Post Christmas I'm trying to abstain from everything cocoa. Too much was munched over the festive season. Sometimes I'm more successful than others. So if I'm leaving chocolate alone I'm allowed to indulge in other areas right? Come on, I'm allowed one vice! Ok, several...
Actually I'm being harsh on myself. Overindulgence has always been a trait of mine, so it was with slight trepidation for my waistline and my wallet that I set foot into one of my culinary nemesis...a tapas restaurant.
Dehesa, tucked down Kingly Street and next to the bustle of Carnaby Street, is a beautiful little space, with the customary fat piggie legs hanging from the ceiling and as you can guess, food served on wooden boards - a trend that I still find fun and says the food can be fancy here, it still has rustic roots.
It's packed too! Unsurprising for a Saturday lunchtime in town. The first face I see when I enter is a seldom seen friend of my girlfriend! A proper foodie if I ever knew one, so this was a great sign I was onto a winner! We take seats at the bar and we're greeted with smiling, friendly waiter. I could stay here for hours. It's warm, welcome and not up its own arse!
If I had my way all restaurants would serve their meals tapas size, so I can try everything on the menu. I want it all and I want it now! However in my universe every dish wouldn't cost as much (the veal cheeks at Dehesa come in a wrenching £9.50!). So every dish would be about 2 pounds and you can have one of everything. Is that so much to ask. Well yes it is really, but who are YOU to argue with the King of my universe!
So this is why it took me and my fellow diner about 25 minutes to decide what we want! Do we want Charcuterie board with it's delectable selection of Spanish meats (Paprika edged pork loin WILL be devoured in the future) and/or (most likely 'and') the Italian cheese selection? Or do we want a selection of the wonderful sounding tapas dishes - including those tempting veal cheeks? It's all too much for someone who had a tad too much booze last night and for whom clarity of thought is not Premier League shall we say.
We settle for tapas. As you'd expect, everything came in stages and nearly every dish delivered on it's promise from the menu. The 'not on the menu' pork terrine that the very friendly waiter suggested was dense with flavour but light at the same time, wrapped in delicious parma ham and served with chutney and crostinis. Little spherical mozzarella balls were light, milky and topped with a nifty olive tapenade that worked beautifully. Our courgette flowers stuffed with Monte Enebro (me neither. Just think ricotta and you're there) were drizzled with honey were lovely. The only slight disappointment was our sauteed duck's liver. It lacked a bit in flavour and served with a bit too much caramelized onion, which overpowered the rich iron flavour of the liver. But back to the pluses: I knocked back a very respectable house red and at just £3.75 a glass was a bit of a bargain!
Hands down a very sold 8/10. I'll be back!
Tapas and two glasses of wine cost just shy of £40
www.dehesa.co.uk
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