10 Reasons To Love Tapas

The Spanish are said to have invented tapas (“lids”) so the locals could keep flies out of their drinks – while also cutting down on drunken bar brawls – but these days they’re a genre all of their own. And thanks to some ingenious local chefs, the plates may be small but they’re big on flavour and creativity. You may even need a siesta afterwards

- Michelle Coburn

1 THE FOOD IS ALWAYS ON TREND

The name THE POT LUCK CLUB might refer to making a meal with whatever happens to be available, but the approach to the food served at Luke Dale-Roberts’ award-winning restaurant is anything but arbitrary. You’ll be mesmerised by the smoothly run show in the open kitchen, where the team, now headed by Freddie Dias, crafts plates divided into salty, bitter, sweet and umami flavour profiles.

The menu changes continually as Freddie and Luke collaborate on new additions such as springbok rump with beetroot prepared four ways (ash-baked, pickled, ketchup and raw), or crispy fried calamari with black sesame emulsion, yuzu, salted cucumber and chilli paste (see previous page). “The paste is fermented, the same as our peri-peri,” says Freddie. “It’s actually an adaptation of my mother’s recipe. She’s Portuguese. Luke encourages me to ferment different ingredients because I really enjoy it. One day I just took her recipe and started playing. I guess you could say I’m good at letting food go rotten!”

All jokes aside, the result of Freddie's adventurous experiments is magic on many a small plate, so treat yourself to some seriously inventive fare. Just remember to book a table well in advance.

2 YOU’LL GET A TASTE OF SPAIN (OLÉ!) PINTXADA is the newest relative of the ever popular Little Havana in Umhlanga and is named for the pintxo – a small snack usually spiked to a piece of flatbread with a skewer or toothpick – typically eaten in northern Spain. The menu changes weekly and chef Deno Sodalay conjures up the likes of boquerones (anchovies) with roast peppers and crostini, chargrilled vegetables with yoghurt dressing and grilled calamari with chilli and chorizo.