Cambridge Foodie has been busy eating out (celebrating a recent promotion at work) and Sunday took us down to London to visit The Italian. We had the grand tour of Walthamstow high street and got to see the Sunday farmers market (well worth a visit for some local cheese) and had some heartstopping baklava from the Turkish supermarket.
Up in Walthamstow Village we stumbled upon Orford Saloon, a small tapas bar with a rather lovely (and wonderfully warm even in winter) conservatory out back with pretty mosaic tables but slightly annoying pop music playing. A reassuringly Spanish waiter greeted us and recommended the Alhambra beer - fresh and fruity with a sweet maltiness.
We started by digging in to a dish of olives, rather disappointing as they had been stored in brine. However, the rest of the dishes were fantastic. The Patatas bravas had a sauce that was pleasantly spicy (unlike the gloopy La Tasca rubbish), the Fritura de pescado (deep fried prawns, calamari and white fish) was perfectly cooked with the white fish being divine - moist and just cooked in the middle and coated in a properly seasoned and non-greasy batter. I gave the anchovies a miss but TH and The Italian polished them off pretty quickly.
Our favourite dishes were Pulpo a la gallega (octopus cooked with paprika and potatoes and onion) thanks to The Italian for introducing me to this dish - soft, succulent and moreish with semi-roasted potatoes and onion. We also enjoyed Pinchitos morunos (lamb marinated with cumin and chilli) and Lentejas con chorizo - chorizo and lentils in a tomato sauce, a winter warming thick stew-like dish.
At £20 a head this is not a cheap lunch but it is properly cooked Spanish food and I imagine the place has quite a lively vibe in the evenings. If nothing else you should visit just to try the octopus.
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