¡Hola! Meet the Chefs of Spanish Week Hong Kong 2023

In honour of Día de la Hispanidad, the National Day of Spain, The Beat Asia proudly presents Spanish Week 2023, a two-week-long celebration of Spain’s greatest culinary and cultural gems. Between Oct. 9 and 22, 2023, join this list of participating restaurants to enjoy the best that Spanish gastronomy has to offer.

The minds behind the passionately crafted menus – all made especially for Spanish Week 2023 – these chefs represent Hong Kong’s finest talent in the Spanish-influenced pocket of the city’s dining scene. Get to know the culinary masters behind selected Spanish Week venues, and sneak a peek at the secret sauce that goes into making special Spanish Week dishes and signature items.

Chef Alex Fargas, La Paloma

A name in the game for over a decade now, Chef Alex began his career at culinary school in his native Barcelona, before working with Le Cordon Bleu partnered restaurant Hoffman, and moving to the other side of the world to Beijing. His experience culminated in the opening of La Paloma after a seminal move to Hong Kong, marking him one of the key ambassadors of Spanish food in the city.

Find out how Chef Alex propagates his passion for Spanish cuisine in Hong Kong in The Beat Asia’s exclusive interview, click here.

See La Paloma and Chef Alex's special menu for Spanish Week 2023

Click here for brunch, and here for dinner

Chef Javier Perez, Silver Oak Group

Earning his stripes in Ireland as well as here in Hong Kong and adding to his toolbox of skills with techniques from Japanese, Thai, and Chinese cooking, Chef Javi has transformed his Galician roots into a multifaceted display of Spanish cooking with worldly influences. Overseeing the culinary programme threaded through the Silver Oak Group venues of the sky-high Spanish restaurant Quiero Más, waterfront facing The Bayside, and Mediterranean-inspired F.I.G.S Bistro terrace, Executive Chef Javi brings a keen eye sharpened by years of experience dealing in cuisines of many origins.

See Chef Javi's special menus for Spanish Week 2023:

Click here for Queiro Más, here for The Bayside, and here for F.I.G.S Bistro

Chef Jordi Vallès Claverol, Chueca

Chef Jordi is a Barca-native proudly decorated in culinary credentials that span from academic excellence in Tourism and Culinary Arts at CETT Vall d’Hebron, to stints at numerous Michelin-starred restaurants, and the 2009 Beijing City Weekend Chef of the Year award. His tenor at multiple premium establishments has served to inform his style of contemporary Mediterranean cooking at Chueca, which blends modern elegance with recognizably Spanish flavours.

Click here to see Chueca and Chef Jordi's special menu for Spanish Week 2023

Chef Salvador Benedicto, MAJO

Barcelona born-and-bred Chef Salvador enjoyed an early entry into cooking, thanks to time spent in the kitchen with his mother, before being catapulted into the world of culinary arts training at the Barcelona Hospitality Academy. Having collected a wealth of experience at prestigious restaurants in Spain before his move to Hong Kong, Chef Salvador infuses the traditional flavours of the menu at MAJO with a modern elegance, all presented with great value-for-money.

See MAJO and Chef Salvador's special menu for Spanish Week 2023

Click here for brunch, and here for dinner

Chef Carlos Salvador Asensio, El Vaso de Oro Hong Kong

Chef Carlos’ familiarity with the kitchen began in his childhood, where he first learned to cook up seafood paellas and traditional tapas as part of his family business. Having studied cooking formally in Barcelona and entered the scene with a focus on Catalan cuisine, Chef Carlos began his journey to Hong Kong with a stint at the restaurant Rustico Spanish Restaurant. He has since joined hands with fellow chef Peter Wong Chi Hang to open the Spanish bodega-style tapas bar – El Vaso de Oro Hong Kong, the follow-up concept of La Barra Spanish Tapas Restaurant.

Click here to see El Vaso de Oro Hong Kong and Chef Carlos' special menu for Spanish Week 2023