Tapas Revolution, Bluewater (From News Shopper)

REVIEW: Tapas Revolution, Bluewater

11:47am Monday 16th January 2012 in Leisure By Kelly Smale

A LITTLE piece of Spain is waiting to be explored at Bluewater in the form of Tapas Revolution.

The restaurant, which is actually a bar, can be found in the upper mall of the shopping centre's Plaza dining area, which opened in November last year.

I went along on a week night with my boyfriend, Dan, to discover the second Madrid-style all-day tapas bar - the first opened at Westfield London in Shepherd’s Bush more than a year ago.

Chef and creator of Tapas Revolution, Omar Allibhoy, has been appearing on our TV screens most recently on Drop Down Menu for Channel 4.

He decided to start the revolution after becoming frustrated by the lack of Spanish restaurants compared to other cuisines such as Chinese or Thai.

The 28-year-old said: "We are open all day from breakfast to dinner.

"That’s how it is in Spain.

"You can have a chat with your camarero or friend and feel entertained and have a bit of fun with us by seeing the food and how we do things."

He added: "We have fantastic deals because part of Tapas Revolution was being for absolutely everyone. Whether you’re a young girl, woman, boy, man or baby.

"We are affordable and fresh."

The vibrant bar consists of an open plan kitchen surrounded by 40 high stools so wherever you're seated you can see the food being prepared.

We were handed a menu straight away, which was divided in to picoteo (nibbles), pescado (fish), carne (meat), jamon iberico, charcuteria & serrano and vegetales (vegetarian).

It also offers breakfast, bocadillos (sandwiches) and tabla de queso (cheese board).

Our favourites included the Pan con tomate (2.95) - toasted bread, garlic, tomato and olive oil, Alboindigas con tomate (£5.50) - 100 per cent lamb meatballs in tomato sauce, Chorizo al horno (£5.50) - oven roasted Spanish sausage and Pinchos morunos (£6.95) - marinated beef skewers.

Our waiter also recommended we try Tortilla de patatas (£3.95) - Spanish omelette made with potato and garlic as well as Carrilleras (£6.75) - braised iberico pork cheeks cooked in sherry.

I was reluctant to try the pork cheeks but the meat was tender and is definitely worth a try.

The food was given to us quickly and tasted lovely and fresh.

Omar said: "I painstakingly research ingredients. That’s why the product we serve is so good."

He sources key produce from small farms in Spain, including Jamon Iberico, traditional cheeses, chorizo and charcuterie.

If you have any room left after eating the delicious tapas make sure you try Churros con chocolate (£3.95) - Spanish doughnuts tossed in cinnamon sugar and served with dipping chocolate.

I would definitely recommend visiting Tapas Revolution. The food is great, the service is quick and friendly and it's a brilliant alternative for eating out.

For more information, visit tapasrevolution.com