Lauren Coulman
Clams with Fino sherry, anyone? Suckling pig and chorizo perhaps? How about a pistachio soufflé with black cherry ice cream? It all sounds pretty good to me, but not what we have traditionally come to expect from a Spanish restaurant. As a nation, we think we have Spanish food stitched up. There seems to be a tapas restaurant on every street corner these days, but it seems to me weâre missing the point. There are some spectacular flavours and time honoured food traditions from this country, but like with every international cuisine, the British make a hash of it to suit mass tastes. It didnât take long for me to throw in my fork after one too many plates of sticky patatas bravas, mushy meatballs and gummy paella.
And so my disenchantment with Spanish cuisine, (in this country at the very least), began, and hence my avoidance of Grado. Touted as one of the better Spanish restaurants in the city, I refused to buy in, particularly as the establishment is owned by one Paul Heathcote. Generally speaking, this isnât something that would put me off. As a rule I like what Paul does very much, and as a fellow Boltonian, I am very much in support of his of his work. But seriously, how much can a man from Bolton know about Spanish food? I still donât know the answer to that, but the traditional ingredients and wonderful flavours on offer at this impressive little restaurant, just off Portland Street, were enough to stop me being ruled by any prejudices I had and I decided to just give the restaurant a go.
I took my friend Rob with me, an old work colleague. Best described as a jovial cynic, Rob was the perfect companion for a spot of pre-conception bashing, given that he too had overlooked the restaurant in the past. So we made our way into the restaurant, which is a welcoming and lovely little affair. Not a yellow and red smudged wall in sight; simply walnut panelled walls, sleek black surfaces and glass. Apart from the two hams hanging out on the bar, itâs a sleek and trendy place.
The menu is something to behold. Traditional Spanish flavours used in novel ways, Rob and I had difficulty choosing. Pretty much everything on there looked appetising, and should be used to greater effect by the restaurant to get more people through the door. It was sadly a little quiet on the Tuesday evening we visited, but meant we had the waiting staff all to ourselves. And very attentive they were too, bringing us a delicious appetiser of marinated olives upon starting along with the fantastic house red.
To start I chose Morcilla (£5.70), a Spanish blood pudding served with chick peas, jamón and spinach. The morcilla was much softer than our native black pudding and tenderly flavoured, but at the risk of sounding odd, the chickpeas were the star of the dish. Whatever they were marinated in, I couldnât get enough of them. Rob chose a Serrano ham salad (£6.30) served up with a manchego fritter, beautifully presented and a good mix of flavours and textures; it was a cracking little dish.
The mains provided the greatest challenge with some seriously appealing options; a few great fish dishes offering up seabass with chorizo and salmon with baby squid, a delectable sounding suckling pig and, to my surprise, a few game meats. You donât get that at La Tasca. Roast quail with walnut mash and oloroso sherry sorely tempted me, but I finally plumped for Braised rabbit in Rioja with bomba rice (£17.95). The meat was on the bone, rich and tender and the accompanying apricots and pine nuts steeped in the red wine worked well, making for a really tasty dish.
Rob went the traditional route with paella (£15.00), but not as either of us had seen it before. A monster of a dish that could easily serve two people, it came with duck, morcilla and a few pieces of chorizo thrown in for good measure. The duck was beautifully marbled, pink and delicious, and the morcilla added an interesting dimension to the flavours on offer. An excellent dish, the only problem being that it was a little dry, but making good use of the wine to wash it down Rob managed to put most of it away.
With a couple of interesting recommendations made by the head waiter, we decided to make a little room for dessert. Rob went with the Santiago tart and almond ice cream (£5.80), a heavenly dish baked over several hours to create a light, crumbly almost macaroon-like texture. The ice cream provided the perfect foil for the dish and I suffered a severe case of food envy. This was due in part to my slightly more unusual Poached strawberries with jelly, served with olive oil ice cream and black pepper (£6). Iâm all for trying something new, and though the jelly was lovely, the strawberries were a little limpid and reminiscent of something out of a tin. The black pepper worked beautifully with dish, and though the olive oil ice cream wasnât offensive, it didnât add anything either. It was just a little unusual, and left a funny taste in my mouth.
No need to cry over spoilt dessert however. The restaurant successfully managed to feed two people with too many opinions to great satisfaction, as well as changing our perceptions on the restaurant and how great Spanish food in England can be. There was little negative to say - a great success all in all. The staff were superb; knowledgeable about the food, warm and friendly without being overbearing - and our glasses were always full without us having to lift a finger. For the most part I forgot where I was, giggling away with Rob, a great sign for a restaurant when guests relax comfortably into their surroundings. Well done Mr Heathcote. Iâll never
doubt you again.
Grado
New York Street
Piccadilly
Manchester
M1 4BD
T: 0161 238 9790
W: www.heathcotes.co.uk