After extensive renovations Spanish restaurant group, Brindisa Kitchens, has relaunched its Shoreditch restaurant, Tramontana, as Tapas Brindisa. I dropped by the launch party last night. I was impressed with the new digs (loved the massive marble bar) and couldn’t get enough of the food on offer. The sliders with the morcilla mixed in with the mince were irresistibly delicious. The paella was maybe the best I’ve ever tried (for real).
I think I might have just stumbled upon the BEST sangria in London. (Until I’m proven otherwise, that will be my official statement. But you’re very welcome to prove me wrong any time, I have plenty of time that just opened up for sangria tasting!).
A friend of mine had been visiting and was more than a little bit into Spanish food as she was just back from a work-trip to sunny Spain. So, where to head but to Brindisa, one of London’s top players in terms of Spanish food?
A true bet any time you're craving some excellent tapas!
Brindisa in Borough Market is one of my favourite restaurants in the whole city - nay, the world - when I used to live in London Bridge I used to go so often we were on first name terms with the staff, had "the usual" favourites and always got a good table, fast. I love that place, so when I heard about a special lunch menu at the sister branch, Tramontana in Shoreditch , I knew I had to try it out. The Calçotada is an annual Spanish festival celebrating calcots, which are essentially large spring onions, from Catalunya in northeastern Spain. The set menu is served Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes in February and March, when calcots are at their best. The calçots are cooked on a fire until charred, steamed in newspaper then served in bunches for the table to share. You peel off the blackened skin with your fingers and dip them in a tasty romasco sauce. It's simple, delicious and very messy: we sat down to a chilled glass of cava and put our bibs on to get stuck in. After having about a dozen each, we moved onto the meat platter piled high with butifarra sausage, presa iberica ham, tender lamb chump and grilled chorizo. For side dishes, we were served grilled artichokes, roasted peppers, baked potato and toast with a good, strong aioli. For dessert we had the Spanish version of crème brûlée, crema catalana, and finished with double espressos.
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A lively restaurant and good food. Tramontana is on the edge of Curtain Road and Old Street, you could easily miss it as it doesn't jump out at you, but once inside its jumping. We opted to sit at the bar, it was a chilly autumn evening and it was nice to feel the heat of the kitchen which is behind the bar, you get to see all the chefs at work here which is always nice. its a very nice space in all, with high communal tables and restaurant tables at the back. It feels very modern Spanish, I really liked it. The speciality of the house is rice, although we just stuck with tapas and had a delicious hamburger, a few plates of ham, and the fideou which is a Spanish past and i highly recommend. We also had the tomato bread - where they bring you the ingredients to rub onto the bread, be warned go easy on that garlic. The staff were attentive and knowledgable and made us feel very welcome, I'm a fan of Brindisa and this is certainly a winner and am so pleased its comforting surroundings and menu are now in Shoreditch.
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Spain is definitely one of my fav countries to visit and whenever I feel the need to graze on the culture, Tramontana Brindisa is my “Buen Retiro” in London with its Spanish Mediterranean cuisine with influences from north of Catalonia to the Balearics with a stylish and vibrant twist. The staff are relaxed, young and easy going; Chefs call loud orders and service in their Spanish tongue from the open kitchen and the bar is vibrant . You can choose to sit at the bar and kitchen counter, in the restaurant or in the the garden in the Summer months. Although the best tapas I had was also the simplest thing on offer, Tramontana Brindisa is more than traditional chorizo, jamon and farmhouse cheeses plates – which surely I adore too . Pan de COCA y tomate, is one of my favourite things in the world since I tried the first time at Tramontana. Crispy and golden sourdough is served naked with all the necessary ingredients (strictly decomposed) : virgin oil, fresh whole tomato, salt and garlic clove for you to brush on it with your own hands. De-li-ci-ous! …and if you ask me what comes on my mind anytime you mention TRAMONTANA….the answer would always be FI-DE-UA de Sepia, a shred short pasta with a mixture of cuttlefish and prawns cooked on rockfish stock and topped with some AIOLI sauce, served on its own little iron pan. Slightly crispy on top, expect the waitress to mix and moisture up for you on the table just before you can start to enjoy it. The choice from the vast menu is always hard but never wrong. By Valentina. Tramontana is part of a group with restaurants in London Bridge, Soho and South Kensington. Tramontana Brindisa 153 Curtain Road London EC2A 3AT T. 020 7749 9961 E. reservations@tramontanabrindisa.com Website @brindisa
Before I go any further I should confess that I am a devoted follower of the Brindisa empire. And it is now an empire. What started as a small shop, a stall (selling the best chorizo rolls) and a tapas bar at Borough Market now extends throughout London. Shopping in Soho. There's a Brindisa. Milling around before going to the Natural History Museum. There's a Brindisa. And now, heading for a shuggle in Shoreditch. There's a Brindisa. Well, more accurately, there's a Tramontana (Brindisa). This latest offering from the pre-eminent importer and provider of Spanish cuisine in London is a little different though. It is aware of its surroundings. It is definitely a Shoreditch restaurant. While there are the traditional cured meats and croquetas that you would expect from any Brindisa restaurant, there is also a slider (de rigeur for any self-respecting new opening in London these days). It is also more modern, less cosy. A place to go for a quick bite to eat and some sherry befor
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We went for lunch to check out Tramontana Brindisa in trendy Shoreditch.
