Albóndigas with Spiced Tomato Sauce excerpted from Tapas: Delicious little plates to share from Spain by Ryland Peters & Small. Photography by Clare Winfield.
Bring a little taste of Spain to your table with this collection of irresistible small plates to enjoy with drinks.
Served in bars all over Spain, tapas are the ultimate in bar snacks. From a simple bowl of olives to a mouthwatering selection of seafood, there is always something for everyone. Tapas are great shared among friends, making them the perfect choice for party nibbles or as an accompaniment to pre-dinner drinks. You can also serve them as a convivial appetizer for sharing or cook a range of dishes to make a more substantial lunch or dinner.
Fish and Seafood are an essential part of any tapas menu and include delicious morsels such as Gambas al Ajillo (garlic shrimp) and Tigre Tapas (mussels in overcoats). No tapas selection is complete without traditional Meat and Poultry dishes, such as Cordero al Limón (lamb with lemon) and Chorizo al Vino (chorizo in red wine). Vegetables and Little Extras include classics such as Tortilla Española (Spanish omelet) and everyone’s favorite vegetarian tapas dish, Patatas Bravas (potatoes in tomato sauce). There are also essential accompaniments like Alioli and Almendras Saladas (salted almonds). (more…)
You quite literally have to enter the side door to get into Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen + Bar. Pretty cheeky. Once inside it’s rather expansive. An open-air patio this way to your left, a groovy bar thataway to your right and a mutli-level restaurant straightaway.Consistently noted as one of Ottawa’s finest eateries, Sidedoor is an Asian-fusion restaurant celebrated for two very distinct dishes that are seldom associated with Asia or with fancy-pants dining: tacos and donuts. Although, as we were about to discover, these two dishes have been cleverly brought to inspired levels.It’s essential to remember that the food at Sidedoor is tapas-style, is meant for sharing and is portioned accordingly. The tacos are quite mini, actually. Two bitefulls and it’s over. But it’s not always about how big things are. In this case, the emphasis is on flavour. We sampled the spicy beef, Korean pulled-pork and the Bajan crispy fish tacos. Arranged on soft corn tortillas, they are at once flavourful, delicious, tender, juicy, messy, sinful, dreamy and triumphant. Our personal favourite was the spicy beef tacos with just enough heat and a rightful amount of cool radish and avocado toppings.
Next up, we went for the Coconut-poached halibut. The buttery and tender fish was topped with mango, Thai basil and fresh chili giving every bite an elegant and complex mix of fresh, spicy and sweet.
Finally dessert time had arrived. I’ve never had donuts at a sit-down restaurant, but I was ready. Bring on the white chocolate mint and the white chocolate with cranberry mini donuts. Served pipping hot, they were light and airy with a sweet thin glaze. Easy to eat and share, they were very much worth the wait. I can see myself becoming obsessionally passionate about these swoon-worthy creations.
One thing I observed as the restaurant passed from buzzy happy hour to more serious dinner service, the space retained an almost serene atmosphere, a calmness that can only be described as a pleasure to the senses. We were able to have a conversation without resorting to hollering at each other. Very refreshing.
As for the food, it belongs in rarefied circles. Sidedoor’s chef Jonathan Korecki has been able to elevate the lowly donut and taco and make them so good that they transcend mere adjectives. Having now dined there, regular appearance on the “best-of-the-best lists” come as no surprise. Consider this food blogger’s taste buds amazed. My dreams are now occupied with tacos and donuts!
Korean pulled-pork taco
Spicy beef taco
Spicy prawn taco
Green papaya salad
Crunchy meatball
Duck leg confit w/ red apple curry, crispy shallots and mint
