I love Grand Central and I am having a great time making my way through the eateries. The next one on the list is Tapas Revolution. Ever since my holiday to Barcelona, I have a newfound respect and love for the concept of tapas and could not wait to see how this restaurant would fare.
When we arrived the restaurant was busy and had a long queue, most of which were offered a bar seat, which they took, but we were being picky and decided to wait. This worked in our favour, as we were able to get a booth. The service was great at the restaurant and this stood out, as soon as we arrived. And this was not because they knew I was doing a review, because they had no clue, so that put me in a good mood to know the service is like this for all.
We had a little trouble ordering, as most of what we wanted had sold out, but they were really good at recommending what we could have. The tapas menu for the main dishes is split into three sections - Meat, Fish and Vegetables. They don't have an allergen menu but the staff are knowledgeable of what each dish contains and it is made fresh, so it isn't hard to alter. We decided to go for Tortilla de Patatas, Pan con Tomate, Arroz Negro, Gambas al Ajillo and Pisto (last image).
Starting with the Tortilla de Patatas (shown in the image above), aka a Spanish omelette with potato and onion. Tortilla Espanola was a dish that I fell in love with when I was in Barcelona so I when I saw that they had this dish on the menu at Tapas Revolution, I knew it was a must-taste dish. Although the dish was enjoyable, it was somewhat bland, no seasoning or salt, and not as flavoursome compared to the version we had in Barcelona. It was fun to try but I doubt I would have this one again as it just isn't as exciting. However, it was presented beautifully on a grey slate plate with alioli, which was also tasty.
Next on the taste palette was the Pan con Tomate, which is a crusty bread with tomato and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. This, again, was a dish that we fell in love with in Barcelona, when I say we I mean me and my madre. I liked the chunky bread and the oil just softened it slightly. It was great with the Tortilla too and makes for a good starter or accompaniment to other tapas dishes.
Of course Paella is a big deal in Spain and I love it, so when the waitress recommended this dish I went for it, It is the Arroz de Negro. This is a Paella-like dish that commonly features squid-ink. This particular one is described as "black rice with prawns and squid, served with alioli". I was surprised that it came with alioli, as it didn't add anything to the dish and I haven't seen it accompany such a dish before and it felt more like they were running low and wanted to fill the dish with the alioli to make it look full. This was nice but nothing special.
The Gambas al Ajillo, (shown in the image above) was my favourite dish of the lot, as it was full of flavour and the prawns were cooked to perfection . It is tiger prawns cooked in chilli oil and garlic, such a simple concept that was executed very well.
Lastly it is Pisto, which was another favourite that I would have again without hesitation. It was great with the bread and prawns. I particularly liked the tomato sauce that is used within this dish and there is a little heat within the peppers that adds a bit of depth that some veggie dishes lack.
All in all, my trip to Tapas Revolution was a mixed bag. I liked trying the different dishes, there is no other way to find out what you like, the service was ace and the location makes it great to people watch, definitely a place to add to my dine-alone list.
Food - 4/5
Some good dishes, some ok dishes and some amazing dishes. All executed well and using fresh ingredients.
Dairy-free options? - 5/5
Most of the menu is dairy-free and most of the time they are able to adapt anything that isn't, but please still check this.
Service - 5/5
Cleanliness - 5/5
Location - 5/5
It's in Grand Central, you know where that is by now, right?
Value for Money - 4/5
It cost £22 for 4 dishes, which was enough to fill me up.
A tad on the expensive side but most of these dishes are worth it.
Worth trying? Hell, yes!
Instagram worthy? Ya-huh!
Overall - 28/30
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