Salsa Sundays: New Brunch at La Paloma

Shake your tail feathers at La Paloma’s sauciest Sunday secret

You know the drill – eat, sleep, brunch, repeat. Brunch in the 852 is almost a right of passage, with get togethers booked in by the dozen, it’s hard to refuse an awesome day out eating and drinking with friends and family. And it seems with #Sundayfunday become ever more popular, the party doesn’t end until we’re sat forehead to desk come Monday morning.

Well if you’re looking for something a little different girls, you’ve stumbled in the right direction – La Paloma have launched a Sunday brunch that’s edgy, saucy and laden with incredible Spanish food – ooh yeah – we’re talking Salsa Sundays!

Read more about boozy brunches in Hong Kong here.

Tucked away in a little nook between Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun, La Paloma’s fun, modern decor and spicy atmosphere is the perfect setting for either a relaxed meal with the family or a slightly more heated Sunday session with friends. Combining spanish tapas and salsa dancing lessons, they’re offering everything quintessentially Spanish that’ll engulf you in culture from the first mouth full of bikini truffle ham…

Free flow Cava… bottles and bottles of free-flowing bubbles. With the pop of a cork and a quick slurp, you’ll be well on your way to getting up and shaking your hips as the clock strikes 3pm – with a little help from the Salsa Master of course.

Foodies, get ready to die and go to Churro heaven.  This new all-Spanish menu consists of an incredible buffet spread laden with traditional spanish cold cuts, olives, mature Manchego cheeses, bread and even fresh gazpacho – an amazing start to an easy breezy Sunday morning. Look out for their incredibly fresh and tasty Foie mi cult – a personal Pâté favourite of mine and a welcome richness to the table spread.

On top of their all-you-can-eat buffet, a medley of cold and hot tapas dishes are also on the menu. I was entirely in my element, enthusiastically stuffing Croquetas Ibericas with mushrooms into my mouth and hardly letting the Bravas cool down before Grilled squid and Chistorra al brandy de Jerez found a way in. Now, I’m no connoisseur when it comes to spanish cuisine but the squid was as fresh you’d ever get and anything battered and deep-fried was sure to get a thumbs up from me.

The only hard part? Choosing the main. Admittedly, I was already two bottles of bubbles deep and rather stuffed to the brim at this point, so we chose a traditional Chicken Paella over the Suckling Pig, which is an extra $78 on the bill (the option of Squid Ink Paella is also available for all those seafood lovers out there) and we were pleased with our choice. Brought out steaming and mixed in a rustic paella dish, served table side, we battled through the huge portions, spurred on by the thought of burning off a few calories and working our appetites back up with a bit of a dance later on.

The cherry on the top of the brunch spread were the churros. Definitely unnecessary after the mounds of food already in our stomaches – but obviously going to be eaten anyway – these sugary fried sticks were incredible with rich melted chocolate sauce and cool vanilla ice cream… I may have had to undo the top button of my jeans at this point #noregrets.

Salsa Sundays are a laugh from start to finish. The concept is refreshing – with countless brunch deals out there, their interactive element of having a two-hour dance class, led by an International Latin Salsa Master, really takes the biscuit (or churros in this case). If I’m entirely honest, this one may not be for you if you’re not keen on getting up and giving it ago, and if you tend to shy away from group activities (dutch courage or not) you may want to opt for the brunch without the salsa class for $338 per person. Otherwise, go-getters can expect to pay a reasonable $400 per person, with the option of an additional $198 for free-flowing Spanish Cava (with no service charge!). The next brunches are in the diary for Sunday, 10 April and Sunday, 15 May, so be sure put on your dancing shoes and book in quickly!

La Paloma, 1/F, 189 Queen’s Road West, Wilmer Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, Tel: 2291 6161, www.lapaloma.hk