Granada Cafe

LOCATION
Between South Bank and West End, five minutes' walk from South Brisbane Station.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
There is a little false advertising with tapas that implies you can spend a little and eat a lot. But at the end of the night you are often not-so-pleasantly surprised once all those innocent, entree-sized dishes have been added up. But Granada Cafe is breaking the mould. Prices are low – pocket-change low. Granada, located in no-man's-land between West End and South Bank, might not instantly seem like a great prospect. Its location is slightly peripheral; its sparse wooden décor pleasant but bland.

But that is because Granada is a tapas bar that prefers to concentrate squarely on its tapas. The modest bill means a table can happily order a large selection of mini-dishes to nibble at. These range from simple salted almonds or chorizo, through to Empanadilla de Carne beef pastries or the much-loved Croqueta de Espinicas - gorgeous little morsels consisting of mild goat's cheese and tangy spinach in a crunchy golden crust.

Larger Raciones form the other half of the menu. The sumptuous Pollo a la Yucatan serves chicken given the true Iberian treatment. Vegetarians, meanwhile, will be thrilled by the tempting presence of the Setas con Jerez – drunken mushrooms served in sherry.

It wouldn't be Spanish without some good red plonk, and Granada does not skimp, offering a selection which includes six genuine Riojas amongst other fine Spanish vintages. More unusual is the attention paid to the beer list; choose from eight different imported Spanish cervezas. Because that's what you get at Granada Café – quiet, unassuming attention to detail, with truly tasty Spanish flavour.

Aran Ward Sell