El Rincon de Rafa - Manchester

Manchester's dining scene is often characterised by one of three things:
1. Big and flashy
2. Chi chi, overpriced, faux vintage tea room
3. Cheap and nasty;
and there's not much room for anything else. Unless, that is, you know where to look...

There's a critic's favourite if you can find it, a moody tapas place located down a maze of backstreets off Manchester's Deansgate - at the weekend a booking is essential and you need a map or a local guide to find it. Having not been here for a very long time (and being a little worse for wear the last time), I thought it best to pay them a visit.

Located underground, El Rincon looks authentically rustic - dark woods, white walls and there's legs of ham hanging up at the long bar. Seated at our table we were overlooking an authentic old style refrigeration counter reminiscent of an 80s sandwich shop; but at least it gave us a good view of tapas being taken out and freshly cooked.

Moody and rustic - El Rincon's interior (refrigeration unit out of shot)

The menu's long, with an added list of 'specials' and then hand-written daily specials at the bottom of that. Scanning down it's obvious that El Rincon is rooted firmly in traditional style British tapas - there's the typical Serrano ham, battered prawns and tortilla with the odd unusual (for the UK) dishes thrown in. Unlike Evuna, which is only a stone's throw away up the road; there's no premium hams, no twists on traditional dishes and no regional specials.

Thinly sliced Serrano ham

Prawns with a garlicky sauce were large, soft and juicy, the batter was feather light if ever so greasy and the accompanying sauce had a good old punch of garlic. Battered hake was also exceptionally well cooked, again the batter was a little greasy and you could taste the oil this time, but there was no garlic sauce to save it - just bought in mayonnaise.

Greasy prawns and hake

Fillet steak in red wine had a tinny, livery taste and a fabada of haricots with morcilla and pancetta was thin and watery, plus it lacked the advertised porcine delights (indeed only one piece of each was evident). The patatas bravas were slightly soft and again there was that light slick of oil to them, but the sauce  was deep and screamed sun drenched plum tomatoes, plus had a good old kick to it. Pinchos stole the show - soft and sweet with a fresh, lively salsa on top that sang out from the more mediocre offerings on the table.

Patatas bravas - bringing some sunshine to Manchester

El Rincon's pared back interior and pared back cooking means you're not going to be wowed with culinary creativity or Michelin type magic, but the food's reasonably priced and you get a big portion for what you pay. The service was excellent; friendly staff were happy to get us what we wanted even if the boy was constantly ordering new dishes left, right and centre. The food arrived quickly, even though El Rincon was full to bursting, coming out in traditional 'when the dish is ready' style rather than all at once.

Pinchos with a  lovely fresh salsa on the top

I'm not sure, as a 'critic,' I'd call it a favourite or that I was that happy with the food; however for a night out with friends who don't want something extra special or usual Manchester high prices, then it's just the ticket. At least there's no pretence here and you don't get stung for the average quality food as you would in most of Manchester's other eateries.

Price for seven tapas, basket of bread, two beers and a large glass of house red - £54.60

Food - 5/10
Atmosphere - 7/10
Service - 7/10
Value for money - 7/10

Total - 26/40

Go again? Maybe with a group of friends who just wanted a lot of reasonably priced food, but I'll go elsewhere to get my culinary kicks.

El Rincon de Rafa, off St John's Street, 244 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4BQ - 0161 839 8819

Viva Espana - Horwich

When I was at primary school we had a dragon of a teacher named Mrs Parker; tightly permed grey hair, lined face, perma-nicotine stained fingers and a bark that could quell a doberman at fifty paces. Apart from giving me a fear of short, permed, old ladies the only lasting lesson she impressed on the young me was that Spain was full of matadors eating paella and shouting viva espana, thanks to constant renditions of Eviva Espana whilst we sat cross legged on the hall's parke flooring.

Viva Espana, with thanks to the Bolton News

Opening the doors to Viva Espana in Horwich, the days on the floor of the hall came flooding back; half brick walls with blue paint, Spanish flags and tables finished off with red and yellow paper napkins. Ole!

Viva Espana is primarily a tapas restaurant, the menu split into various headings, for example Carne and Mariscos - we ordered broadly across all sections apart from the breads as these weren't value for money being too highly priced.

Serrano ham

Though the decor of Viva Espana is redolent of the Spain in pastiches and cheap Benidorm bars, the food is properly rustic with hints of real Spain shining through. The Habas Con Morcilla; black pudding with broad beans, onions and herbs was the star dish; warm, peppery and full of body. Similarly good was the slow cooked lamb; spiked with the warm spice of paprika and the meat falling apart in the mouth.

