Tapas Revolution

The new Westfield Stratford City shopping centre has, we're told, 'more than 70' new places to buy food and drink, to eat in and take away. Which is a lot of nosh on offer, but also it's an illusion of choice, as the 'outlets' are nearly all chains or branches, from Yo! Sushi to Pizza Express. By contrast, the first Westfield, in W12, has fewer places to eat (around 50) - but more real choice, as greater originality has been shown in choosing the restaurants that populate the mall.

One such original is Tapas Revolution. A shopping mall may not be the most likely place to look for great tapas, so Tapas Revolution comes as a pleasant surprise. You couldn't really call the experience 'authentic' though. With the piped music and desiccated mall atmosphere, you're not likely to kid anyone you're in a bustling Barcelona tapas bar - but close your eyes, cover your ears and concentrate on what's on the plate, and you can do a good job of pretending.

Tortilla, that magic combo of egg, potato and olive oil that sounds so simple yet is so difficult to get right, is a great way to test the mettle of a kitchen - and this squidgy, just-set version easily passed muster. Pan con tomate, the classic Catalan 'holy trinity' of toasted bread rubbed with ripe tomato drizzled with olive oil, was better than versions we've had in Barcelona. Braised pork cheeks cooked in sherry were hearty, full-flavoured and tender, the sherry giving it a particularly Spanish savour.

The serious cooking is the handiwork of chef Omar Alibhoy, formerly at El Pirata Detapas in Westbourne Grove. This is his first venture as chef-patron (a second branch in Bluewater is planned to open 'soon'). As well as great cooking, there's a small selection of decent Spanish wines by the glass, including a couple of sherries, and horchata, a drink made from the 'milk' of the tiger nut rhizome - beloved in Barcelona and rarely seen outside Spain. A gem of a restaurant, in an unexpected place.