Tasca Chino Review - Spanish Chinese Fusion

Tasca Chino New York Review

Just a stone’s throw away from Union Square, Tasca Chino is, according to their website, “a tapas and dim sum restaurant that caters to adventurous audiences”. As their name would suggest, the restaurant fuses Spanish and Chinese cuisine in a way that is truly remarkable and creative. The ambiance is dim and sultry, but still manages to be inviting. Upon walking in, several eye-catching art pieces jumped out at me, reflecting the restaurant’s signature fusion of the Spanish and the Chinese. The whole place seems to throb with a dull red glow. I cannot tell a lie—it’s a sexy atmosphere. If you take a first date here, it’s sure to be a success.

Like any sensible diners, we started things off with a couple of cocktails. I tried the cocktail special of the day, the Sevilla. Featuring, among other things, house infused watermelon vodka, cucumber, and cranberry, this refreshing and fruity cocktail tasted like a liquid Jolly Rancher, but with liquor, beyond perfect for a scorching summer’s day.

My dining companion tried the Valencia which was comprised of Fonseca white port, kumquat, mint and campari, and was equally as refreshing and unique.

For starters, we sampled a few options from Tasca Chino’s tapas and dumpling menu. The Edamame, Sweet Pea, and Mint Terracotta Dumplings were charming and beautiful to look at, and they easily explained why this restaurant is so well known for its dumplings. The Black Bass Ceviche was wonderfully fresh and balanced, with something new and unexpected in every bite. It was light and didn’t fill you up—everything you could want in a starter, and all with ceviche’s trademark citrusy bite.

The winner of the night was our third starter, the Garbanzo Frito & Kimchi. Honestly, drop everything and run to Tasca Chino right now, just to try this dish. This was one of the best things I’ve put in my mouth in months. Eat this and nothing but this for the rest of your life—I know I could. The Garbanzo Frito was more of a cream on the inside than anything else, but, miraculously, it still managed to be crispy on the outside. The Kimchi was a flawless and delicate combination of spicy and sour—the perfect compliment to the mild fluffiness of the Frito. It was the kind of dish that, as you’re eating it, you can’t stop thinking: “How did they do this?!”

For my entrée, I went with the Paella de Vegetale—it is a Spanish restaurant, after all, so someone had to try the paella! Aside from being just a work of art to look at, my favorite thing about this paella was how it celebrated the seasonal vegetables it was featuring. This wasn’t your typical perfunctory vegetarian-friendly dish. This was a beautiful and flavorful vegetable paella with distinct Chinese flavors as well, just enough to give a nod to the Chinese-Spanish fusion that the restaurant boasts.

My dining companion got the Slow Roasted Duck, a moist, succulent boneless duck, served with pickled cucumbers, daikon radish, and mantou buns. The duck was perfectly cooked, melt-in-your-mouth good. In contrast to the upscale-artsy feel of the tapas, both of our entrées had a friendly, home cooked sense about them, with more than enough to take home and eat for lunch, (or breakfast!) the next day.

Then came my favorite part of any meal: dessert. We tried two different offerings—the Tres Leches and Pineapple and, of course, the Chocolate Bomb, filled with a Passion Fruit Mousse and a Raspberry and Mango Crumble. The real highlight of dessert was surprisingly, the Lemon Sorbet that came with the tres leches. Bright and refreshing, the sorbet cut the sweetness of the cake in a surprising way. We couldn’t believe how good it was! Even though I was full from my amazing dinner, both of these desserts kept me coming back for more. I love a dessert with interesting flavors that take more than a few bites to figure out, and these both kept getting more and more complex.

All in all, my dinner at Tasca Chino was one of the best I’ve had in a long, long time. With impeccable service, an impressive bar, hospitable management, and downright amazing food, I left Tasca Chino very happy, very full, and already making plans to go back.

Tasca Chino is located at 245 Park Avenue South, and is open for brunch, lunch and dinner. The restaurant is overseen by the friendly and attentive general manager, Salim Aba, and features the food stylings of amazing Executive Chef Alex Ureña.