Del Parc

Dining at this small tapas restaurant is a very intimate experience. Soft lighting and a soundtrack of chill-out classics create a romantic vibe that attracts plenty of couples. A dozen tables are spread around the open-plan kitchen, where you can observe chef Steve at work (staying consistently calm and gracefully arranging plates), while waiter Alan chirpily works the room.

The menu mixes Spanish and North African influences. Serrano ham rolls came wrapped around honeyed goat's cheese with hints of fennel. Del Parc's version of migas, a Spanish dish made with breadcrumbs, combined crunchy olive oil croutons with buttery broad beans, seaweed and dukka (a Middle Eastern herb and nut mix); paprika added a deep smokiness. We loved the Moroccan meatballs. Snuggled in a tomato sauce and contrasted with mint labneh, they were bursting with Moorish favours of cumin and paprika.

Not everything hit the spot, though. Two salt cod fritters contained too much floury potato mash, with only a hint of fish, and the accompanying pea and mint purée seemed a tad too British to feature in a tapa dish.