Restaurants

Evidently this was just what the residents of Walthamstow Village were waiting for: a decent, laid-back neighbourhood tapas bar to bolster the area’s still-limited dining options. A year after it opened, the Orford Saloon is packed most nights of the week; booking ahead is highly advisable. A vaguely rustic decor avoids the decorative clichés often encountered in more textbook tapas bars; the exceptionally authentic cooking, overseen by a Spanish head chef, means they aren’t needed. Well-known classics populate the menu and, familiar though they are, they’re cooked with uncommon precision. Bacalao a la roteña was plump, glistening chunks of salt cod in a tomato and pepper sauce. Slivers of tender fillet steak came with chunks of sweet, sautéed potato. Chicken livers in white wine had a perfect creamy texture and offally-rich flavour. To lubricate, there’s a short but intelligent round-up of about a dozen Spanish wines and four sherries; the beers include Cruzcampo on tap and Estrella in bottles. This is a lesson in how to do traditional tapas abroad; the Orford’s popularity is entirely deserved.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008