Habas con morcilla

As with all rustic cooking there are well cooked dishes from the heart and those that are clunky and, however well intentioned, uncoordinated. The squid; soft and brilliantly cooked, was covered in an unappetising thick and greasy batter (house special apparently). Mussels; sweet, amazingly cooked - just kissed by the pan, were drowning in a greasy bath of flavourless oil.

Squid rings

We were welcomed warmly to Viva Espana and seated quickly, however throughout the night the service became less apparent and to order another beer took a long time of trying to catch the waiter's eye. As the restaurant is small the atmosphere gets going as the night goes on, we were surrounded by a birthday party and a group of middle-aged ladies on the rose - certainly cheered up our Tuesday!

Viva Espana is pulling away from the plastic sombrero image of tapas restaurants foisted upon us up and down the highstreets of our small towns, nonetheless there is a long way to go until we find ourselves in Huesca and not Horwich.

Total for six tapas plates and two beers -

Food - 6/10
Atmosphere - 7/10
Service - 7/10
Value for money - 6/10

Total 26/40

Go again - maybe for a local, midweek meal on the hoof.

Viva Espana, 12 Winter Hey Lane, Horwich, BL6 7AA - 01204 438235 - contact@vivaespanauk.com

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http://www.vivaespanauk.com/

Evuna - Manchester

I recently entered Evuna with trepidation; not because I was dining with the father-in-law, more for the fact that I've had some decidedly dodgy tapas in the past, some of which has been served to me at Evuna. But buoyed by recent good experiences (see Charango and Salt House Tapas), and the fact that the father-in-law was paying, my hopes were as riding as high as my spirits.

Evuna with thanks to lep.co.uk



Evuna is decked out in dark wood, evoking the romance and passion of Spain - it's quite easy to imagine a fiesty senorita turning down her matador lover in one of the broody corners of the restaurant. It's a lively place, lubricated by plenty of good wine and the darkness of the room only adds to the mystique. The bar features prominently as you enter; an important thing seeing that Evuna is Manchester's premier Spanish wine importer.

We were eating early enough to qualify for the lunch special (3 tapas for £10, Mon-Sat 12 noon-6pm), but decided to order mostly from the larger tapas menu, which offered far more variety. The specials of the day were roasted pork belly and braised ox cheek - both were ordered by myself as they sounded delightful and the boy had ordered nearly everything else off the menu anyway.

Unlike previous visits (I should mention previous means at leats two years ago) where food has been disappointing; the dishes this evening were very, very good. Notably the pork belly with it's crispy crackling and fruity breadcrumbs adding both a contrast in texture and a good foil for the salty, fatty cubes of porcine delightfulness. The ox cheek was delivered in one of the thickest sauces I have had, with a good punch of beefy umami leaving your tastebuds screaming for more.

The patatas bravas were fragrant with fennel, giving it a sweet yet lively taste that complimented the many pork dishes on the table. The Iberico Bellota was from a good quality, well sourced ham - the sweet nuttiness emanating through each generously marbled slice. The plate of ham was expensive, but it was a good sized portion and worth paying extra for the quality.

Iberico Bellota - yum yum

Thankfully most dishes sang to us that evening, the only bum notes were the dishes we had ordered off the special lunch menu - the tortilla was so bland I can't even think of any words to describe it and the chorizo in vino tinto was overly oily and a bit bitter.

There's one aspect where Evuna outshines everything (even the wonderful belly pork cubes) and that's on the wine (they are a well-respected importer...). The waitress guided us through the comprehensive wine list and chose a bottle that not only complimented the dishes we had ordered, but our wallets as well. When that wine was out she suggested a very agreeable alternative and allowed us to try before buying.

Evuna knows its stuff; their produce is well sourced, the staff are very knowledgeable and helpful and most of the dishes that come out of the kitchen grab your attention with their big punches of taste, clever layers of flavouring and generous (for tapas) portions. For a place that's got wine at it's heart, it's also a hub for good food, relaxed eating and reasonable prices.

Ps - If you love the wine you're drinking, or just want a really good bottle of Spanish wine, Evuna has a licence to sell alcohol for consumption off the property - the prices are also cheaper than the bottles you drink in house so you can carry on your party at home for less!

Pps - Evuna also holds wine tasting nights and other Spanish themed events - check out the website for more info.

Price for eight tapas, one lunch special (3 plates), one bottle of cava, one bottle of wine, one pudding, two PX sherries and three coffees - £158.27

Food - 8/10
Atmosphere - 8/10
Service - 8/10
Value for money - 7/10

Total 31/40

Evuna, 277-279 Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EW - 0161 819 2752 - enquiries@evuna.com - @Evunamanchester

http://www.evuna.com/

Salt House Tapas - Liverpool

As readers will be aware I have reservations about tapas (see Charango post), but Salt House Tapas is approximately 45 seconds walk from The Q's house and with a four week old baby in tow we needed somewhere close to whet the baby's head. As Salt House is the new boy on Liverpool's restaurant scene and part of the ever-expanding Liverpool One complex I was also intrigued to see what they had to offer.

