Tapas Brindisa

Lately I've been in the mood for Spanish tapas which made me think I should finally blog about one of my favourite tapas bars in London (apart from the other great places mentioned in my London Spanish post).  Tapas Brindisa in Soho is part of the Brindisa group who import and sell Spanish food through their shops and restaurants, including a chorizo grill and shop at Borough Markets.
  
The Soho tapas bar is simple but lively and has a casual cafe feel to it.  It's always quite busy and because it doesn't take bookings and is not very big, it can often mean a bit of a wait for a table but the food is worth it.  Dave and I went there with our overseas friends, Jason and Eunice which meant we got to sample a few more dishes than if it were just two of us.


We had 7 different tapas which were all quite different but all tasty including classics such as huevos rotos with ham taquitos (broken eggs over fried potatos with ham pieces) and gambas al ajillo (chilli garlic prawns).  Of course we also had a plate of Brindisa's quality hams, opting for the regional charcuteria plate of chorizo, salchichon, lomo and Teruel ham, which was beautifully presented and served with bread and olive oil. 

Broken eggs on potatoes - grilled lamb cutlets - classic garlic prawns - goats cheese with honey & beetroot

We also tried the deep fried monte enebro - handmade goats cheese with orange blossom honey and crispy beetroot which was pretty to look at but punchy with lots of flavour from the sweetness of the honey to the creamy strong taste of the goats cheese.  Another flavour packed dish was the chuletillas de cordero, grilled lamb cutlets with alioli - the Spanish know how to grill lamb and the Brindisa kitchen lived up to this reputation.  


However the winner for me us definitely the pulpo a la gallega - Galician style octopus with potatoes and pimento.  I saw a picture of this on the Brindisa website before we went and knew it would be good.  The octopus was tender, and was matched perfectly with the combination of potatoes and pimento.  It was even better than the picture suggested and I could have ordered another plate of this as it's one of those dishes I can easily get addicted to.

Jamon - croquettes & octopus - crema Catalana - homemade sorbet

Everyone was impressed with the food and the overall dining experience.  Given the quality of all the dishes, we were keen to try some desserts; predictably I went for the crema catalana which tasted nice but was a tad runny.  Eunice went for homemade strawberry sorbet which was served in a jar and looked like it was going to escape but the only place it went was straight to our grateful tummies!


What:  Tapas Brindisa
Where:  46 Broadwick St, Soho, London W1F 7AF
How much:  dishes £3.75 - £12.75 (£21.50 for the Iberico Selection)