Squirreled away off Seel Street and nestling near the Picturehouse, Tapas Tapas has relatively quietly gone about is business since 2008, with the sister restaurant in Waterloo opening back in 2005. There have been some accolades passed on in the form of Tripadvisor status and even a Gordon Ramsey F-Word nomination.
As alluded to on earlier blog reviews, the climate for tapas in Liverpool has been a relatively stable one since the latin infusion from 2005-6 onward, seeing some places close, whilst others have thrived. The opening of Bar Bodega has added a string to the bow for nightlife in Tapas Tapas later on in a weekend evening, but prior to this business is food. The dark wood décor in which the restaurant is clad sets the mood perfectly, rows of various Spanish reds and jamon line the walls around the bar and the staff mill about in an unfussy but friendly manner. We decide to keep things relatively simple and stick to tapas, rather than opting for any larger dishes; three or four-a-piece is usually the going rate and I was not inclined to break the dogma. All the dishes presented were pleasing on the eye, with three of the tapas providing a pleasing meal and the other three rather hollow disappointment. The Pollo al Coronel, breaded chicken strips were golden brown and succulent inside, placed as a meaty jenga on slate with salad; not much to get wrong here, but executed well enough. The Chorizo a la Miel was meaty, smokey, earthy and very sticky-sweet presented skewered as three small sausages, tasty, but the portion size was a little on the frugal side considering prices here the same could be said for the Fritura Vegetal, courgette and aubergine battered and fried, but not substantial enough for the price-tag. The other tapas were, as previously alluded to, disappointing to say the least. The lambs kidneys cooked in Jerez sherry were almost inedible due to the acrid aroma of a club’s toilets halfway through a Saturday night. It has to be said, reducing the smell can be difficult, but additional soaking usually reduces the unpleasantness greatly. They were also slightly overcooked and towards the chewy end, although not as much of a work out for the jaw as the Calamares. Fragile insubstantial batter, superfluous oil and overcooking are 3 nightmares in one for squid; all together they make for a roll of the eyes and waste of a dish. Finally, a staple of many a tapas bar or restaurant, Tortilla is not something that is particularly diffuclt to master, but when done well is a superbly comforting addition to any tapas session. Here, the Tortilla was pleasant but for the reheating which had dried out the slice. Sometimes it is far better to have it cold with alioli and a side salad, leaving an uncomplicated room-temperature pleasure. In the current climate, there has been upping of game for the city’s tapas fraternity, borne of competition. This is not up to the standard, considering the restaurant was not stretched by any measure. Some sloppy touches have led to a significant drop in what should have been. Improvement is definitely needed as other establishments continue to up their game. Pedro. ------------------------------------------------------- Tapas Tapas Arthouse Square Liverpool City Centre L1 4DE Web: http://www.tapastapas.co.uk/ Email: [email protected]
0 Comments
You’re never really sure what to expect from the experience of an opening night in a new restaurant, the build up often involves some excitement and apprehension, hoping that the food and ambiance are going to deliver something of an epiphany or at least a deeply satisfying experience. More often than not, you’re confronted by awkward mediocrity and not-exactly-dashed-hopes, but a very very mild sense of dissatisfaction before realising your expectations were probably unreasonable. Having had some dialogue with the proprietors of Neon Jamon through various social media and watched in passing the boards go up and then come down outside the Smithdown Place premises, the sense of hope (for a relatively local establishment) was pretty high, although balanced by the understanding that restaurants and bar often need some significant ‘bedding in’ before they hit a stride. Based upon the event of the opening night, there are a remarkably high number of positives to take home and a sense of satisfaction with the overall experience. The drinks on offer have a good range for those who are enthusiastic about all things Spanish, Alhambra, Mahou and Estrella all present (along with variations thereof, including the most excellent Estrella Inedit – see the earlier blog on Wheat Beer tasting: [http://electrokemistcuisine.weebly.com/1/post/2012/08/wheat-beer-tasting-session.html]) alongside sherry (as per the traditional Valencia Tapas experience), Cava and other wines and a reasonable selection of Brandy. Having ordered a variety of the tapas on offer, from obligatory crisp and acidity complimented patatas bravas and the earthy combination of morcilla and chorizo (cooked excellently to avoid the chewiness so often the plague of chorizo dishes) to a platter of Iberican cured Jamon, Semi-curado Mahon cheese and delicately meaty pulpo (octopus), reminiscent of a cerviche. The latter of these dishes, supposedly drawn from a recipe experienced by the proprietors in San Sebastian, was cooked brilliantly and thinly sliced to provide an almost poultry-porcine-like texture and steeped in a sauce of finely chopped sweet pepper and lemon oil. There are enough dishes on the menu to provide a new visit for at least 4-5 occasions for those feeling mildly greedy, but the main remit of Neon Jamon is seemingly to instil a sense of Continental calm to the Liverpudlian drinking ethic. The wish is to provide a watering hole with the option to eat as a secondary though, although based on the food provided on this first visit, it really isn’t something they should set out to put on the back burner. A balancing act is definitely