Wednesday, 6 May 2009

Tapeo, Belsize Park, London 05.05.09

How often do you find yourself exhausted from playing a piano gig, semi-satieted with canapes but in need of something wholesome before you retire? Once business is done at Holborn Viaduct, the workers beaver their way home and the resulting culinary offerings are minimal at best.

Tapeo at Belsize Park, a stone's throw from my temporary bed, came to the rescue. Even past 10pm there was no reticence- the British unenthusiasm for late night dining has not pervaded this place yet. A scattering of tables on the cold May pavement, a wall of mirrors and no frills interior- Tapeo is functional but retains Spanish warmth. Service is delivered with a wry smile. Plates arrive promptly. Cheese-topped gooey aubergine wrestles chipped patatas with pungent garlic mayonnaise. The tortilla is a little uninspiring, but sizzling prawns live up to their intro albeit slightly lacklustre on the flavour front.

Hats off to Tapeo for prompt sustinence to those in need, but there's a suspicious air of readiness about some of the plates. With everything consistently above the fiver mark, a tapas dish really needs to command its worth.

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