http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa Tierra Brindisa - London, 46 Broadwick Street, W1F 7AF, United Kingdom en http://cdn.trustedplaces.com/i/uploads/placepics/303333_0b76e458.140.jpg http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1l4r87
Review by bron99

Rating: 5.00
Tags: lively, good value, spanish
On a very cold Tuesday afternoon approaching 2 o'clock hunger set in and the amusement gained swinging through the hordes on Oxford Street was palling. Time to eat.

Risked the possibility we wouldn't get in but simply had to head for the new Brindisa. Joy of joys the lunch crowd was thinning and we go the table in the window.

Started with the almonds and olives and the peppers as an afterthought only to discover these warm, gently caremalised little green curls were just lovely topped with a little crushed salt. Add a cold glass of fino and wow.

Then on to chorizo, pigs cheek atop ginourmous butter beans, fluffy ham croquettes and a thick slice of tortilla. A light salad of spinach, raisins and pine nuts rounded it out. With a bottle of red we spent a really pleasant couple of hours, with friendly staff happy to bring more when we asked. (My brother was heading back to Oz on a flight that night and simply had to have another chorizo with rockets and peppers. And who can blame him?)

All that and you can make a reservation - if you plan in advance.]]> Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:20:54 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1l4r871515203071 bron99 lively good value spanish 51.513404 -0.136469 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1o3qr7
Review by gastro1

Rating: 4.00
Tags: expensive, spanish
Yep this place serves very good Tapas made with excellent ingredients as you would expect from an establishment owned by one of the major Spanish food wholesalers in the UK.

My particular favourites here after two meals are the outstanding stewed Iberico pig Cheeks and amazing fried goats cheese with orange blossom honey.

The Joselito Jamon is outstanding but seriously overpriced at 20 quid a portion - absolutely no excuses here. There should also be a much bigger choice of Spanish cured meats !

The choice is general is limited and therefore will always be a second choice to Barfina on Frith St - for me at least !]]> Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:52:20 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1o3qr71375746008 gastro1 expensive spanish 51.513404 -0.136469 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1l9ql7
Review by chernandezg

Rating: 5.00
Tags: spanish, good value
Was so excited to have a friend take me to this place for lunch. We walked in at 12:30 on a Friday and despite the lack of tables in the front there were two perfect stools in the Tapas bar in the back....

Some delicious jamon, croquetas, garlic shrimp, queso and wine later I promised I would return for a full dinner and a full bottle (and of course share this recommendation with you!)]]> Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:32:42 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1l9ql71968496728 chernandezg spanish good value 51.513404 -0.136469 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1k8pl8
Review by sue

Rating: 4.00
Tags: tapas, brindisa, spanish, soho
The recent opening of Tierra Brindisa in Soho has created a lot of excitement amongst the tapas-lovers community. Yes, it is just a sister restaurant to Brindisa by Borough Market, but Brindisa doesn't take bookings and it is near impossible to get a table without camping out overnight. But Tierra Brindisa does take bookings⬦. maybe there really is a god!

I must confess that I was actually one of the lucky ones who had managed a meal at Brindisa one lunch time, and loved the lively atmosphere and friendly staff. So of course I had high hopes for its younger sibling.

The restaurant design is modern with bright walls and art. I did like the look and feel of the place, but as our meal progressed I realised that we perhaps had the worst table in the house on this crisp evening as my back got a blast of cold air each time the door opened. And would it of hurt our waitress to have attempted to answer our questions with even a tiny bit of knowledge and enthusiasm?!

But we were there for the food. And that was excellent, apart from the Partridge (off the specials menu) which is well worth avoiding. Between three of us we ordered the Country toast with tomato; the Iberico Ham croquets; the Lentil Stew with soft Tietar goats curd; the aforementioned Partridge; the Leon chorizo with piquillio pepper on country toast; the Spinach omelette; and the Deep fried Monte Enebro goats cheese with orange blossom honey.

My favourites were the Monte Enebro goats cheese and the Iberico Ham croquets. I also really enjoyed the complimentary almonds they gave us at the start of the meal.]]> Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:22:02 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1k8pl8761471639 sue tapas brindisa spanish soho 51.513404 -0.136469 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1i8p38
Review by bellaphon

Rating: 5.00
Tags: lively, good value, spanish, crowded, expensive
The warmth of the sun in winter can be found here. The apricity is evident in the food, the service and dining at the bar next to the open kitchen. All heart-warming stuff.

