You Can Never Have Too Much Tapas

While I was in London last month, our very nice tour guide Maria took us to a favorite Spanish restaurant round the corner from where our meeting was.

"Do you have much Spanish food back home?" she asked me.

"Oh yes," I said, remembering how, on a trip to Barcelona a few years back, I was comparing how their cuchinillo simply didn't hold a candle to our version in Manila. Indeed, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to Spanish food where we live.

Maria said that the modern Spanish tapas at Salt Yard was divine, her particular favorite, the crispy roast pork (lechon kawali to us!).

Salt Yard's simple interiors

We all bunched up at a table (there were 8 of us) where the joint was just kicking for 1pm on a weekday. Get ready to enjoy London's version of "modern tapas." We started with cheese

The cheese choices were to die for at Salt Yard, and I especially liked the unleavened-type crackers (I do like the rough edges!) it came with. I have no idea why I was craving so much cheese on this trip, but it was all deliciously creamy and tasty.

Everything looked amazing on the menu. We ordered Chargrilled Tuna with Marinated Beetroot, Tarragon and Crispy Quail Egg. Presentation wise, it was beautiful, but it lacked a bit of seasoning.

Of course we had to try their version of Jamon Serrano croquettas with Manchego. It was delicious and well-flavored. I'm usually wary of croquettas if I've never had them at that restaurant before but this one was a winner.

Now this beautiful dish was amazing. Pan-fried Goat's Cheese Gnocci with Tropea Onions, Chard and Black Olive. I wish I had more of this but it was placed on the other end of the table and devoured. Fresh produce was another thing I was craving on this trip. Each vegetable was fresh and flavorful, cooked perfectly with a bite.

The next dish was something that immediately caught my eye and which I had ordered. Duck breast, good. Broad beans, goood. Garlic and mint dressing...not so good. Perhaps I was looking for more seasoning in this one too. And apparently my table friends agreed with me, it was one of the few dishes that had some leftover.

Now this is what Maria was waiting for: Confit of Pork Belly with Cannelli Beans. Myself, not so impressed. I've had better pork belly and better beans. Spoiled!

This Crispy Hake with Aioli is their tapas version of fish and chips. I loved the aioli- it was good with the other dishes as well. The fish and chips weren't bad either. I rather like the portions it came in, though, not like a massive fried fish you have to dig into.

Now they almost forgot to serve this little bugger, the Chargrilled Chorizo with Pepperonata and Basil. It was like regular chorizo, but with fancy menu items like "pepperonata" and "basil". With those things or on its on chorizo is always tasty!

Though we were almost too stuffed, Maria and her friend shared this dessert, Meringue with Poached Strawberries and Biscotti.

But what I wanted to try was their churros with Valrhona chocolate. Judging from all the other food I had tried thus far, I kept my hopes up. A foodie can dream, can't she?

So the chocolate was good, but too runny to dip the churros in. And the churros themselves were a bit raw in the center and a bit like those churros you buy at theme parks. Hello, someone from Dulcinea please teach them a thing or two!

The modern tapas were interesting but I realized one thing: I'd rather have my tapas the traditional way. And just throw in some pepperonata or so.

Salt Yard
www.saltyard.co.uk