Tapas Revolution

If you holiday in Spain as often as I have, ah happy days, then your familiarity with the concept of tapas should be strong. And over many years I have grown to love the art of the tapa, tasty, tantalising, traditional temptations… but in their Iberian home seldom mean and often generous. So why is it that here in the UK those tasty morsels can so often by tiny and tasteless.

Tapas can be such a let down so I went along to Tapas Revolution with trepidation. I needed not to worry, this small but growing chain certainly delivers authentic tastes of Spain and in portions that warmed my heart, so much so that I have been twice.

The service is excellent, charming and helpful too and the menu is not too long, a good selection of meat, fish and vegetable dishes that should please most people, it certainly pleased us.

Across my two visits, one with my food loving writer friend Ms GS and the other with a group of mates I managed to sample quite a slice of that menu. The albondigas were juicy and generous as were the gambas, served in a portion that would shame many a restaurant’s main course offering of prawns. The tortilla too was tasty and generous and the padron peppers came seasoned with both salt and a tiny amount of sugar, something new to me but strangely effective. The skewers of belly pork were beautifully cooked, tender and spiced with cinnamon and the peas with ham, a real favourite, were absolutely perfect. I also thoroughly enjoyed the chickpeas with spinach, a dish that offers a solid foundation to any tapas meal.

Ms GS and I decided to try their paella, it was also generous but slightly under-seasoned but with a small shake of salt it came to life and was pretty good, let’s face it, paella tastes best served in the sun by the med, but it was decent for sure and again generous.

Drinks are sensibly priced, no more than one might pay in your local and on a sunny afternoon or evening sitting outside was a real pleasure. Tapas are best shared  and at Tapas Revolution the generous dishes are certainly large enough to share. I will no doubt be back, perhaps next time on my own so I can have my favourites and not have to share them.

Tapas Revolution Brighton, 165 North Street, Brighton, BN1 1EA

tapasrevolution.com