Turned up for lunch with a friend with no reservation and as they were fully booked, we were offered to sit at the bar instead. What a brilliant coup by default it was as Iâ¬"d decided that the main dining room was dark and crowded. The bar is situated towards the end of the restaurant and next to the open kitchen. It was bright and cheery, no doubt aided by the skylights. The main advantages with sitting at the bar are the attention with service is pretty much immediate and you get a thoroughly inclusive glimpse of the Master Class cooking from the kitchen. But be warned, as there are only six covers available by the bar. If you do decide to book for a table instead, ask for one of the six thatâ¬"s located within the kitchen area as the atmosphere becomes less intrusive and enjoyable.

I find it impossible to fault the dishes that we ordered, in fact the only hugely disappointing thing was we didnâ¬"t save enough room for the cheeses or the puddings. All the requisite ticks were given to the Gordal olives, bread (bloody delicious carbs responsible for no puddings), León chorizo with piquillo pepper on toast and the Ibérico ham croquetas. My standouts were the Red mullet with oven potatoes and black olives, and the near life changing experience of the casserole of Pork cheeks with butternut beans.

Of course, comparisons are bound to be drawn to Barrafina. I found that the portions of the dishes served at Tierra Brindisa are a tad more but the fish options offered by Barrafina more variegated. For the ambience alone, I think Barrafina wins and Iâ¬"m prepared to queue. Either way both establishments go on to prove that we Londoners are a lucky bunch, we can and will always be spoilt for choice.

NB I included the video to show the impossibly adept Hungarian chef who was heading the kitchen. No blind panicking, shouting or swearing just sheer discipline and cool professionalism. The restaurant was full at this time.

UPDATE- Went back with my daughter for lunch on a Saturday, strangely quiet at 1.30pm and loads of empty tables. Food was superb as usual and the deep fried Monte Enebro goat's cheese was 2 die 4. Thank you, Sue. A very blonde waitress who spoke little English suggested my order of Indian tonic water was impossible to fulfil as they were a Spanish restaurant!
]]> Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:32:47 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1i8p382035748910 bellaphon lively good value spanish crowded expensive 51.513404 -0.136469 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1d5px8
Review by Niamheen

Rating: 4.00
Tags: lively, good value, spanish
I'm a big fan of Brindisa, I am a regular in their shop and have enjoyed tapas at Tapas Brindisa in Borough Market in the past. I enjoyed the tapas but I didn't enjoy the wait, you can't book and, being a popular spot, the waiting is almost unbearable. I went once and was so put off by the 2.5 hour wait, I didn't go back. Then recently I heard that they were opening a new central location, in Soho, and you could book a table there. How revolutionary! So, keen as ever, I orchestrated a couple of tapas evenings at the new Tierra Brindisa.

The first night didn't go very well, in fact it didn't go atall. A friend had booked a table for her birthday and when we arrived we found out that the reservation didn't exist, or at least they didn't have it. She had booked over the phone, and we know these things happen, especially in the early days of a restaurant, but it was disappointing. They compensated by inviting us to the bar for a glass of wine on the house while we waited for our remaining friends. This was a nice touch, but when we were told 10 minutes later that the seats were booked and we had to leave, not having time to finish the wine we had been given, it left a sour taste.

I had a booking for the following Wednesday with friends, and went with some trepidation, after my experience on my previous visit. I need not have worried, we were given a warm welcome, and more importantly our reservation existed, so we happily sat down and started to peruse the menu. The room itself is lovely, quite intimate and warm and with an open kitchen and tapas bar at the back, it's also quite vibrant and busy. Exactly what you would expect a tapas bar to be.

Service was brisk and friendly and in no time we had a fine bottle of white wine (As Laxas 2006) and some country toast with tomato. One of our party didn't eat meat so we decided to focus on the fish and vegetarian dishes, save one meat dish. It was the Ibérico ham croquetas that I was weak for, having read about them on Dos Hermanos blog. We also ordered potato tortilla, lentil stew with soft Tiétar goats curd, beetroot with Picos de Europa blue cheese and walnut vinaigrette, red mullet with oven potatoes and black olives, battered hake with allioli, we also got some more bread, this time country toast with allioli.

The food was all very, very good. My only criticism would be that the batter on the hake could have been a little crisper. The croquetas in particular were divine, the tortilla nice and moist and eggy in the middle as it should be, the red mullet combined fantastically well with the olives, and the lentil stew with the goats curd was superb. The beetroot was very delicate and was wonderful with the picos de europa blue cheese and the walnuts.

It was all over very quickly, but we weren't in anyway rushed, it was all a very relaxing and pleasant experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am very happy that there is another fine rustic tapas establishment in the centre of town. When life gives you a Brindisa that you can book, you have to go there often!]]> Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:42:20 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1i5618x/tierra-brindisa/1d5px8156074279 Niamheen lively good value spanish 51.513404 -0.136469