to be had, but one suspects the provision of Kikones (fried salted corn kernels) and Habas Fritas (roasted broad beans) amongst olives, bread and cheese will provide some very pleasing bar snacks for those who are not visiting for a meal as such. Should you choose to dine here, there are plenty of seats for groups up to six with seated wall and window facing ledges more than sufficient for a few drinks and small plates of tapas. They do not accept bookings for groups of less than eight people, as they wish to maintain the remit of being a bar that offers good food as opposed to a restaurant that works as a bar. The surroundings are comfortable and reasonably lit with garlands of dried chillies adorning the wood and brickwork walls and ceilings. Price-wise, it is comparable to most tapas establishments in the UK, but the portion sizes are on the slightly more generous size than I have experienced recently, which is no bad thing when looking for a decent meal as well as a pleasant dining experience. The almost puppy-like enthusiasm of the staff at Neon Jamon was refreshingly pleasant in contrast to the often jaded approach taken in some very established restaurants and bars, the staff seemed pleased to talk about any of the dishes on offer and despite a relatively low turn-out (granted for a Monday night this should not be surprising) they did give the right amount of attention to the customers for service, much to their credit. It will take time for Neon Jamon to find its niche perhaps as many new places do; physically abound by the excellent Spire and many pubs and bars nearby, but maintaining the form on show it should not take too long. The opening night might be an unfair yardstick on which to judge an establishment for current form without having a busy evening to judge service or cooking, but based on the potential displayed, this could the beginning of something pretty special. Pedro. Neon Jamon is on Smithdown Place, Liverpool just off Smithdown Road and Penny Lane. Follow them on twitter here: https://twitter.com/neonjamon or @neonjamon Hi Everyone!! I think my first effort for some of you to try (those who have already salivated at the photos I have shown on my phone at least may have already guesssed.....) will be a nice and warming casserole dish using some hearty ingredients with a bit of hispanic influence. As with many of my recipes, there are many tweaks and adjustments to be had if you're confident of what you're doing (it's not rocket science anyway! I have faith in you all!!), feel free to play about with the recipe and see where it takes you. Any improvements you think you have made, please feel to throw them at the comments below or in the feedback section of my blog. Anyway, on with the protocol for this little gem - first off, here's what you'll need to put this one together: The Roasty bit - 8 Plain Pork Sausages (that is - not herby ones!), 110g Chorizo, chopped into chunks or discs to your preference, 420g cooked Red Kidney Beans, 1 Whole Red Onion, 1 Whole Red (Bell) Pepper, 2 Chillies - 1 Red and 1 Green - preferably sweet larger ones for this recipe and deseeded, 3-4 finely chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp Tomato Puree, 150ml Chicken or Vegetable Stock, 100ml Red Wine, 2 Cloves of Garlic, 1 tsp dry-roasted and crushed/ground fennel seeds, 1 large piece/square of dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids or greater). The Topping - Sliced White Potatoes (enough to cover the casserole - depends on dish size!), Flaked Red Chillies, Salt and Pepper, Olive Oil, 1 tsp Paprika (either sweet or smoked is fine). What to do: 1. Heat the oven to 230 degrees. Chop the red onion into strips, scatter half of these across the bottom of the casserole dish with a sprinkling of olive oil. Now cut all of the pork sausages in half and place these on top of the onion, place in the over for 10-15 mins. Add slices of red pepper over the top, scattered equally - see Picture 1. 2. While the pork sausage and onions are roasting, slice the chillies, garlic, rest of the onion and the chorizo up into small chunks or discs and place in a frying pan, fry until the edges of the chorizo start to blacken and the onion slightly caramelises. Now add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, stock and red wine and the cooked kidney beans, simmer until reduced by a third and add the dark chocolate, stir through and if still not thick enough for your tastes, add a little roux at a time (1/2 tsp cornflour in milk will do the trick - be sure to stir through properly to avoid lumps). 3. In a separate frying pan, dry roast the teaspoon of fennel seeds until the pan is lightly smoking, transfer to a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder, add this to the reduced and slightly thickened, chorizo-stock-wine and bean mixture. Stir through and then pour this over the top of the pork sausages, peppers and onions. Over the top of the casserole, place slices (around 0.5cm thick) of the white potatoes, which should cover the sauce and sausages underneath. Season the potato topping with salt and pepper, flaked red chillies, paprika and a generous drizzle of olive oil. 4. Place the casserole back in the oven at 250 degrees for around 35-40 minutes, the potatoes should be crisping up and golden brown with some of the sauce bubbling up at the sides... it'll then be ready to serve as shown in picture 4! 5. The serving suggestion below (picture 5) shows the casserole with some wilted spinach (with a tiny bit of butter and olive oil) and some fresh sourdough bread for mopping up any leftover sauces. You can of course use flour tortillas or some rice if you so choose.... Hope this tickles people's fancy anyway, it certainly did the trick on a gloomy sunday evening where only something comforting and filling would do the trick. Enjoy! Pedro. |
Archives
April 2022
Archives
April 2022
Click ^ the RSS Feed to follow me
Categories
All
|