El Pirata Detapas

Earlier in the week, I had dinner at El Pirata Detapas, a Spanish restaurant with a menu that aims to play with traditional tapas dishes, giving touches of modern flavours and textures.

I was delighted to be presented with some really good olives (they had an almost anchovy-like flavour), given that so often restaurant olives can be disappointing. Despite the obvious contemporary trends running through the menu, I felt compelled towards my favourite tapas and couldn't resist getting the black risotto and the piquillo pepper and idizabal cheese croquetas. The risotto was delicious, with a great consistency, amazing black colour and deep flavour. The croquetas were unfortunately a let-down: inside the crispy case was a strange spongy filling, not the oozing delight that the dish needs.

I particularly liked the seared tuna served with an ajoblanco sauce. The fish was wonderful, very lightly seared so that it was like sashimi, and the ajo blanco had a slightly grainy texture and subtle nutty taste which went very well. We were still licking the plate when the waiter took it away!

Roasted figs that were topped with a cheese foam and served with raspberry vinaigrette were quite tasty, but very sweet. I think that this disguised the cheese too much, making the flavour combination less interesting.

I very much enjoyed the cheese board, with a range of different styles of cheese: from a strong blue which was delicious with the thinly sliced apple, to a lighter and more grassy cheese, and of course the classic, manchego with membrillo - unbeatable.

Their crema catalana was served in two ways, one more traditional and the other more light and fluffy. Unfortunately, I wasn't a big fan of either - they both had an overwhelming heap of honey which, for me, make the dish rather sickly. I think I would have preferred the real deal, done well.

It was a mix of ups and downs, but I really liked the good dishes, and with very friendly staff and a warm atmosphere, it was an enjoyable evening.