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Tierra Brindisa: driving our food blues away

22/2/2011

4 Comments

 
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We've got the food blues having been so sorely disappointed with Italian tapas at Polpo earlier in the day. We thought that a drink at Bob Bob Ricard would go some way to make things better but alas, they were closed; it doesn't seem to be our day. And so it was, that scouting around for 'one for the road', we come across Tierra Brindisa, a small but attractive Spanish tapas bar. Peering through the windows, the venue looks nice, the guests look happy and we see a corner nook that seems to suit our needs; a Rioja beckons.

A full leg of ham sits behind the bar and is carved to order, with the wine, it seems like another good idea. We further peruse the menu come place mats on the table and more good ideas come to mind. Good ideas like ham and chicken croquettes, deep fried Monte Enebro goats cheese with honey and roasted peppers and prawns al ajillo. We settle in.

No sooner does the food arrive than our blues begin to lift, it is simply fantastic. This is exactly how this should be done and puts our earlier meal to shame. The seasoning is spot on, the taste is spot on and each dish delivers on the promise of its menu description.

The padron peppers and the picos de pan both make excellent starting nibbles while the toasted bread with tomato takes us right back to our Catalan trips at the end of last year. Indeed, throughout the meal the food tastes totally authentic and indistinguishable from what we ate in Spain (it's actually better than some rememberances).

The Iberico de bellota ham is not cheap at £20 a plate but it is of exceptional quality. The plate, generously laden to start cleared rapidly and it was so enjoyed we felt compelled to order a second plate which was similarly dispatched. We talked of buying a whole ham for home such was our enjoyment.

We loved it all and looked forward to each new plate arriving wondering what was in store for us despite our growing fullness. We had almost forgotten about the deep fried Monte Enebro goats cheese layered in honey. Delivered last, it was again exceptional so that even though it seemed too much at this point, the cheese delivered a continued satisfaction with each and every mouthful. Sometimes you have to force yourself.

The only disappointment came with desserts. The crema catalana was burnt on top and the taste of burn ultimately dominated each mouthful while the vanilla ice cream, though soft and creamy, was perhaps a little over sweet. The desserts though are totally forgiven because Tierra Brindisa delivered what Polpo failed to: an exciting regional tapas feast. 

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Padron peppers
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Picos de pan
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Toasted bread with tomato
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Iberico de bellota ham
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Octopus a la gallega
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Ham and chicken croquetas
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Prawns al ajillo
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Iberico pork fillet with sage, morcilla de Burgos and apple puree
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Deep fried Monte Enebro goats cheese with honey and roasted peppers
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Crema catalana
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vanilla ice cream
While Tierra Brindisa has enjoyed some favourable reviews, it hardly enjoys a fanfare and was not on the agenda for the day. Had Polpo delivered a decent meal or BBR been open for a drink, we never would have walked in off the street and discovered the joys of this fantastic little tapas bar. We're glad we did, it's a gem, and if you are in the mood for tapas, you could do much worse than giving Tierra Brandisa a call. 


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4 Comments
jessa link
22/2/2011 11:27:27 pm

ooooh reminds me of eduardo slicing ham for us at bar munto! *salivating*

Reply
Russell
19/4/2011 03:09:40 pm

hi there
I'm the head chef at Tierra Brindisa and just wanted to say thank you for your kind comments, they made my day and I do take any criticism seriously and will work to improve the desserts for your next visit

Many thanks

Russ

Reply
Thecriticalcouple
19/4/2011 04:16:00 pm

Russell,
Thanks for your comment, we're glad you liked the post but all the credit is yours for delivering an exciting meal in the first place. Thanks so much to you and your team and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Ps, can you tell us any details on the Iberico ham you stock, it was delicious

Reply
Russell
21/4/2011 07:12:16 am

hello

The ham we stock is señorio de montanera and it is available to buy hand carved from the Brindisa shop in Borough Market (you could also pop into the london bridge restaurant which is at Borough Market) alternatively we can sell it from the restaurant but it would be more economical to buy it from the shop.

http://www.brindisa.com/shop/

Thanks again

Russ

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