S is for Spanish!

When it came to the letter 'S', this blogger was sure of one thing........... Singapore Slings, Sri Lankan curries, Swiss fondue or Swedish meatballs were not going to cut the mustard. It had to be Spanish! Anywhere that combines Sangria and Paella has to get the nod. Just which one was the question remaining? Although initially it was tempting to go with the familiar 'Simply Spanish' in South Melbourne, one had to remember that this was not a game of Scattergories with double points being awarded for the multiple use of the letter S. So off to we went to:

First up, it was on Johnston Street and Mr and Ms X had to park a distance away... hmm, will that effect the 'accessibilty' scores?It was also raining- not a good start.  in addition to this drawback was the fact that it was extremely busy and with a late booking,these diners had to be accepting of a table in the corner, sort of 'semi-detached' from the other diners. But, we 'no complain' as this business is always a good sign. There was a 3rd diner along for the experience with us so a large jug of Sangria as well an Estrella beer was ordered pronto.

With a sangria under the belt, all was forgiven. As usual, the Alphabet Eats dining experience was derailed with the ongoing debate of share plates or individual meals. Mr X is not a big fan of sharing however this was the HOME of sharing. With TAPAS they invented sharing so Mr X was soon outnumbered when it came to a vote and as usual he would be glad of this!  

So the entrees were finally agreed upon:

Cordero :Lamb cutlets marinated in herbs and spices, garlic, wine and served with salsa Verde.                  

Croquetas de pollo :Chicken croquettes prepared with chicken breast   

Croquetas de bacalao :Codfish croquettes prepared with codfish and potatoes

  

They were all delicious however one entree arrived to our table having not been ordered: The Croquetas de queso azul y puerros : Blue cheese and leek croquet! The chef apologised for the mix up and invited us to enjoy them on the house.  More sangria and entertainment in the form of a Flamenco guitarist and dancer had the alphabet-eaters wishing they had packed maracas!

And so it was time for the Paella de pollo y chorizo* (Chicken and chorizo paella) Chicken and chorizo with green peas, capsicum, garlic, wine and

Spanish paprika. Tasty? Sure. The best? Not quite. These diners had enjoyed paella on La Rambla in Barcelona as well as la Village Way, so it did fall short.....or was the problem that they had over indulged on the tapas? Anyway, the sangria more than made up for any shortcomings.

Brindo por eso!

• 72 Johnston Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065

Scores:             Ms X                Mr X

Ambience         8                     8

Parking            6                     5

Service            8                     6

Value               7                     6

Food                7                     7

Total - 68