Paella and Tapas Lunch at Lubina, Hibiya

Salut! It's Yoko.

I've been having lunch in Hibiya a lot lately, so here's another Hibiya lunch report!

This time it's Lubina, a Spanish restaurant on the 2nd floor of Tokyo Midtown Hibiya!

Lubina's modern-classic interior

This is the entrance. Let's head inside. It was around 1 pm on a weekday, so it was quiet.

Lubina's ceiling and lighting. It feels classy and rich.

We were seated in the middle of the room. The chairs are upholstered in leather and glossy velvet.
They're incredibly comfortable!

Beyond the beautifully draped curtains, I could see a gorgeous terrace.
It has luxurious sofa-like seating and seems to have heaters, so once it warms up a bit, I'd love to eat out there...

Even the glasses and cutlery are refined.

Some people were dining alone, and one table of about ten foreign guests was having a business lunch.
It looks very versatile!

Lubina's lunch menu

With such a lovely space, it must be expensive, right...? Actually, lunch starts at ¥1,260.

And you can order paella for one, which most restaurants only serve for two or three people.

I came for Spanish food, so pasta didn't appeal. I wanted something properly Spanish...
so I ordered the squid ink fideua (a paella made with noodles), and splurged on the +¥800 option that adds gazpacho, tapas and pintxos!

Within about three minutes, the gazpacho and tapas arrived.
The colors and presentation are lovely!

Clockwise from the top:
- Strawberry gazpacho
- Albacore tuna carpaccio
- Small shrimp skewer with potato-mayonnaise sauce and green olive sauce

The fish in the carpaccio was fresh, and the little shrimp were plump and cooked just right.

My favorite was the strawberry gazpacho!

Gazpacho is usually thought of as a summer soup, so I was surprised at how good it was in winter.

Strawberries are in season right now, so it felt seasonal, and it was delicious.

About ten minutes later, the squid ink fideua arrived too!

Squid ink fideua: squid, squid ink, shrimp and garlic

The aioli (a garlicky, mayonnaise-like sauce) and lemon stand out beautifully against the black squid ink.

The squid and shrimp are springy, and the bell pepper is sweet.

It gets even better with a little aioli!

The lemon is grilled together with the fideua, so maybe that's why the acidity is gentle.
I pressed it lightly with the back of my fork and ate it with the fideua, which left a clean aftertaste.

The noodles are very thin, and even though it's a single serving, it was quite a lot.

Some of the staff speak English, and the service was smiling and polite,
so I recommend it for a lunch when you want to lift your mood!

Next time I'd like to go at night!

Lubina Hibiya (Spanish restaurant)

Lubina
Tokyo Midtown Hibiya 2F, 1-1-2 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006
11:00-23:30
050-3184-4667