I’m not entirely sure why, but I seem to have completely scratched off Spanish restaurants in London from my list at the moment. I was trying to work out why and then I realised, it mainly has something to do with my travels in the south of Spain in the sun drenched town of Jerez. Famed for its rock bottom priced tapas, small family owned bakery’s, LOTS of foie gras and sherry so deeply embedded in its history and every day life that the whole town smells of its fresh flor which lays inside the sherry casks keeping everything fresh. I miss traditional, honest Spanish food and so far London just doesn’t excite me in that aspect. Until now that is.
El Pirata opened their doors in 1994 and even to this day the place is still buzzing, with not a free table in sight. The interior probably hasn’t changed since the day it opened too, but that’s all part of its charm. Food wise we started off with two of my favourite dishes and they certainly didn’t disappoint. A plate of perfectly pan-fried padron peppers, doused in quality olive oil and good sprinkling of chunky sea salt – along with a plate of the finest Iberico ham (aka pata negra). If you’ve not eaten this ham before from the acorn fed Iberico Blackfoot pigs then I’d advise you to seek it out quickly. I can’t think of any other example in the world which has as much flavour and quite literally melts in the mouth – the fat particularly is the best part. One word – Perfecto!
One dish I’ve always sniffed at during my tapas eating years, is black rice. It’s made using black squid ink and for me personally has always just being overly fishy in flavour and unexciting to eat. Here the rice was very well cooked and the black quid ink and chunks of fresh squid meant for a rather delicate dish, whose fishy flavour wasn’t overpowering. There was also a slight touch of sweetness to it all. It’s dishes like these that when executed well, show you just how capable the Spanish really are at cooking. Deciding what went best with this delicious rice was hard but of course the tender octopus brushed with olive oil and paprika was a match made in heaven and the large, fresh and juicy prawns in a tomato, garlic and white wine sauce was equally as tantalising. All these dishes were missing was the warm sun on my face.
I enjoyed pretty much everything here at El Pirata but one dish in particular really failed to excite me (or perhaps I should say it satisfied me too much). To glance upon these broad beans don’t look like much, but in fact there was a lot going. They were very meaty in flavour from the help of some chopped jamon and drenched in what I think was a lot of butter. Each mouthful had loads of flavour but at the same time it also felt ridiculously heavy. On its own with a glass of high acidic Fino sherry I could see it working, but otherwise I’ll be giving this dish a miss next time. On the flip side of things the lamb chops were stunning little beauties. Cooked medium rare, full of smoky flavour and so juicy I had all those meat juices running down my chin – messy (yes) – but completely worth it.
Chicken and chorizo skewers may sound like an ordinary affair but of course when El Pirata is involved (as we’ve realised) nothing is ordinary and done in half measures. The chicken was very moist and not dry and overcooked like so many places manage to do when cooking under (or over) a grill. The chorizo was of good quality too, had a nice texture and with a deep flavour and good amount of smoked paprika oil leaking out if it, just the right amount to realise your only a few steps away from that heart attack. Patatas bravas were perfectly good (although nothing to rave about) – although the with a vampire blinding garlic aioli for dipping which we stole from the bread was delicious.
Incredibly full by this point we wondered whether we’d have room for dessert, but strangely there’s always a little space for anything containing sugar. In fact desserts were actually the low point for me here at El Pirata. Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t bad – they just weren’t as good as the savoury delights we’d sampled here so far. At some points the food here is so good that it means the other dishes almost have to step up, in line of competition. Crema Catalana was the most enjoyable dessert but the fried banana served with honey and ice cream, needed more honey and more frying for me personally.
Apart from some rather ordinary desserts, the food here at El Pirata was really very spectacular. It’s all very traditional, the ingredients are of high quality and even after 20 years of being in Mayfair the place still manages to deliver everything you could only hope for and more. If you’re missing those sunny trips to Spain then El Pirata is the place for you. Perhaps a bottle of wine later and a few too many glasses of refreshing Fino sherry later and who knows, you may even forget you’re in London.
8/10
This looks bangin’!
Was delicious!