Bravas Tapas, St Katherine's Dock - Review

Still a young'n on the London restaurant scene, Bravas Tapas has its spot where the rich people play with yachts in St Katherine's Dock and very nice it is too.

I don't know why but I wasn't expecting the food to be so good...that'll teach me. Each dish was a thing of beauty. Of the plates we ordered, one to note in particular was everyone's old tapas fave, Patatas Bravas (with a side of rich tomato sauce and whipped-to-order aioli, oh yes!), the whole put-together was an absolute winner. Not totally unlike sushi, the fresh salmon ‘rulada' with shoestring sweet potato is definitely worth a go for the sweet, spicy and citrusy hit it gives you all at once. My companion tucked into what looked to me like quail drumsticks, presented on an actual nest, with a dipping sauce served in an eggshell - kinda cute and very tasty I was informed. Tapa came in dessert form too, much to my delight. We had the macerated strawberries with white chocolate sorbet and also thought it rude not to try the 'Torrija' - a Spanish style brioche bread pudding - with passionfruit ice cream. I can't rave over the former, but the latter nearly had me crying tears of joy. You can pair your dishes with Spanish wines from a robust-looking list or be a devil and go into full-on holiday mode by ordering Sangria. Some of our food took a while but as it happens we were in no hurry. Had that not been the case, however, and we had to be somewhere, y'know, like back on our (hypothetical) yacht in time for a drinks party on the poop deck then we may have found ourselves in deep water. A packed restaurant is a jolly good sign, is it not? The food was worth the wait and we were happy to be a bit mañana about it all. When in Spain and all that... The interior, largely fashioned from reclaimed timber and items sourced from the UK, was cosy, earthy and not too try-hard. They're not screaming at you to notice their rustic-ness, yet you do. You give it a little nod of acknowledgement as you sit down and then forget all about it in the excitement of the food turning up, which is how it should be. We are there to eat, after all. Not scrutinise the table legs, as nice as they were. So, on a balmy summers evening, sat overlooking the marina, a bit of Spanish waiter banter and plate after delightful plate emerging from the Bravas Tapas kitchen and landing in front of me, I had very little to complain about. Food: 4/5 Venue: 4/5 Cuisine Type: Spanish Dinner for two (excluding drinks): £55 but ultimately depends on how hungry you are Wine: £4 - £8 per glass St Katharine Docks London E1W 1AT 0207 481 1464 www.bravastapas.co.uk @bravas_tapas