Innovate Food, which specializes in Spanish cuisine, shares the same name as The Commune Social, a well-known Spanish restaurant in Shanghai, but the two are not related.
The menu of IF Food Club was developed by former chef Li Yongming, who has more than ten years of Western cuisine experience before joining the restaurant at ASSAGGI Restaurant in Beijing, Grand Hyatt Oriental, Left Bank Peninsula and Shanghai Yinuo Tianlong. Unfortunately, with the departure of Li Yongming, the level of food in the restaurant has also been declining year by year.
The Tapas menu page contains 10 tapas, ranging from traditional tapas bread trays to Spanish classics such as pickled olives, hash browns, and sautéed mushrooms. The Spanish word "Tapa" translates to lid, and it is widely said that the first tapas were a small loaf of bread, and the Andalusians used it as a lid to cover the rim of the cup when drinking to keep out fruit flies, and then stacked various ingredients on this small bread to form the original tapas. Perhaps in order to avoid customers complaining that the portion size is too small, the food club gave up the authenticity of Tapas, and replaced the small bread tray with a toast-sized slice of bread, and the ham, mushrooms, cheese and other ingredients on the top were also put proudly, almost occupying the entire toast bread, the color and taste are not authentic, but the portion will not disappoint.
Originating from Valencia, Paella is a rice dish cooked in a large amphora pan Paellera, most famously paella. The restaurant's paella rice is boiled, which absorbs water and is more chewy than ordinary rice, and the so-called "sandwiched" taste of many customers is also due to the tough texture of the rice itself. Lobster paella and plain paella are cooked with saffron to give the rice a golden colour, while the cuttlefish paella's unique cuttlefish juice makes it black and shiny throughout. Several types of rice noodles are covered with mussels, prawns, cuttlefish and other ingredients, but the kitchen is unstable, the seafood shape is slightly messy, and the sausages added to the rice also have a certain effect on the umami of the seafood.
Spanish ham is famous, and the restaurant uses 48-month-old 5J ham, which is considered the best Iberian ham. When serving, the waiter will bring the whole ham to the table and show the slices on the spot, which makes the dining experience better. Baked shrimp with garlic has undergone the same major improvement as Tapas, with the creamy garlic turning into red garlic, the shrimp meat is all soaked in oil, and there are a few millet chili peppers next to it, if it were not for the Spanish restaurant, many people would have mistaken it for a Sichuan dish.
Located in Taikoo Li, the restaurant has a modern design with black pipes in an industrial style, and a glass lampshade adds to the design of the dining area. The service staff is well-trained, the knowledge of the dishes is detailed, and the needs of customers can basically be satisfied. Parking is convenient around Taikoo Li, and parking tickets can be redeemed with dining receipts.
