Malvarosa - Menu

I have to admit, Tapas is never top of my list of food when choosing somewhere to go. I have nothing against Spanish food but I am always looking for something... read more I have to admit, Tapas is never top of my list of food when choosing somewhere to go. I have nothing against Spanish food but I am always looking for something that will blow me away. There are so many great flavours there and great potential. I ended up at Malvarosa in an attempt to find somewhere to eat after a trip to Fort Kinnaird. It's a small place, with a nice family feel. You end up sitting pretty close to the kitchen. We went for 5 tapas dishes (and some bread) between two of us. We weren't hugely hungry but this seemed a good amount. Overall it was mixed bag; the chorizo bread (which we didn't order but ended up with) was quite cold, and some other bread was a bit hard for my liking. Patas bravas tasted pretty much as it should with a nice kick. Chorizo in cider was nice but I wish it had a bit more punch. The haddock bites were a real high point however and the standout dish. Fresh and more-ish. The garlic chicken was also great. The goats cheese onion tarts arrived a while after we finished everything else and were fine but didn't blow me away. It was rounded off with a nice Rioja though. It doesn't quite make the 4 stars because although the staff were friendly, the service wasn't quite up to scratch. We had to wait for the dishwasher cycle to finish before getting some drinks, we waited quite a while with our menus and we received some dishes we didn't order and didn't receive some we did. I think if you like Tapas though this is a safe bet. The food tasted fresh, generally seemed of good quality, and prices are fair. I don't think I would make the trip out to Portobello to come here but if in the area I'd come back.

We've selected this place because of good reviews, but left disappointed in the end. I've ordered traditional garlic prawns Gambas, my wife had ordered calamari... read more We've selected this place because of good reviews, but left disappointed in the end. I've ordered traditional garlic prawns Gambas, my wife had ordered calamari and Bravas potatoes, my daughter had fried Ali Oli potatoes. This was the first time when I've seen prawns cooked not in the oil, but in the water mixed with oil. It was pretty flavourless in the end. Potatoes for my daughter were served 5 10 min after our food. Calamari was good, but they've forgot to make the Bravas potatoes for my wife, so she was left hungry : Calamari was £10, Gambas £15, and 0.5l of Sangria £10.