We wanted a lighter meal after the previous night's degustation and everyone at the Shangri-La at the Shard, where we are ensconced for the weekend, suggest Jose Pizarro Tapas in Southwark. We had been told there were no reservations, which always scares Will, but we arrived and a table had just opened up. The place is tiny with no more room for thirty diners and the team of servers move fast to get the food from the miniscule open kitchen facing us to the floor.
We ordered in spurts which was smart as everything comes out quite fast and the first round was Boquerones with Parsley & Garlic that we oohed and aahed over and by chance the Sicilian server brought another plate by mistake and said is was gratis! Sam chose the Pan de Tomate which oozed with EVOO and also asked for Gordal Olives, which were huge green juicy olives in an herby oil with grapefruit slices and a kind of pickled veggie(okra-ish?).
Will and I started with a glass of 2017 Mervayon Godello and realized the by the glass approach was a ripoff and ordered a bottle of a superb red chosen by the one Spanish server who said we would love the Solanera 2015 , a blend of Monastrell/Cabernet Sauvignon/Garnacha with an amazingly jammy rich flavor.
Croquettas of melt in your mouth ham and cheese were amazing as were the Norwegian Cod Fritters with an amazing spicy piquillo salsa. Sam raved about the Patatas Bravas with two sauces of tomato and garlic aioli, which he would not even let us taste a bite of, so we ordered our own! Jamon Iberico was a letdown as it was quite fatty, althought he nonfat jamon was impressive. Better was the Grilled Pluma Iberica 5J, a grilled pork loin that was spiced gorgeously, but a bit oversalted. We told the server that some of the dishes tended to be oversalted and she agreed. The same was with the Pulpo alla Gallega, perfectly grilled octopus on abed of mashed potatoes.
Padron Peppers were delicious, but I fear a bit out of season, so quite small.
The Torta Espanola, here called a Tortilla was of potato, egg and onion and was a bug winner with Sam; I can't ever recall seeing one so high(check the FB fotos).
Jose Pizarro apparently has multiple locations and I can see why he is a big success. He would win superstar status with a bit less salt!
It was a great preparation for Spain as we board the Queen Elizabeth tomorrow headed to the Canary Islands!
