Bulla Gastrobar, in the space that Por Fin once occupied, opens this week just off Miracle Mile. Short Order was invited to a friends-and-family opening to taste some of the menu and see how the space was transformed from a white-linen restaurant to what owner Carlos Centurion hopes will become a bustling, bar-centric Spanish eatery.
Despite the free meal, some diners must have been upset that liquor and jamón ibérico weren't gratis; they seemed to feel no shame while heckling our waitress about the speed with which plates and drinks landed on their table.
The interior is warmed with raw-wood tabletops, chalkboard-painted walls with some dishes' names written in sweeping script, and a communal table next to an enlarged bar with a cheese and charcuterie display. Hovering overhead is a back-lit blocky mosaic intended to make the bar the focal point of the room.
The menu is split into three sections. The main event, "tapas y raciones," features about two dozen dishes with the must-haves -- patatas bravas and so forth -- as well as some of their own creations like Huevos Bulla, a sort of Spanish poutine with homemade potato chips, a fried egg, Serrano ham, potato foam, and truffle oil.