It was a Sunday, the 3 for £9.50 offer was calling. I'd heard a number of mixed reviews of this…read moreplace, but decided it was worth a gamble.
The decor is weird, I've no idea what Spanish style books they'd consulted, but it was nothing like anywhere I'd ever seen in Spain. There are some nice individual touches, the belts holding the cushions, the pink adobo walls, but there doesn't seem to be a cohesive theme..
When I arrived it was just a little before 7 on a sunny evening, but tellingly there was only one person in the restaurant. The staff at first seemed disinterested, but seemed to perk up after a while.
After ordering a glass of the house white, which was good, I looked over the menu and saw a lot of familiar dishes. I was a little bothered by the inclusion of houmous on the menu, it's not Spanish, not Moorish, not needed.
Anyway I went for 2 of my Spanish favourites, goat's cheese, aubergine fritters & rolled the dice on the third choice of pan Catalan. The cheese was served on top of caramelised onions & was garnished with (a lot of) rocket. The cheese was soft, both in texture and taste, just the way it should be, but the onions were really tangy (sauce?) & the taste was strong, especially when served with the rocket. The aubergine fritters were crunchy & a bit overcooked. They weren't served dressed with honey, instead I got a comically large pot of honey set on the table to spoon it on myself. I honestly felt a little like Winnie the Pooh & was tempted to just stick my whole hand in. The pan Catalan was really just two slices of cut french loaf with tomato paste & little garlic chunks.
I'd give the experience two, two and a half stars, but I enjoyed the wine, the staff warmed up by the end and I have to give the place the benefit of the doubt / food snob bonus points. I think I'd be happy to sit in with a glass of wine or a bottle (or ten) of Cruzcampo (yaaaas!) if not go back for the food. One of the benefits of it being quiet is that you could go in for a glass of wine & a chat (or read) without it getting too loud.