Reina

Time Out says

Sun Oct 28 2012

Gourmet wine bar Reina offers a very attractive menu packed with homemade dishes that manage to put a modern twist on the traditional without abandoning the essentials of southern Spanish cooking. A base of well-prepared good products and just a touch of imagination have made this stately setting a benchmark in this coveted area.

You’ll always find a superb selection of acorn-fed Iberian ham, and on a recent visit we also got the chance to try some attractive new dishes such as the seasonal crispy artichoke leaves with mustard sauce, and strips of aubergine topped with molasses – two options from an extensive starter list that also includes a a tantalizing vegetable tempura with romesco sauce, and, one of our favourites, mouth-watering chicken strips with soy sauce. The reasonable prices are just another reason to sit back and try a bit more. Another newcomer to the menu are the fried anchovies with onion, a delicious and unusual take on anchovies, and the fruit of an inspirational visit to Córdoba de la Esperanza.

Another surprise are the artichoke hearts with foie gras sauce, and there’s nothing wrong with trying the brains in batter which are not at all oily, friend well and wisely accompanied by strips of leek.

The homemade dishes include lentils, veal kidneys with sherry, and tripe with capipota (literally ‘head and foot’), which we opted for. There’s also a wide variety of egg dishes, among which the garlic ‘gulas’ (baby eels) option stands out. For your next dish, you can choose fresh fish or meat, including our discovery of a grilled acorn-fed Iberian pork to start and quail drumsticks with mustard to finish the meal.

The wine cellar is always stocked with the latest varieties, and we completed our dining experience with a 2008 Mas Irene Penedès, which you could say has no reason to envy a good burgandy.

By Marcelo Aparicio