; Sunday, 5pm to 1am
Seating capacity: 45 indoors, 15 outdoors. Private dining section holds 14.
THE Spanish have a way with words as they do with food. Barriga llena, corazón contento or in English, “A full belly and a happy heart”. This is how one can describe Spanish food. It fills your belly and you will be happy.
A home-cooked meal or a night out at restaurants and bars eating, for the Spanish, is a social event and has always been seen as one of life’s pleasures.
The Spanish culinary scene brims with food to delight the traveller’s palate; from the fresh seafood of the northern coast to fruity olive oils, cheeses and the fulfilling meat-based dishes of the inlands.
Unfortunately, not many Spanish restaurants in Kuala Lumpur are able to please your tastebuds, though Cava Restaurant & Bar along Jalan Bangkong, Bangsar is an exception.
The restaurant recently relaunched itself with jefe de cocina Helena Ramirez. The new menu is exciting and imaginative.
What is Spanish food without tapas?
Originally from Andalucia, a Southern province of Spain, the word “tapa” means as “cover” and according to Spanish food aficionados, it traditionally may have been a complementary piece of sliced ham served on top of a glass of wine.
Today, however, we know them as small portions of food commonly served as snacks before lunch or dinner.
Pulpo a la Gallega, the famous Spanish octopus with potato, lightly dusted with paprika, is delicious, tender and mouth-watering. If you have not tried octopus, this is a great way to start.
For the brave, Cava Restaurant & Bar has Patatas Bravas paired with the restaurant’s famous Chillie Padi Pesto.
This classic potatoes and sauce dish is best washed down with a lovely glass of Red Sangria. The burst of taste provided by the Chillie Padi Pesto is a definite must-try.
The Olives Villeroy with Creamy Pesto, however, lacks Spanish magic. It is too creamy, thus killing the overall taste.
Moving on to paella, once a labourer’s meal, cooked over an open fire in the fields and eaten directly from the pan using wooden spoons, this truly Spanish dish is popular in restaurants as it can be served all day.
Cava’s speciality Arroz Negro was rich in flavour and simply excellent.
Cava’s speciality Arroz Negro is something that the writer appreciates and would not mind paying top dollar to try it again. The squid ink paella with prawns and garlic aioli was rich in flavour and simplyexcelente.
In Valencia, making paella is a local pride and everyone would claim to make the best paella in all of Spain.
Cava’s Arroz Negro is something all of Valencia would be proud of.
For the main course, Cava’s Piquillo Peppers is picture perfect and appetising. Stuffed with seafood and served with creamy piquillo sauce and asparagus, this dish holds the true essence of a Spanish dish. It is filling and one will need an extra glass of Sangria to wash down the amazing aftertaste.
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
