Thanks for the heads up @Aesthete
Went tonight and was very impressed.
Jamon iberico Cinco Jotas (5J), aged 5 years. Not all jamon Iberico is created equal. This stuff is on the level of what you’ll find in Spain. Much better than what they are selling at Surfas. $36/oz. Below is an 1 ounce portion.
Calamari a la plancha. Perfectly cooked but oddly quite bland despite being topped with salsa verde, sitting a top ratatouille, and even with the roasted lemon squeezed over it. Only dud of the night.
La Bola. Fried mashed potato ball stuffed with beef, topped with aioli and spicy tomato sauce. This is spot on. Identical in appearance to what I had in Spain (called La Bomba in Spain). Top photo is the version at VACA. Bottom version is one in Barcelona (filled with octopus and not beef). Flavors and texture also very close to what you’ll get in Spain.
VACA “La Bola”
La Cova Fumada “Bomba”
The paella is a very good arroz con mariscos. It’s not as authentic as the Perfecto Rocher version in terms of the soccorat and cooking technique but I like the taste better. I saw them precook the rice. Looks like they then add seafood and finish the rice in a paella pan under the broiler. Some portions even have a crusty top which is like an inverse soccorat I guess. The rice was a bit soupy if you want to get technical. But all of that doesn’t really matter since the rice had really good flavor. Also at $42 for a serving it was a 1.5x larger portion than the $165 version I had at the Hinoki popup by Chef Rocher. Seafood is fresh. The octopus in it is absurdly tender which made be wish I ordered the pulpo instead of the calamari. It’s much better than the Tar & Roses paella.
I will be back to try the callos, rabo, and botifarra. And of course more of that Cinco Jotas Jamon Iberico.