Small But Perfectly-Formed

As the theme (or one of the themes) of this season’s SpectatorScoff! supplement is Spain, it seems like a good time to think about tapas.

The word conjures up a wide range of taste memories, not all of them pleasant, from the arrival in the UK high street of the bog-standard tapas bar 20 years or so ago to the modern wave of more sophisticated, nuanced regional Spanish restaurants.

In the early days the range was narrower, and often the same from place to place: chorizo chunks cooked in rioja and served in a red-hot dish that one always felt compelled to touch; squid cooked ‘in its own ink’ (could they be sure it was not another squid’s?); patatas bravas and Spanish omelette to add a bit of substance. Some of this was very good, but some was oily and semi-congealed.

The real thing existed in Spain, and was as pure, profound and gutsy as any regional cooking France and Italy has to offer: but in recent years, the good stuff has become much more widespread over here as well. Tapas has also been joined by Pintxo, a Basque variation.

Though I went to Seville last year, my most memorable tapa was eaten in Edinburgh: at the 20-year-established ‘Iggs’ in Jeffrey Street (www.iggs.co.uk/), where along with a rich, punchy lamb’s kidney with pancetta in sherry jus, and some delicate grilled asparagus, the real star were the huevos revueltos: soft, rich scrambled eggs melded with a carpaccio of smoked cod that was gorgeously smoky and just a perfect match of flavours.

A quick email survey among my colleagues elicits some other notables, national and international:

-    Fino on Charlotte Street (www.finorestaurant.com/), offers tapas at their most elegant: try padron peppers and succulent lamb chops, washed down with a glass of sherry.

-    The best pintxo I've ever eaten came from a hole-in-the-wall joint in San Sebastian: they had two grill plates where a burly chef was turning frying mushrooms and spooning them over toast rubbed with garlic and oil. Simple and absolutely delicious.

-    La Casa del Abuelo, Madrid (www.lacasadelabuelo.es/) is a crammed in, smoke-filled, noisy, stand-up only, spit and sawdust bar just off Plaza Santa Ana in the heart of Madrid which serves just two dishes – gambas al ajillo (prawns in garlic), and gambas a la plancha (grilled prawns), served hot, sizzling and spicy from a grill in the bar itself. Those two dishes are for my money the finest in the whole of Spain, and made even tastier washed down with the bar’s own strong red wine.

-    I have had fine tapas in many places, but most unexpected was a tiny place I went to in Barcelona – Espai Sucre (www.espaisucre.com). Although it serves a few classic savoury tapas, it specialises in desserts, serving dozens of different tapa-sized puddings alongside carefully chosen wines (try ginger ale, cucumber and pineapple-tarragon sherbet; or coconut tapioca, burnt yolk ice cream and "orujo de Galicia" (grape must liqueur)). It's a lovely spot and ideal for popping into after having had your 'main' tapas elsewhere.

Over to you: please add your own most memorable tapas experience using the comment form below.

Thanks to: Melissa McAdden, Tilly Culme-Seymour; Adam Coulter; Johnny Ray.