Restaurants

True to its name, El Pirata feels like a trespasser amid the high seas of Mayfair’s super-restaurants. But its continuing popularity – the place was busy when we visited on a Monday lunchtime – shows that even round here there’s a need for honest, good-quality comfort food. We quickly filled up on wholesome dishes like fabada asturiana (made correctly with pork shoulder, chorizo and morcilla) and arroz negro (squid with squid-ink-coloured rice), and balanced them with a lovely salad made with spinach, rocket, pine nuts and shaved manchego cheese. The decor is rustic in monochrome (white paint, black wood, black tablecloths) and the walls are crammed with Spanish repro art – a bit of a cliché, but quite charming. Charming also are the attentive Spanish waiters, who come properly uniformed in the classic way: a little gesture of formality that’s rarely unwelcome. Two other strengths are the budget set lunch menu (two tapas and a drink) and a large, informed choice of regional Spanish wines, including some excellent reserve Riojas.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008