Salt House Tapas is located in the Salt House, a lovely old building on Hanover Street (just opposite John Lewis) - a great place for popping in during or after a tiring day of shopping. The restaurant is decked out in light woods, sage paint and specials above the open faced kitchen - with an almost canteen feel about it. There are interesting spanish touches like cutlery in pimento tins, giving that relaxed spanish feel.

Interior of Salt House Tapas, Liverpool

Arriving at 1pm Salt House Tapas was a little empty, but we were greeted with the warmest of welcomes by the manager. As we had brought a pram we were told to pick any table we fancied rather than our reserved one and the staff went out of their way to move things around, put the blinds down so the sun didn't effect Baby Q and generally made us feel very special (again, take note Vermillion). A very different reception than to many other places when you take a baby in.

Everyone chose the lunch menu - a steal at £8.95 for three generous sized plates plus a big plate of the chewiest, freshest homemade sourdough served with good quality oil and balsamic. Being a contrary one, plus having been seduced by the sound of the special sardines by our dishy waiter, I decided to order off the al la carte menu. The dishes are a little more expensive and you for go the sourdough, but I wasn't disappointed (plus I took liberties with Daddy Q and the Boy's - all in the name of gastronomic research of course).

The chewy and delicious sourdough (before research commenced)

With tapas there's so much that comes out that I won't bore you with all the details, however I will say that each dish that come out was well presented and well prepared; such as the chargirlled, peppery and refreshingly lemony chicken and cous cous or the generous shavings of manchego over the grilled mushrooms. There were only one or two negatives such as a slightly under seasoned dish of patatas bravas (however so crisp and fresh it really didn't detract) and a slightly insipid salami on the charcuteria plate (but accompanied by a divine Serrano I'd give my eye teeth for, or £8.95..).

Charcuteria plate

However it's choosing which of the star dishes to describe as there were so many. The morcilla (black pudding) came out crispy atop a sharp, soft, herby apple sauce - a great texture clash, the sharp sauce cutting through the sweet pudding and the little onion rings on top were great; crisp and sweet and divine.

Morcilla

Another star dish was the aforementioned specials board sardines - soft, chargrilled and lovely. The whiting off the lunch menu was similarly well cooked with the addition of an exceptionally tasty chive and chorizo sauce, which set off the fish brilliantly and made the whole dish dance.

Mussels off the a la carte menu were sensational; smokey, sweet, soft, salty - luckily served with a spoon so I could unashamedly sup up the sauce like the great big glutton I am.

Mussels - really good portion size and so lovely!

I'm not usually one for puddings at lunch time; but after the raving success of the mains plates we dived in with glee - and I'm so glad we did. Daddy Q's soft meringues, peaches and cream was a pillowy and comforting adult version of baby food (Baby Q would be proud), the Boy's olorosso sherry took a British classic and (shhhh!) improved it (I know!).

But the star was my ice cream with sugared almonds, espresso and PX sherry - a Spanish version of the Italian affogato. I couldn't imagine such a simple concept would be so brilliant, but I was wrong and fell in love (I think the use of amazing produce and a great PX helped). Pour over the PX and a splash of the espresso - or otherwise the espresso will drown out everything else.

The best pudding - Ice cream, sugared almonds, PX and espresso

Salt House Tapas' website proclaims their love of provenance and sourcing of good quality ingredients, this ethos certainly shines through in the food they serve; however this isn't stated on the menu (they're not fans of that apparently), but I think maybe they should boast a little - the people of Liverpool need to know what a great treasure they have on their doorsteps. Lets hope it stays there.

Ps - Book ahead, especially at weekends as it gets very, very busy. Whilst we were there they were constantly turning people away or getting them to eat at the bar. If you are going at a busy time ask to have a table upstairs (if you don't have a pram!) as the downstairs in in the constant draft of the door - ok in summer, but not in Jan!

Pps -  and what about Baby Q? A star. Slept the whole way through, even when a fat Spanish senora practically sat on the pram. What's that about babies in restaurants (at lunch anyway)?

Price for three set lunch menus (bread and three plates £8.95), three a la carte plates, three puddings, one pint of beer, one bottle of beer, one san pellegrino limonata, two carafes of filtered tap water (50p donated to Alder Hey hospital) and one hot chocolate - £69.95


Value for money - 8/10
Service - 9/10
Atmosphere - 9/10

Total - 35/40

Salt House Tapas, The Salt House, Hanover Street, Liverpool L1 3DW - 0151 706 0092 - @salthousetapas
http://www.salthousetapas.co.uk/

Charango - Chorlton, Manchester

Having spent many years practicing eating, I have been largely been disappointed by every South American restaurant I have ever eaten in; so much so that I have stopped eating in them. Largely this is due to fried everything, substandard steak and the belief that smoked paprika and harsh chili are the only flavourings found throughout the whole of the continent.

