Bulla Gastrobar

Inspired by the currently popular Spanish tapas restaurants, which encourage tasting and sharing a multitude of menu items, Bulla now has several lively locations in the greater Miami area. This space is modern and open and yet so busy this Saturday afternoon, that customers and servers must navigate the area carefully to avoid bumping into each other.

     We begin with a red sangria for me and a Golden Monkey beer for John. My sangria was sweet as candy, just the way I like it, and John's Belgian pale ale was smooth as silk, the way he likes it. We sampled their brunch menu with the Huevos Bulla, a large bowl of homemade potato chips, Serrano ham, potato foam, and truffle oil, all bathed in the succulent goodness of punctured egg yolks. It made for a hearty beginning although undistinguished.

   

     I also ordered the Bikini, a Brioche bun with tetilla cheese, Serrano ham, covered in bechamel sauce, and in the company of a fried egg. Once again, dipping the doughy bread into the thick, rich yolk mixed with the creamy bechamel made the dish gratifying.

     My second course was the Melón con Bellota, a platter of watermelon, Bellota, or acorn ham, heirloom tomatoes, Leonora goat cheese, and a drizzle of truffle honey. All these elements are of the highest quality, and yet on this platter, their blending was dull. There was lots of watermelon and tomatoes, sufficient ham, but the cheese pellets were scant. I don't like it when I get the feeling a restaurant is trying to economize at the expense of my satisfaction.

   

     John tried the Cochinillo Hash, a poached egg, which I inherited, braised shredded pork, and breakfast potatoes. But now that I think about it, this was simply a reconfiguration of his earlier dish, Huevos Bulla.

Photo by Louise S. (Yelp)

    

     A humdrum meal that ends in bright, delicious desserts gets redemption points, and this one ended on a positive note. We ordered the Brioche French toast and the Churros con Chocolate, that traditional Spanish treat of fried dough sticks tossed in sugar. They came with the promised chocolate sauce, but better even, with some thick dulce de leche for dipping. I had to force myself to share with John. The moist and doughy French toast came bejeweled with the freshest, plumpest berries, vanilla-berry syrup, and white chocolate Chantilly cream.

     Although nothing seems unique about this restaurant, their dishes are solid and prepared with high quality ingredients. It was worth a try.

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