Quite recently we were in Battersea for an evening event and once it had finished we decided to look for somewhere to eat. The newly developed Circus west Village had supplied us our cultural fix for the evening and We decided that Tapas and Brindisa should supply the gastronomic hit we needed.
Brinadis has been around since the late 80’s, as a wholesaler of Spanish produce. Spanish food was not always in the good place it is now, and Brindisa is responsible for a notable portion of the good reputation that it now has.
The Circus west village is growing, not quite in it’s infancy, but more in it’s teens at the moment. The regeneration (boom boom!) of Battersea power station has brought not only the draw of 800+ new homes, the US Embassy’s new digs, but also food and entertainment as well. Brindisa moved into their unit and dressed it in a bright and airy manner, yet still very reminiscent of Spain. It was later in the evening when we attended and we commented that given we ignored our autumnal clothing, we could easily be sat in Barcelona looking around the restaurant.
Arriving unannounced we had a short wait at the bar for a table for three. Booking is obviously recommended, but we took the chance and did not have to wait long. We enjoyed some bar nibbles of some gorgeous Olives, large and meaty and really tasty. Alongside the salted almonds I was pleased to see some reasonable choice in beer. Estrella was well represented of course, being one of Spain’s largest brewers, but Barcelona is home to Spain’s growing craft beer scene, and it was nice to see a small additional choice of craft beers, and I chose a “Jack the RIPA” IPA from Guineu brewery. A large selection of excellent spanish wines are available of course and the staff were very helpful and knowledgeable, and able to help you choose what to drink according to your preference and choice in food.
We chose a selection of plates, with the option to order more if we needed. I have found that good tapas is quite rich and very flavourful when done properly, so in some ways it’s best to order conservatively and order more if you feel the need. Any good Tapas restaurant will be happy with you doing this, and a good venue will always be able to produce more fresh dishes for you as you order.
The Padron peppers were lovely as they always are. I love spicy food and struck lucky with not one but two hot ones!
The King Prawns with chilli and garlic were stunningly good. Properly peeled and deveined, and cooked just right(not overdone), they were bursting with flavour, large and sweet. The Pulpo, or Octopus is a dish that can go wrong so easily, as the ingredients have to be fresh and cooked perfectly otherwise there is the chance of rubberyness creeping in. Not here though, again perfectly cooked and tender. They were large again, there is no meanness of portions here, as can sometimes occur with Tapas elsewhere.
Along with those dishes we also had the classic Tortilla Espanola. Again it was done just right, with the interior rich and creamy, with the richness of the egg yolk pervading gently through the potato.
Finishing up we came across the only error of the evening, and one that really didn’t make a difference at all to us. We chose the Almond Tart and sorbet dishes. However the sorbet which was in both was obviously not the raspberry suggested, but clearly Blackcurrant or Blackberry. Asking the staff, much apologising proffered and it was nailed down as Blackcurrant. It was delicious as expected, the sorbet was fresh and tangy, and the almond tart light and fluffy.
When things are not quite as planned, or go slightly wrong, that often a very good point to see how the staff and management react, and given their exemplary handling from the moment we stepped in, it was no surprise that they reacted well to a minor error. I would not normally even bother to mention something this small, but good service deserves mentioning and Brindisa has it in spades!
10 out of 10!
We’ll be back!
Brindisa is at:
Battersea power station
Unit 25
Circus road west
SW11 8EZ
020 8016 8888
