Tempting Tapas at El Patio

 Recently I had the pleasure of dining at El Patio in Clapham Junction.

There are tonnes of Tapas places out there now, but this really does live up to its OpenTable reputation of "awesome".

They offer Pimientos de Padron (Roasted Padron peppers and Himalayan salt), some spicy, some not, a treat not available at every Tapas place.

Their Octopus dish, Pulpo a la galega Galician style marinated slices octopus with paprika served with potatoes, is also great for the adventurous fish lovers out there.

They do a wide selection of Tapas choices for vegetarians and meat eaters alike and also offer substantial meal plates, though I can not vouch for those.

The atmosphere is lively and a little kooky at the moment with the building works next door.

The staff are friendly and helpful, in a beautiful rustic restaurant.

Go! Now!

The Tapas Room

Open for just 17 days The Tapas Room in Brixton makes a nice addition to the covered market.

The restaurant has inside and outside seating and offers a select range of tapas.

Portion sizes are small, so to fill yourself up you will need around three dishes per person.

The salt cod croquettes are especially good, they just melt in the mouth.

They offer an array of cured meats and cheese, which are reasonably priced.

With wine the meal came in at a little over £30 a head, but unfortunately that included some olives that didn’t arrive, check what you pay for.

The atmosphere is friendly and the staff attentive, they give you plenty of time to eat your meal.

A great new addition to the market.

Pasta perfect Pasticcio

I have discovered a new pasta restaurant, Pasticcio.

 It was a delight to find such a warm and inviting restaurant in such an unlikely setting.

 There was enough garlic in the air that you could taste it on your tongue.

And the thermostat was so high that all the winter blues were firmly banished.

The food was generous and tasty, and the service was quick and polite.

The restaurant itself was quirky with all manner of odd items hanging from the walls, including a very traditional looking bicycle.

Generous, but still cheap

 Living in a city that forever seems to be upping its price tag it was refreshing that the price of a meal ranged between £7 and £10.

 It was also a relief that in the cold weather it was only stumbling distance from the tube station.

And my fussy tastes were delighted by the Lasagne, it was generous, tasty and accompanied by a great salad and dressing.

Yum, yum and double yum.

Don't walk there, run.