A City tapas bar with lots of choices but not much of the authenticity.

The Venue
Tucked down a tributary to the warren-like tunnels of the Aldgate subway, the venue is just spitting distance from the tube but appears off the beaten track, being next to the wasteland that is Petticoat Lane Market by day that resembles a particularly derelict and deserted multi-storey car park by night.

The restaurant itself, however, is a cheery antidote, painted in a sunny yellow that could surely be Spain’s national colour and, presumably in case the restaurant’s origins are not entirely manifest, Gaudi-like, abstract tiling is splashed across the walls and wide bar, while matador costumes stand to attention on the gallery above in glass cases. The scheme certainly says Spain – but perhaps relies a little too heavily on the cliche – it almost looks like a tourist board display and would achieve more class by toning down the stereotype just a notch.

The Atmosphere
The atmosphere is flat despite friendly, forthcoming staff and polite office workers shrugging off the day’s hard graft with a pitcher of Sangria. The problem is that the restaurant could be located anywhere – an airport lounge, a railway station – but certainly not in Spain. The restaurant is large, which makes intimacy difficult and the wide windows onto the street and brighter-than-necessary lighting mean that it’s more office lunch than private party.

The Food
The menu is enormous – literally – it’s as big as an average torso. The food itself comprises a wide range of tapas dishes and sharing platters. Five to six dishes are recommended for two people. Though this certainly won’t satisfy the greedier section of the population; it would be prudent to opt for up to eight should you have a larger-than-average appetite.

The dishes arrive intermittently – which is expected of a tapas restaurant – though when the last dish arrives after all others have been cleared and that dish consists entirely of whole green, hot peppers this is less than desirable.

Chorizo al vino tastes superb – the rich, piquant pepperiness of the wine and paprika-laced sauce is delicious scooped up with the excellent floury white bread delivered with every meal, the chorizo meaty and succulent - its toughness baked out and replaced with a sizzling, spicy sausage. Croquetas de jamon are also fantastic. A crisp, golden outer layer of breadcrumbs yielding to fluffy centre of cheese, potato and ham that melts on the tongue. The Patatas Bravas are laudable as well. The sauce is apparently a house recipe and sold separately in jars to loyal customers. It’s spicy and fresh-tasting and the potatoes are perfectly cooked and not overly greasy. The calamaritos (whole baby squid deep fried in batter) are also very well executed – a crispy, light, well-seasoned batter and squid with not a hint of rubberiness marrying perfectly with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Less successful, however, are the prawns cooked in garlic butter. The prawns are overdone, the sauce satisfactory, but lacking in good honest hunks of garlic. The dish isn’t for the faint hearted anyway – so give us garlic lovers what we crave. Pimientos Padron were a disaster – delivered extremely late to the meal, they are a dish best eaten to accompany the meat of fish, not necessarily alone. These certainly don’t benefit from the spotlight. Bitter, yet bland.

The desserts are disappointing – a chocolate mousse tasting full of sugar and not much other flavour. Whether it had ever encountered a cocoa bean is debatable. The hot chocolate is similarly disappointing – a kind of sugary Ovaltine-tasting drink with the powder floating on top like some sort of trophy.

The Drink
A selection of native reds and whites, beer, sangria and soft drinks. The La Mancha Blanco el Muro, AOC, 2006, is crisp and soft white wine with fruity overtones of apricot. Lovely.

The Last Word
Although there are a few commendable dishes, this is more of a place for business meetings than a true taste of Spain.

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