Hispania Nha Trang – Spanish Restaurant, Gran Meliá
Words: Monica Tindall
Photos: Han Sen Hau
We’ve been on the road for ten days in Vietnam, making our way down the central coast from Danang to Nha Trang. Vietnamese cuisine has been our focus when dining, but we’re ready for a break and excited to try the Spanish restaurant Hispania Nha Trang.
Internationally acclaimed chef Marcos Morán is behind the Spanish restaurant in Nha Trang. Already with two award-winning Hipsania restaurants under his belt, one in London and another in Brussels, he blesses this part of the globe with his blue-ribbon flavours. Coming from a rich tradition of cooking, his family restaurant, the one-Michelin-starred Casa Gerardo, has been running since 1882!
Located within the Gran Meliá Nha Trang, guests can enter via the hotel lobby or directly from outside. If you like taking photos, we recommend the outside entrance as it makes a lovely frame for your pics.
Inside, the design is full of smooth curves, mimicking the waves of the sea in the ceiling. The lines are mirrored in the walls, the entrance, and even the bread tray. Guests can see the final touches being added to dishes from the open kitchen. One section of the restaurant can be closed off with a sliding wall, making a private dining area for up to 12 people. A soundtrack of contemporary Spanish tunes, what might be a movie score, says Han Sen, is an unobtrusive backdrop yet energising. We’re feeling the vibes.
Signature Cocktail
Hispania’s signature Olive Martini (VND 350 000++) makes us happy—not only because it’s boozy but also because it is so delicious. It is a tasty beginning and made with olive oil, lime juice, sweet vermouth, and gin. The vermouth and olive oil create a smooth sweetness in the mouth and the gin balances with its bitterness. It’s garnished with shaved cucumber and a green olive. This is a guaranteed party starter.
At the same time, a small loaf of warm sourdough arrives with extra virgin olive oil – manzanilla from Casa de Hualdo. The green manzanilla olives from Cáceres produce a refined oil with lots of fruit flavour and a hint of green tomato in the finish. It’s superb quality with pleasant astringency and good persistence.
Hispania Nha Trang Chef’s Degustation Menu
Amuse Bouche
Trinh, our gracious server, delivers the amuse-bouche. She patiently explains each piece as we photograph and take note of the ingredients. From left to right, there’s a paper-thin soya and cheese chip topped with a Manchego cream cheese. There’s a light sweetness in the cracker that is yummy with the salty cheese. In the middle, a classic gazpacho centres the trio. The chilled tomato, red pepper and olive oil soup is a tasty refresher in warm weather. At the other end, Iberico ham croquetas sport a crispy casing and creamy, cured-meat flavoured middle – exceptional. We wash it down with the final drop of the olive martini. Bliss.
Salpicon de Bogavante y Langostinos
Even though it feels as if we have well and truly started, the “salpicon”, or seafood medley of lobster, monkfish and prawn salad, is officially our first course. We’re told that Chef Morán was impressed by the local seafood, especially the lobster when he visited Nha Trang. His goal was to create Spanish flavours with local ingredients; the seafood here is a good match. This dish features sweet, tender, slow-cooked lobster slices dotted with paprika over a monkfish (in Vietnamese monster-face fish), prawn and aioli salad. Mixing it all together and enjoying it with the white wine is recommended. It’s clean, fresh, and reminds me of the popular tapa, Ensaladilla Rusa.
I’m excited about the first wine pairing, Pazo das Bruxas, Albariño, 2022, from Rias Baixas by Torre Penelas. I was at this very winery last summer, exploring the region and eating extraordinary seafood paired with this particular grape. It’s a match made in heaven. The wine has a floral and citrus nose and a rich, seductive palate. Named for the Galician witches who imbued the vines with magic, this Albariño is truly enchanting.
Tartar de Atun Rojo, Ajoblanco Malagueño y Albahaca
The second course is beautiful in a white artistic bowl. A ring of red tuna tartare is topped with edible blooms, tiny pieces of orange, apple, zucchini and tomato. The green basil sauce base is a vibrant contrast to the white canvas plate. Malaga white garlic and cold almond soup, also known as white gazpacho, is poured in the middle of the ring. The tuna comes from Phú Yên, around 100 km north of Nha Trang. It’s soft and flavourful and works well with its quality companions. This, too, is fantastic with the last drops of Albariño.
