THE TAPAS KITCHEN
by Si Hall & Arthur Gold
At the Wirral Life™Awards last November - West Kirby's The Tapas
Kitchen were officially voted the best restaurant on the Wirral two years
running - 2018 & 2019, a title they will retain until the next awards in
2021 (or whenever we're allowed to have 850 people in one space).
Managing Director, Colin invited us along to remind us of just how really
good they are.
Tapas or small plates in general are hugely popular right now, so for these
guys to stand out, it surely must be something special. Literally everything
about the Spanish 'inspired' menu has their own unique re-imagining of the
classics.
The team are obsessed with flavour, even what would appear to be visually
very simple dishes, once tasted you realise they're anything but. They'll take a
classic and think, "to be on our menu, it needs to be ten times tastier".
And so we begin... with a Vegan dish -Woodland Mushrooms, garlic, butter,
chilli, olive oil and wilted greens. This isn't any old garlic mushrooms. A
multitude of different wild mushrooms, each with their own flavour makes
this really stand out.
Next up was the amazing Fabada - a rich smokey Asturian bean stew, with
smoked bacon and artisan sausage. The notable chefs here are always playing
with different ideas, so the menu itself is a moveable feast. One of our editors
had previously exclaimed that the Fabada was by far the best version he'd
ever tasted, honestly, it's staggeringly good!
We were excited to try the Roasted belly pork with crunchy crackling crumb
and a sticky sweet Seville orange glaze, as a lot of places get this wrong and
it ends up being tough and dry. Obviously these boys nailed it - soft, moist,
delicious.
During lockdown it's clear that these guys have not been sat around
twiddling their thumbs, instead they've dreamt up a number of new dishes
which are all excellent...
We threw another recommended Vegan dish into the mix - Chickpea and
Spinach Estofado - incredibly tasty, rich and moreish.
Now for a few inspired meat dishes... the Catalan Surf & Turf, now this is
serious! The steak was... wait for it... Fillet Mignon!! (these guys are not
messing around). With King Prawns in a sherry and paprika sauce.
Cooked to perfection and packed full of flavour. Absolutely beautiful!
Lastly came the Lamb Caldretta - slow cooked lamb with wild garlic and soft
cooked onions in balsamic. Now, it would appear I'm the only carnivore on
Earth that doesn't like lamb, so for me to say it's one of the tastiest dishes I
thought I'd never try and really loved it, is saying something.
All the portions are so substantial that we really struggled to find room for
a dessert. So we opted for something else these guys are particularly good
at - Cocktails.
We couldn't resist the Apple Mojito - using the Sikkim Greenery Gin which
was super refreshing, the summery Iced Mango Margarita and finally an
orgasmic Reformed Porn Star – Using Licor 43.
There is an excellent wine menu (a full wine review is coming in the next
issue), with the obligatory Spanish Cava served in modern Cava glasses and
a really interesting and considered beer selection, created for food.
In summary: It's very clear The Tapas Kitchen love playing with ingredients
to really push the flavour boat out, striving to deliver fresh, simple, classic,
great value, substantial dishes with their own distinct unique twist, that
knocks your tastebuds out of the park...
Well, it's a home run. 5 stars.
Wirral Life™ Awards ' Restaurant of the Year' 2018 & 2019
To book call 0151 625 8111.
The TTK Fish Tacos with citrus alioli and chorizo picante crumb came
out with the Fresh Sea Bass fillets in a crisp cumin batter and a lime and
coriander salsa fresca - all super fresh, light and lovely!
32 wirrallife.com