El Pirata Spanish restaurant, Mayfair, Piccadilly, London Restaurant Review
Mar 28th, 2009 by Foodie
El Pirata Spanish restaurant, Mayfair, London – Reviewed By Mark Rigby
Where do you think a localised Spaniard, who has lived and worked in London for 14 years, would take you to eat authentic Spanish cuisine? El Pirata.
Situated in Mayfair, just off Piccadilly, you will find one of the most authentic Spanish restaurants in London.
El Pirata
5-6 Down Street,
London W1J 7 AQ
Tel: 020 7491 3810
Established in 1994 and a popular Tapas bar, El Pirata boasts prices “ More Madrid than Mayfair”, but that entirely depends on your selection and hunger.
There are two floors, plus a handful of tables outside for warmer weather. The upstairs dining is a more casual setting, with diners seated around the central spiral staircase, and in full view of the famous mirrored long bar. We dined downstairs in what looked like a converted cellar with what could genuinely be described as a ‘Madrid’ feel.
We opted for the Tapas selection and our Spanish host set about checking on our likes and dislikes. Having interrogated the waiters in Spanish to ascertain how certain dishes were cooked and prepared, he picked out the Octopus and Squid dishes in particular.
The first offering contained Pulpo a la Gallega, (Octopus brushed with olive oil & paprika) Calamores a la Romana, (deep fried fresh squid, and I must to confess to this being the best, most tender squid I have ever eaten in London!) Gambas al pil pil, (prawns in oil, garlic and dried hot chilli peppers) provided the heat the menu needed, and the star dish, Langostinos al Chef (grilled King Prawns in a tomato, garlic and white wine sauce). I liked the use of white wine in the sauce and was informed by our host that red would have been too acidic for the tomato sauce. It tasted superb, and was washed down by one of the four House Red Rioja’s, the Altun Crianza from Tempranillo.
There were 6 house reds to choose from ranging from £15.95 to £38.50, as well as a vast selection of wines from all regions in Spain. Ours came in at a reasonable but not cheap £24.50. Nevertheless a great wine for the meal. The second wave of Tapas included Alas de Pollo con salsa Picante ( chicken wings in a spicy sauce), Chorizo al vino, ( Spanish sausage in the red wine sauce, not to be confused with the sliced plain variety), Tortilla ( Spanish omelette with potatoes & onions), Higardo Encebollado, (chicken livers in white wine & onion sauce), which was one of my favourites, Pescados y Mariscos fritos de rape ( deep fried medallions of monk fish and my wife’s favourite), along with Croqetas de Pollo, ( chicken Croquettes).
You might be thinking that this was a lot for 4 people but here’s my only criticism, the portions are on the small side, and therefore could become an expensive meal out. With three bottles of house red, the meal came to £230, or in effect £155 for tapas for 4.
Mark Rigby, London, March 2009
Thank you for such a clear and concise review. As someone who is unfamiliar with Spanish cuisine, I found Mr Rigby’s review extremely helpful. Thanks!
At last a real review! Having tried and failed on many attempts to find a typical Spanish restaurant in London, I was delighted to read your honest review, we will definitely book a table this summer when our friends from Madrid arrive! Thank you for the steer on price as well – it avoids any shocks at the end of the night.