Basque Tapas and Wine

DETAILS
Basque Tapas and Wine opened in 2003 and is committed to running a restaurant that reflects the authenticity of the Basque region.

Basque Country is a small ethnic enclave located in the heart of the Pyrenees Mountains, which divide Spain and France from one another.

Inspired by French nouvelle cuisine, the Basque country is nowadays regarded as Spain’s uncontested gourmet stronghold. Basques turn to the sea for its food, which mainly features a wide variety of seafood (eel, sole, hake, cod, and shellfish), as well as ham, lamb, and ingredients found in its mountains, such as wild mushrooms, apples, corn and beans. The sauces are made rich and flavourful by generous helpings of peppers, herbs and tomatoes. The only thing that matter to the Basques is absolute freshness, abundance of fresh seafood and pure flavours of the very best basic ingredients. The staff at Basque Tapas and Wine, pride themselves in this unique dining experience.

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Basque brings the authentic flavour of this corner of Spain to its diners, from the brightly coloured walls and wrought iron chairs to the traditional tapas menu. Crucifixes and candelabras set the tone when you walk in, the large “Espana” banner and little Catholic shrine adding to the rustic ambience and leaving you in no doubt as to the style of food you are about to enjoy. Mains are on offer but tapas are the stars and favoured method of eating here. Reasonably priced to reflect their small size, it is easy to see your table laden with an array of the distinctive, brown ceramic cazuelas as you choose from a varied selection.

The choices change regularly but some favourites remain such as patatas bravas, tortilla, albondigas, jamon and chorizo. Specials such as prawn stuffed egg or leek and onion mussels are also enticing and hard to go past. The cheese puffs with paprika salt are a perennial favourite. There’s a degustation menu on offer, too, starting with gazpacho and following with a variety of tapas and glass of wine. Sangria is the crowd pleasing beverage of choice, but there is also a wide choice of excellent Spanish wines on offer, chosen with obvious care and knowledge to complement the food, and offer you an all round Basque experience.

Angela Costanzo