San Miguel

This new kid on the restaurant block is one to be reckoned with. While charming interiors bedecked in tiles & flowers are knee-deep in Iberian cliche, the kitchen’s modern food leaves Spanish stereotypes far behind. A long tapas list yields endless delights: lean chorizo cooked in cider with aubergine chips & rosemary honey is a seductive alternative to classic chorizo in red wine. Sea bass ceviche with ginger & fruity olive oil is only just trumped by roasted potatoes drizzled with blue cabrale cheese & spinach purée. Mains, including an olive & mustard-encrusted slab of monkfish atop morcilla mash, are just as inventive but, with huge portions, getting past the tapas can be difficult. Add gracious & enthusiastic staff who know their stuff, an interesting Spanish-leaning wine list & rock bottom prices, & it’s all too easy to linger.