As a brand, Brindisa has made itself, over more than 30 years, synonymous with Spanish cuisine in the UK. They offer hampers and gifts and a huge range of Spanish ingredients – cheese, chorizo, whole hams, oils and vinegars and a massive range of wines – delivered to your door. They now also have a small chain of six restaurants dotted around the capital, featuring the same authentic ingredients, served tapas style, ideal for summer sharing.
At the Battersea Power Station Brindisa, they have the great summer advantage of being next to the river with a wide terrace, perfect for people watching and idling away a couple of hours. I was there for the first Saturday (it’s going on throughout August) of their Weekend Paella month. They are making a huge pan of paella, cooked over an open flame right in front of the diners at the high-top tables. It’s just one pan, though, and while it’s pretty big, once it’s gone, that’s it, so I’d encourage you to get there early if paella is your thing.
They have, too, an extensive tapas menu with classic dishes (tortilla, chorizo, squid ink black rice, Galician octopus) and a seasonal one. These are plates designed for a long hot summer and, if anyone knows about those, surely it’s the Spanish. So, the Major and I decided to forego the delights of the paella (and, believe me, those aromas are pretty tempting) in favour of a mixture of summertime flavours.
In fact, there was one irresistible classic, gambas al ajillo, salty, garlicky, picante and with plenty of oil to mop up with the bread. We decided to choose a “main” each to share accompanied by patatas bravas with a spicy tomato sauce and a yellow aioli plus some delicious broccoli with a hazelnut picade. My choice was the Picanha steak, served nice and pink in sliced slivers and with a gently spicy chimichurri sauce. This was excellent but surpassed by the Major’s choice, Merluza (Cornish hake) in a sauce that was a combo of pea, mint and gazpacho. The fish itself was perfectly cooked, delicate and with a transparency that confirmed its freshness. The peas gave the dish a sweetness and the mint a freshness that made it the perfect dish for a summer’s day.
All this was accompanied by a very nice bottle of Rioja – after a summer of whites and rosés, this seemed a good fit with tapas – Hacienda El Olmo, Bodegas La Eralta. Obviously a good match for the steak, it worked seamlessly with everything else. The Tarta de Santiago, a Galician quince and almond tart served with vanilla ice cream was paired with a deliciously sweet Moscatel, Casta Diva. After all, who can resist operatic favourites?
Being by the river brings with it an effortlessly laidback ambience and, sitting out on the terrace, there was a pleasant breeze and a feeling of all the time in the world. Kids played in the huge stone paddling pool, conversation buzzed across the tables and even the dogs (and there were a couple) were looked after with a “Perrito Tapas Basket” doggy menu. We could have been in Barcelona.
Brindisa, Battersea Power Station, 25 Circus Rd W, Nine Elms, London SW11 8EZ. For more information, including details of Weekend Paella month in August, and for bookings, please visit www.brindisa.com.
