Tapa Tapa for Tapas: A Gazpacho for the Summer Heat
- Leo Shin
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
The restaurant's name is literally Tapa Tapa - I'm not even making this up. The Tapas better be good. The hot and humid summer of Shanghai is truly horrendous with heatwaves of up to 40 degrees and humidity that clouds your glasses as soon as you exit the building. Cold gazpacho soup and other refreshing Tapas dishes are perfect for the summer season.
The restaurant's interior revolves around a theme of greenery: plants placed on the bar's countertop, bushy trees growing out of clay pots, and dim lights to complete that feeling of "nature."
It feels like you're in a retreat in the middle of the tropical rainforest, which might as well be the current climate of Shanghai with its humidity and temperature (can you tell that I hate Shanghai's weather by now?). The wooden chairs and candles, lit on each table, adds to the relaxing atmosphere.
The restaurant's unique widows make the setting feel spacious and casual, although I wouldn't recommend sitting right next to the open windows where loud conversation from the EKA mall's other visitors can be heard.
Dishes:
This dish was most likely inspired by the Padron Peppers of Spanish cuisine. But, the pepper variety that's used in the original dish is distinct with a flavor profile and fragrance that's sweet, smoky, and a little nutty. By substituting the pepper, Tapa Tapa's rendition is a bit disappointing. It was slightly bland and didn't carry much flavor aside from the oil that it seems to have been coated in.
With a mix of tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, garlic, Gazpacho is a refreshing and punchy cold soup. Topped with some breadcrumbs and olive oil, it's almost like you're eating a 10/10 salad in liquid form. Before the heavy dishes hit the table, the Gazpacho at Tapa Tapa is a great appetizer.
Callos stews the tripe for a long time, usually with chorizo, beans, and other ingredients. While its one of my favorite Tapas dishes, Tapa Tapa's version didn't entirely deliver. Although the tripe should be cooked tender and soft to a jelly-like state, the tripe was almost turned into mush at Tapa Tapa. The sauce was a little off and lacked the usual layers of flavor. Placing the tripe dripping with sauce on top of the bread, and savoring it together still made it a decent experience.
Steamed till tender, and lightly dressed with chimichurri, the dish allows the fresh squid to shine through. The dish is bright and characteristic of a hot seafood Tapas. Overall, the quality of the squid carries the dish.
Tapas are delicious morsels of seafood, stews, meats, but they all have one thing in common. They won't fill you up, but a Paella does! The paella Fideua is a rendition of the traditional paella, except that the rice is replaced by thin noodles. Served with dallops of garlic aioli, large chunks of squid, and some pickled pearl onions, the pasta paella at Tapa Tapa was a great way to end off the meal. The only critique would be the relative lack of socarrat, the crispy bottom layer of any authentic Spanish paella.
Overall Summary
Although Tapa Tapa might not have the most authentic Spanish dishes, the relatively affordable prices make up for it. Compared to other chain restaurants that serve Spanish Tapas like Las Tapas, prices are around 20% cheaper from what I could tell. Issues such as using the wrong variety for their grilled pepper dish or cooking their tripe stew for too long aren't too noticeable, and it's still a very enjoyable dining experience, especially with the greenery-themed interior design. To feel the atmosphere of the restaurant, I'd recommend Tapa Tapa for dinner instead of lunch. Overall, a good spot for affordable Spanish Tapas!
Location: Pudong's EKA Mall, 1st floor, Building 9
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