PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAA babble of languages in one corner, a couple of local poets arguing to a background of Spanish guitars in another and eclectic art on the walls. There are stools at the bar for an afternoon copa, scattered tables in the garden and finos in the fridge. Most importantly there are some fabulous flavours on the plate - real aioli and bread, beautifully fresh ceviche, house-made chorizo sausage with a bite of sweet Spanish paprika, fresh, melt-in-the-mouth albondigas, zarzuelas, gambas al Pil Pil, paella for two, plump mussels in oil, paprika and garlic and lots more.
Francisco’s saves you an air ticket to Madrid with touches of Barcelona’s colour and the fire of Andalusia thrown in for good measure. Tapas and a chilled manzanilla whet your appetite, before you wend your way through wines from Rioja, Priorato, Catalonia and the Navarra. There’s a casual, breeze-in, breeze-out, cosmopolitan buzz to the place, as welcoming for nibbles and a sherry before the theatre as for a long summer afternoon over a few bottles in the garden or a late night coffee and cognac hit. Service is great, the Spanish eyes simply melting.
Graeme Phillips