It was with a heavy heart and many trepidations that I agreed to meet a friend at Charango, Chorlton's South America tapas restaurant (I have similar issues with tapas, so you can imagine the state of mind I was in).

Charango has a large decking area to the front and big glass windows that open out on to it. Lovely if it's a summer day/you're in Europe; however this was Manchester, it was raining and it was the first day of a very full cold for me so I was not happy having to sit in front of them and wrapped myself in the boy's jacket to compensate. The cold feeling wasn't even tempered by the bright colours on the walls and the relaxed feel of the place - the tiling and lack of people in Charango positively exacerbated it.

To combat the cold in my feet and the one in my head I started with Mayan Hot Chocolate - 'a pre-Hispanic recipe of ground cocoa nibs, ancho chili, annantto and spices.' This was a soothing, warm concoction of full milk with a not too sweet, not overpowering chocolate flavour and an underlying warmth, rather than a full on spiciness (thank god). I'm not one to suggest miracle cures but my cold cleared up the next day whereas my colleagues at work suffered all week. Whether a miracle cure or not it's certainly worth stopping by just for this.

We relocated indoors towards the back to see if I could warm up, it was very quiet but we were eating early (4pm Sunday). By the time we had finished the tables were half full and the place was starting to buzz.

Charango interior - with thanks to citylife.co.uk

As there were three of us we took advantage of the small plates at Charango and decided to share. Food came out quickly and mostly all together. A smooth, sweet and creamy pepper salsa coming out first with the rest of the plates being added a few minutes later.

I always order squid, I see it as a benchmark on the quality of the restaurant. Charango's chili squid from the small plates menu was very well cooked, soft and tasty, apart from one or two pieces that came out slightly chewy. From the same menu we had the bacalo fitters, which were salty and soft, really moreish and the salsa served with them was smokey and fresh. We also had the fresh crab empanadas (small pasties), the pastry of which was lovely and crisp with a soft and fresh filling; the sweetness of the crab being off-set by the zingy spring onion and jalapeno.

Unfortunately there was no slow roasted pork or black bean and sweet potato stew left, but the quality of the rest of the medium sized plates made up for this. The Black Bean, Pork and Beef Feijoada really lived up to the description of being a 'wonderful stew' - the sauce was deep and savoury with a smokey underlying taste; the pieces of beef and pork small but wonderfully soft.

Pork Meatballs were quite large in a smokey, tangy tomatoy sauce - which livened up and complimented the sweetness of the pork. Puerto Rican adobo chicken skewers were small, but well flavoured and the minute steak and prawn skewers were expertly cooked with medium beef and soft prawns (again prawns are another benchmark ingredient I find).

Whoops - no pictures of the food - we ate it all before I could remember to take a picture!

Even though we were stuffed I was intrigued by Charango's Mayan Gold Chocolate Cake - this was a squidgy, dark, rich torte with quite a strong chili flavour - unfortunately unlike all the other dishes which highlighted Charango's expertise at layering flavours the cake had that annoying throat-hurting, harsh chili, rather than a warmth in the mouth. Although the lime creme fraishe did help somewhat towards extinguishing the fire in my throat, this was a disappointing end to a satisfying meal and I wish I had chosen the churros.

Mayan Gold Chocolate Cake

Charango is a great place to go for a sharing lunch/informal meal with friends and the chili based dishes, heavy with flavour and savouriness will soothe out any hangover/flu/cold/general malaise. The food is satisfying and warm with only a few mistakes (such as the cake). It is good to find a restaurant that recognises the different flavours and personalities of chilies and structures dishes around this; rather than in other places where it's all jalapenos, smoked paprika and finger chilies only. This can also be seen in the pairing of salsas with dishes, and having more than one type of salsa available.

Charango scores extra points for the fact that their menu is made up of fairtrade, free-range, outdoor reared, responsibly and locally sourced ingredients without the exorbitant prices or continual menu boasting in every description of every dish as you would find with most other places - a very refreshing change and something I, and hope many others, will support.

Cost for three including: one dip, three small plates, three medium plates and one pudding (drinks were bought separately): £43.35

Value for money: 9/10
Atmosphere: 6/10
Service: 7/10
Food: 8/10

Total: 30/40

Charango, 456 Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton Cum Hardy, Manchester M21 0BQ - 0161 881 8596