[Posts moved from The Honor Oak thread - admin]
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REAL TAPAS SERVED WITH DELICIOUS SHERRYS PLEASE!
Unlike tapastry in Honor Oak.
Mmmm!

I quite like the tapas in Tapastry - I take your point about the sherry, tho.

Have you asked about it while you have been there? They always seem very obliging when a suggestion is made...

I'm glad you like Tapastry, as a Spaniard I like seeing tapas bars do well. I do get frustrated though, as the vast majority are nowhere near authentic and would love to see great tapas introduced to London's vast menu of great world cuisine. Saying that, there are a few gems such as Fino, Moro, Brindissa, Barafina.
The best way to judge a tapas bar is by it's ham (jamon). It should be hand carved on request and not machine sliced like Tapastry. The jamon I ordered from there was hardened and plastic tasting at one end, to suggest they were from the fridge and exposed from there packaging. You can understand my disappointment as you notice my 'online name'.
That Green wine bar/restaurant on Lordship Lane do a lovely meat a tapas platter with delicious Manzanilla sherry and salted almonds. Not enough for a meal out but I recommend if you're in the area and need a bite in the middle of bar hopping.
Will take your advice and offer suggestions if I'm round there again.

Se?or Jamon

I think Jason at Tapastry is quite honest about saying that he is not aiming for "authentic" Spanish so much as a local, personal interpretation. It would be too much to ask for a place that size in that location to start hand carving extremely expensive Jamon Iberico on demand. I also suspect that you and I might be some of the few to actually want to order sherry.

Have you checked out the other 'local' tapas place, Barcelona Tapas? Good sherries and good jamon in my opinion.

Hola Se?or Robwinton,

Yep, I've been to Barcelona a few times and their sherries are good and their carved jamon. I don't think it's too much to ask for a good leg to be carved on premises. Barcelona do it, Camberwell's tapas joint used to do amazing ham. You can order a leg online for ?130 for decent Serrano, Jason can charge ?6 a plate and make a very good profit.
I better stop, starting to sound like a jamon pyshopath! My apologies to anyone thinking I've got issues.

All the best to Jason, he's a very friendly host nonetheless and creates a great atmosphere.

The one thing I miss about my previous haunt in London...

http://www.la-vina.co.uk/index.php

almost worth the grief of going up there just for a meal at la vina

I think all the Tapas from Tapastry tastes like its come out of the microwave. Tastless. Also When My girlfriend asked If we could have a finger bowl, as she was having prawns, she was told she could wash her hands in the toilets! We never went back.

A friend of mine has recommended Rebato's in Vauxhall, sounds great.
http://www.rebatos.com/

I used to live near here, and it is indeed great. It's not as 'fino' as the website makes it look, especially in the front 'booze and tapas' bar, though the restaurant bit is, as you might expect, a bit more swish.

That said, it looks like they've changed their tapas menu since I was last in there (August), so they may have done the place over completely. Parma Ham?!?!

Best tapas I've had in London were in Jam?n Jam?n in Camden. Brindisa are a bit too pretty for my taste (though the jam?n is excellent, extreme?o, you see, quality stuff). And you can never ever get a table at the one in Borough Market.

Talking of things Spanish - are there any local Spanish language classes or tutors that anyone can recommend?

Bull fighting in Forest Hill? Who's up for it?

We don't have any bulls.

Squirrel fighting, perhaps?

No bull fighting, or bull running for that matter, please! As for the squirrels ... I'll turn a blind eye.

I think introducing the "everyone pile on the donkey" event to next year's Forest Hill Day would be a real crowd pleaser.

I like the tomatina experience concept myself

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatina

Has anyone tried Los Torreros in Crystal Palace good tapas and live music at the weekend.For shopping try Hermanos Garcia in Portabello Road.

I really like Meson Los Barriles in Spitalfields but it is very pricey. Have only been there when the company are paying

mmmm....Manzanilla

I'm Spanish myself and the best Spanish restaurant I've tried so far is Galicia in Croydon. Is not only quite "authentic" but it's also pretty cheap and filling, something you can't really say about many Spanish places around.

Meson Los Berriles, Spitalfields - gets my vote too. I am a frequent central Spain visitor. It is the most authentic in terms of decor, service and food that I have tried in London. Quite differenet from the ubiquitous 'tapas' style eateries that I am frequently disappointed by in the 'burbs.

Meson Los Berriles - particularly good considering it's part of a chain (at any rate, there's a couple of them) where quality control and friendliness can become more of a challenge. I know what Ana means about the rise of the places in the 'burbs - the likes of La Tasca can be really underwhelming.

I think we are lucky to have Tapastry in HOP (I know I keep going back, and I am pretty picky) for the food, drink and especially the service - which was inconsistent at best in the days of the Red Rooms. Over the hill, judging from the above, Barcelona has its fans, though it's not to my own liking. But hey, live and let live...

At the end of the day all of these places are not going to be authentically Spanish - but what's the harm in the fact that they're taking the style and trying to do something with it? I am Irish, and what I expect of an Irish (-style) pub is very different to what I would expect walking into a bar in the middle of Belfast.