What with the positive invasion of Spanish restaurants that have opened in Manchester recently, there’s a chance you might have overlooked the launch of Tapeo and Wine on Deansgate. We’ve been, several times in fact, and if you miss this one, you really will be missing out.
A menu that's both authentic and rich featuring dishes containing the finest Spanish ingredients
For a number of years, owner Natalia Esquerdo has been importing top quality Spanish ingredients. She has scoured the Iberian Peninsula searching for the best hams, chorizo, olives, bread, oils, fish, rice and other dry goods, learning about each producer and the story behind each ingredient. Together with her husband and chef Nacho, they have finally opened a restaurant and now is the time for them to show off all that she has discovered.
Pan de Hogaza
They have gathered a team determined to help them create a menu that's both authentic and rich featuring dishes containing the finest Spanish ingredients. The result is Tapeo and Wine, a gorgeous two floor restaurant in a beautiful listed building on Deansgate. With typical sensitivity and attention to detail Natalia has kept the original features, complimenting them with imported Spanish tiles, flattened copper walls and dark wooden furniture.
Patatas Bravass
Along with a fine selection of chilled Sherries and carefully chosen Spanish wines to enjoy, customers are welcome to either perch at the ground floor bar sampling a few food friendly tapas, nibble on Camporreal Olives or Salted Marcona Almonds, or settle down in the restaurant for a rolling programme of wonderful Spanish treats.
We decided to do the latter and spent an afternoon sampling a range of dishes starting with Papas Fritas de la Casa (Homemade Crisps with Sea Salt and Paprika) and Pan de Hogaza (Sourdough Bread with a gorgeously grassy single estate Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil.)
Once our stomachs were sufficiently carb-lined, we worked our way through some fish dishes including a plate of beautifully fanned-out Mojama (Air Dried Tuna Loin), Merluza en Salsa Verde (Hake in a rich garlic and parsley sauce) and, because no trip to a Spanish restaurant is complete without croquetas, Croquetas de Bogavante y Gambas (with lobster and prawn). These were as satisfying as you’d hope, with nuggets of seafood bound in a nutmeg-rich béchamel sauce before being coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried.
Conejo al Ajillo
Natalia and Nacho have mostly steered clear of chicken dishes favouring the slightly gamier rabbit which they serve lightly fried with garlic and spring onions (Conejo al Ajillo) and in a traditional Valencian paella. As you’d expect, there are a few paella’s on the menu as well as other interesting rice dishes such as Lobster Meloso Rice, Arroz al Horno (Baked rice with pork ribs, chicken and black pudding) and even Arroz de la Huerta, a vegetable paella with aubergine, courgette, asparagus, peppers, potatoes and onions. We were pleasantly surprised to discover an original and striking pasta dish on the menu; Fideua Negra with squid ink, cuttlefish, wet garlic and prawns.
Fideua Negra
Fresh vegetables at their seasonal best play a huge part in Spanish cuisine where simple cooking, good olive oil and salt help them to shine. Tapeo have an outstanding selection of vegetarian dishes including Espencat; a deceptively simple warm salad of roast peppers, aubergine, tomato and garlic. Our reviewer loved Berenjena Frita; aubergine crisps with a PX sherry and honey glaze and again, no selection of Spanish tapas is complete without Patatas Bravass. The ones at Tapeo are served crisp and golden topped with both rich tomato sauce and Allioli.
We could go on (and between us all, we’re determined to go through the entire menu for fear of missing out another winning dish) but in the meantime, we highly recommend that you visit his independent, family owned Spanish treasure.
Book your experience at Tapeo & Wine.
Huevos Rotos
Spanish Flan
Churros
The beautiful ground floor
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