Tasty Tapas at Brindisa

You know the food is good when you're not exactly hungry but the food on your plate vanishes in a matter of seconds. This happened last night at Brindisa.

Located on the outskirts of Borough Market, this ordinary-looking Spanish Tapas restaurant is always busy but the food here is fuss-free Spanish goodness. My first time at Brindisa was with a friend for his birthday a year ago (thanks Patrick!). The manager's name is David and remember to put your name down on the waitlist if there's a queue. 

To not try the Jamón Ibérico here is like going to the pub on St. Patrick's day and not having Guiness. The ham comes from the Iberian pig which resembles a black wild boar. Acorns, known as 'bellota', are included in the pig's diet which gives the ham the wonderful nutty flavour. Apparently each pig can eat up to 10 kilos of acorns a day! After three to four months of acorn feasting in the open pastures, the pigs will be slaughtered once they have doubled in weight. During the curing process, the salted meat 'sweats'. The heating, cooling, salting and drying process breaks down the fat in the ham - leaving us with the marvellous buttery flavour. The long curing process can last up to 3 years.

The other dish you must try is the 'Traditional Black Rice' with squid and alioli (garlic mayonnaise). This is superb! I advise that you probably shouldn't have this if you're going on date because your lips and teeth will get stained black from the squid ink. But, it may be a sign of true love if your date doesn't run away when you smile ;) 

 

Tapas Brindisa has three restaurants in London:

(1) (London Bridge) 18-20 Southwark St London SE1 1TJ

(2) (Soho) 46 Broadwick Street London W1F 7AF

(3) (South Kensington) 7-9 Exhibition Road London SW7 2HE

See http://www.brindisa.com/ for more information.