Subsolo, Sydney CBD

They say that when you make a habit of setting your expectations low, you're bound to be pleasantly surprised. This was definitely the case for Subsolo, since the first sentence I think when the word tapas is tagged on to a restaurant description is "this is going to be a rip-off". In a smaller group, perhaps our wallets would have been feeling much lighter. However, our band of 7 left the premises having tasted at least 8 menu items, feeling almost uncomfortably full and smiling at the pleasant service we'd received- all for around $30 per person.

Living up to half of its name, Subsolo is a subterranean restaurant (read: basement) in-between Wynyard and Town Hall. Thankfully there were plenty of lights as well, so at least we could examine our food here :P

After much debate, we decided to share everything. Thus, our parade of food descended from waiters' hands in the following fashion:


Though we had ordered both styles of patatas, I had neglected to take a photo of the creamy patatas aioli ($9), which outshone its ("fiery") tomato-coated patatas bravas ($10) sibling (below) in flavour. The tomato sauce of the latter was actually pretty spicy, which normally wouldn't be a problem, but there was something sharp about the whole dish that made it a little offputting.

Patatas bravas with fiery tomato sauce ($10.00)

The pork belly with Calvados apples & Jerez cabbage ($24) was one of my favourites. The brittleness of the crackling made it difficult to cut in half, but it was well worth the struggle to share the tastiness of this dish. Pork belly has the tendency to go dry if not done well, but the apple and red cabbage helped immensely to moisten the meat.

Pork belly tapas ($24.00 for 4 pieces)

The Spanish meatballs on Romesco sauce with cheese ($18) were good but not that memorable. I don't recall having issues with the mince (little nerves/ hard bits that have to be spit out), which I think is a great trait to find of one's meatballs.

Spanish meatballs ($18.00)

By this time, my appetite was satiated. However, the food kept coming, the others kept eating, and I had a bit more room in my stomach, so what choice did I have but to push on??

The Valencia ($39) is Subsolo's signature paella dish. It's an all-in-one dish with chicken, chorizo, mussels, chunks of fish, and calamari. Lots of rice below, but there was plenty of meat to go around, even if it was solely placed at the top.

Valencia Paella ($39.00)

Since I figured the chicken & pork chorizo paella ($34) would be the same as the Valencia, except without the seafood, I decided not to dig into that one. Our non-seafood eaters were pretty happy with it, in any case.

Chicken & pork chorizo paella ($34.00)

Our final round of dishes arrived - the skewers. Despite the generosity of the meat, I wouldn't recommend either of these. The chicken fillet with peri peri ($32) was very spicy/ salty and it was just too flavoursome for any of us. The Pork Belly with Chorizo skewer ($36) was not as heavy on the palate, but exceedingly dry and tough.

Pork belly and chicken fillet skewers ($36.00 and $32.00 respectively)

Would I return? Sure. I'd just avoid the skewers at all cost.

Coco Cubano, Crows Nest

A few weeks ago we went to the Crows Nest branch of Coco Cubano. As the name suggests, the theme is Cuban - they play Cuban music, sell Cuban cigars and make Cuban club sandwiches. The range of food on offer, however, is... well... distinctly pub-like. The ordering system is pretty pub-like too, as patrons are required to seat themselves and order/ pay at the counter. In the process, we nearly tripped over a gas canister that they just left between the counter and near the doorway (there were no more indoor tables so we sat outside).

It was our first time at the franchise, but I had fairly high hopes. Popular businesses are turned into franchises, yes? In turn, popular restaurants are popular because the food is good... right?

In this case, I think they're better known for their drinks and $9 tapas specials on weekdays. We were there on a Sunday, which meant that that particular special didn't kick in. When we saw how miserly the tapas portions are, we felt a little ticked off.

The size of the sangria jug somewhat made up for this shortcoming. Low in alcohol and full of oranges and lemonade, it was sweet and easy to down - even though there were only two of us.

Red sangria jug ($19 on Sundays)

First to be sampled was the calamari. It was a little tough, so we ended up popping each ball of calamari into our mouths rather than sawing them up into smaller pieces. The roasted garlic sauce added a little pop of zest - though it tasted more like tartar sauce.

Calamari ($12.90)

The serving of grilled chorizo with olives was the most disappointing for the boy. Firstly, it wasn't spicy. Secondly, there wasn't much of it. I ended up leaving most of it to him and eating the olives. One day I'll have to bring over a few packs of chorizos to kill off the craving for good (it's been festering for months now!!).

Grilled chorizo ($9.90)

Looking at the menu now, the mini beef tacos should have been served with salsa and guacamole. Where are my salsa and guacamole? :( They definitely needed some, as they were charred and dry.

Mini beef tacos ($10.90)

The potted prawns weren't bad, though I'm pretty sure potted prawns are meant to be served with a pudding-like, buttery spread. Here, they were slathered in romesco sauce (a pasty Spanish sauce consisting of almond and red capsicum).

Potted prawns ($13.90)

 Since 4 dishes weren't enough, we ordered a chorizo pizza. It was thin-crust with a whole heap of cheese and about one chunk of chorizo per slice. Not fantastic, but it killed off the hunger.

Chorizo pizza ($16.90)

Looking at the main meals that other patrons received, there's probably more bang for your buck (and tastebuds) there. Needless to say, I shan't return for tapas.

Encasa Restaurant, Haymarket

Sangria

Whenever 'tapas' and 'Spanish' are mentioned, my mind immediately conjures up images of meagre offerings for exorbitant prices. I was pleasantly mistaken upon visiting En Casa, which serves up generous portions for more affordable prices. Don't let the narrow shopfront deceive you, either, as the restaurant could easily sit a few groups of 5 - 10 (which is fantastic when you want to sample loads of high-fat dishes in one sitting!).

So without further ado, I shall proceed to launch (with lurid detail) into my account of the meal...

I started with the sangria, a cocktail of red wine, chopped apples, and what was probably lemonade (of the carbonated variety). Light, bubbly and a tad fruity, it was a good complement to the procession of dishes that ensued.


The first to arrive was the patatas bravas - fried chopped potatoes coated with garlic mayonnaise and tomato salsa. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, it was a carb-lover's delight. They overdid it on the sauce, but the excess was scraped off easily enough.

Patatas bravas

Next up was the chorizo a la plancha, or grilled chorizos. It was hot, bubbly and fatty, but oh so delicious. As with the potatoes, I had to limit my chorizo-intake to a little bit at a time.

Chorizo a la plancha

Croquettes

The potato and corn croquettes (above) were on the Specials Menu. As you can see, they came with their own cream sauce. They're similar to the Japanese ones, with their lightly battered, crunchy exterior and their mashed up interior.

Egg dish

We also ordered an egg dish (the name of which has escaped me), which came with slices of buttered bread, mushrooms and chorizos. It was a hearty breakfast dish and very much complete on its own.

Below, you can see the vieiras en azafran, scallops sitting on shells with a saffron, shallot and cream sauce. The scallops were firm but not tough and overall cooked really well. That was probably the highlight (along with the potatoes!).

Vieiras en azafran

The five dishes and drink amounted to $66 for two. I don't eat Spanish often so I'll leave it up to you to make a judgment as to whether that's reasonable. I should also add that one should take into account the need to balance dishes. If your palate isn't overwhelmed by the amount of oiliness, creamy sauces and sausages, your stomach might be the one to protest not too long after!


Service-wise, the food came quickly and the waitstaff were efficient and alert. Don't expect too much in terms of ambience, as it can get pretty loud and busy - though some might regard it as a manifestation of the casual dining atmosphere.