Mero Asado, Escabeche de Pollo, Puerro, Avellana
Chef Morán aimed to combine the land and the sea in the next dish. He does this in a not-so-obvious way. Crispy grouper skin gives way to moist, flaky flesh – obviously, sea. The sauce is warm, comforting and acidic; this is where the “land” comes in. Chicken stock is the base for a creamy sauce with sherry vinaigrette and olive oil. Leeks, hazelnuts and cauliflower pickled in a ponzu and sherry vinaigrette provide balance. It’s dotted with a few Indian pennywort leaves, breaking the pale orange palette with spring greens. This is Han Sen’s favourite.
The wine mate, Muga Blanca Rioja, 2021, is another highly approachable and well-chosen drop. This wine has a little more structure and intensity, which is an excellent progression. The young white is a blend of indigenous grapes, Viura and Malvasia, with a touch of Garnacha Blanca, which adds complexity and depth to the bouquet. Citrus and minerals on the nose follow through to the palate, delivering a wonderful fresh drop and making it an ideal food partner.
Entrecote de Rubia Gallega, Piquillos, Confitados
We have eaten so much beef on this Vietnamese trip that I might not have chosen a meat dish tonight had I not seen the Rubia Gallega on the menu. However, I’m pleased to see a “real steak” being celebrated in this part of the world. If you’re a regular Yum Lister, you’ll know I’m not fond of industrialised, mass-market steak that is grown rapidly, on an unnatural diet producing overly fatty (marketed as “marbled”) steak that melts in the mouth like a stick of butter but has no flavour or meaty texture (and is also horrible for the environment and life of a cow). Ugh. Thankfully, this is not the case here, and I’d expect nothing less from a Spanish chef. Contrary to popular production, the Galician blonde is an old cow, grazed for years on a natural diet and bursting with flavour. The chef prepares the steak medium-rare with a generous sprinkling of salt, and sides it with mashed truffle potato and piquillo peppers.
It’s yet another exceptional wine pairing with Bodegas Castaño Solanera Viñas Viejas 2019 from the Yecla region. Spanish wine truly offers great value for money. The blend of 70% Monastrell, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Garnacha Tintorera produces a wine with abundant red fruit and spice aromas that are mirrored in the palate, along with high acidity (making it a perfect food wine), silky tannins and a little oak. Sip, chew, sip, chew, savour.
Tarta de Queso Españoles, Frutos Rojos, Fresa Helada
Traditional burnt Spanish cheesecake doesn’t usually have a crust. However, Hispania Nha Trang’s recipe has a fine biscuit base. The cheesecake is thick and flavourful, and the berry mousse, coulis, or gold flakes are not needed on top, but I understand the appeal to local taste buds who insist on drinking their coffee with condensed milk!
Freixenet, Premium Cava, Rosé is our final wine for the evening. Produced with double fermentation, similar to the (in)famous méthode champenoise with secondary fermentation in the bottle, it’s a lively sparkling with citrus and stone fruit flavours. It might traditionally be served as an aperitif, but it also makes a great palate-cleansing conclusion with dessert.
Hispania Nha Trang Review
I can’t deny that I have a bias for Spanish cuisine. High-quality ingredients and simple flavours bring me joy. It’s been a delicious meal, beautifully presented with expert wine pairings, helpful service and a unique and stylish setting. Hispania Nha Trang is a welcome change when you’ve been travelling in Vietnam for some time. It’s an ideal location to celebrate a special occasion or simply have an enjoyable evening out with your partner or gourmand friends.
Reasons to visit Hispania Nha Trang: delicious Spanish flavours made with local ingredients; unique and stylish setting; well-chosen Spanish wine list; kind and gracious staff.
Hispania Nha Trang – Spanish Restaurant
Gran Meliá Nha Trang
Bai Tien, Duong De, Vinh Hoa Ward
Nha Trang 650000, Vietnam
Link to Hispania Nha Trang on Google Maps
+84 0258 3868 888
@hispanianhatrang
[email protected]
Hispania Nha Trang Opening Hours
Monday & Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday to Sunday: 6 pm – 10 pm
*Dress code: elegant
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