Restaurants

Look on a map and you’ll see how, just west of Maida Vale, the unreconstructed borough of Brent stubs its thumb into the upmarket pie of W9. But if you’re brave enough to cross the frontier into bedraggled Malvern Road, you’ll discover one of London’s best-value Spanish restaurants. It’s worth booking ahead, as the tiny, romantic ground-floor room can’t fit more than about 20 diners, and you don’t want to be relegated underground. A tapas list covers the various regions of Spanish cooking. We would recommend, among other things, a hearty fabada asturiana (white bean stew with chorizo and morcilla) and moreish chipirones (squid in its own ink). The Basque emphasis suggested by the restaurant’s name is most obvious in the selection of fish main courses, which are well worth ordering to share if you still have room. Our merluza a la vasca was a perfectly cooked fillet of hake in a buttery broth with peas, asparagus and potatoes. Low prices, including a decent selection of wines for under £20 a bottle, means you can get out of here for less than £50 for two.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008