Vanbrosia: Salida 7

January 14, 2015

Fideua: Vermicelli Noodles Baked in Garlic, Scallops, Mussels, Clams, Prawns - 2

J's comment > not bad; a most intriguing dish; kinda like Asian broken noodles, but flavors are distinctively Spanish; decent amt of seafood on top, but the real star was the noodle

Patatas Bravas: Catalan potato fries, spicy pepper sauce and aioli - 2

J's comment > not bad; lovely crisp all around, but soft in the center; needs more pepper sauce (which wasn't spicy at all actually)

Chorizo al Vino: Chorizo, chickpeas, spinach, red wine, herbs - 2

J's comment > not bad; juicy and generous amt of chorizo, none of that thin as paper and dry as sand & completely overcooked crap you sometimes get at other chorizo serving restos; good jus, chickpeas a cute sidekick, but absolutely unnecessary

Escalivada Anchovies w oven roasted eggplant, onion and red pepper - 2

J's comment > not salty or fishy at all as feared; very well done in making it tender and actually palatable; ironically, I wish the flavor was bolder

Daily special: Deep fried nugget of salt cod - 2

J's comment > good fry on the cod, not too dry not salty at all actually; mandarin salad on the other end a pretty addition; good but not spectacular

Gambas al Ajillo: Black tiger prawns, garlic flambé w medium dry sherry wine - 2

J's comment > firm prawns, lovely jus

Almejas con Ajo y Perejil: Fresh local manila clams pan seared with garlic and parsley - 2

J's comment > decent clams, but size of actual clams a bit on the small side (smaller than the avg around town); the saltiest dish of the night

Tradicional Paella Valenciana: Paella Rice baked with Saffron, Chicken, Sausage, Salt Spring Island Mussels, Jumbo Black Tiger Prawns, Seasonal Vegetables - 2

J's comment > rice on the verge of being mushy but still grainular; seafood OK, at the very least not fishy at all

Setas al Jerez: Local wild mushrooms, garlic, red wine, baguette - 2

J's comment > exactly as noted, mushrooms on toast; needs butter. and garlic. loads of both

Calamares Fritos: Crispy calamari, lemon & dill aioli - 2

J's comment > calamari not crispy in the least but like all the other seafoods, at the very least not fishy nor rubbery, hence not a '1'; aioli didn't help

Olivas Variadas: Chef's selection of Spanish olives, spiced almonds - 2

J's comment > never been a fan of olives; this didn't change my mind

Creme Catalana - 2

J's comment > AKA creme brulee... and a very ordinary creme brulee at that

Poached pear in saffron jus - 1

J's comment > not a fan of saffron, this dish just reeked of it; pears were also firm (I prefer my poached pears soft thank you)