Delicado

LOCATION
On the corner of Blues Point Road and Princes Street.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
There are many brilliant restaurants in Sydney, but only a handful completely immerse themselves in the culture of the cuisine they offer. Delicado is one of these places. It lives, breathes and is built of Spain. Starting out as a providore, over five years it acquired a boutique wine retailer, a restaurant and a cooking school. Now it’s a place that allows you to taste more than ten types of Spanish cheese, nibble on Spanish tapas, drink a glass of Spanish wine (paired by resident sommelier and co-owner, Ben Moechtar) and walk away with a bottle of Ramon Bilbao Crianza Rioja, a set of plates and a coat rack, for example. Spanish, of course! In short, this place was created to be a taste of Spain; a second home for expat Spaniards, a place to reminisce for Spanish travellers and a taste of the culture and passion of Spain for would-be adventurers.

Great care was taken in creating every element – from constantly changing interiors which brim with imported Spanish merchandise like books, crockery and furniture to cured meats, paella kits, wines, chocolates, oils, sweets and tapas that tempt the palate. If you decide to dine here – and you should definitely endeavour to do this – your tastebuds will be met with a range of seasonal tapas. You might find yourself sharing a fresh ensalada mixtos (a mesclun, avocado, cucumber and Spanish onion salad), mussels in a warm spicy tomato broth, a sardine tartlet with braised fennel, olive tapenade and roasted tomato or the celebrated jamon Serrano. There is also a “Delicado tapas plate” which offers three daily-changing tapas to tempt the senses. Pair your experience with a glass of wine and finish with some churros con chocolate, then try (I dare you) to leave without buying something for home.

Agnes Gajewska