The restaurant is light and airy, with a great outside terrace at the rear of the restaurant.
Whilst we made our menu choices, we snacked on Padron peppers [£4.50] which had a dusting of sea salt.
Our mains included Lamb Chump on a bed of sweet potato mash [£9.00], succulent pieces of medium meat complemented by the sweetness from the mash; Chorizo in red wine [£5.95], mini chorizo morsels complemented by the flavour of the red wine it was cooked in, but sadly swimming in too much olive oil for our liking; and Fideua de Sepia (short pasta similar to vermicelli with cuttlefish, prawns and a flamed roasted garlic alioli) [£11.00], which C thought was ok but was not a fan of the crispy pasta on the outside, whereas I loved it as it reminded me of tahdig (Persian Rice with a crunchy layer of rice on the bottom) – also we were a bit shocked by the gesture of only two prawns as a decoration on top with small pieces of cuttlefish running through the pasta.
Our favourite mains were Grilled Iberico Pork Shoulder Loin [£11.00], with the flavours from its beautiful acorn fed pork working with the flambe orange and raisins like sunshine on a plate; as well as the Berenjenas fritas (fried aubergines) [£5.50] which had a wonderful texture and flavour combination made in heaven of aubergine slices coated in semolina, fried and drizzled with chestnut honey and pine nuts.
Next time, we will need to save space for some dessert as we had our eye on the Tarta de Santiago (Almond Cake) [£4.75] and the Torrijas (milk soaked bread with honey and spices, dipped in egg and fried in olive oil, similar to pain d’epice/ French Toast) with Apple Crumble [£4.00].
I came here for a big family meal before a friend's wedding (there were about 15 of us), with attendees ranging from 18 months to over 90. Everyone was catered for equally well and the wait staff managed our large party very attentively. The food is good enough that it feels right for a special occasion but the setting and service are just the right level of informal to make you feel as if you don't have to be on your best behaviour.
Tramontana Brindisa really goes all out on excellent ingredients and classic tapas; I would recommend keeping it simple and going for a selection of meats and cheeses - you can really tell just how well sourced their food is when you don't complicate matters. I appreciate the honesty of their lunchtime specials too: for £14 you can have the best Iberican ham, egg and chips of your life.
Also, this was the first time I tried Sangria! Needless to say, it was good.
Nice outdoor seating area at the back on a summers evening, vibrant atmosphere. The sangria cava was tasty and the bread with garlic and tomato was fun to make.
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We visited Tapas Brindisa Shoreditch for the second time and had a thoroughly amazing experience! At arrival we were promptly accommodated and staff was kind and smiling, which we really appreciated!
Food was fantastic! We ordered some tomate bread and olives to start off the meal, coupled with two glasses of Sangria! Both dishes were tasty and nicely presented! The olives were very intriguing - I never tried olives filled with orange pieces and I have to say it was a perfect way to start our meal! The Sangria was perfectly prepared and flavours well-balanced; further the blackberries added something more to the drink!
We then proceeded with ordering a fantastic paella and a lamb dish! Both were stunning, perfectly balanced and wonderfully presented! I really appreciated the attention-to-detail demonstrated by staff at all stages of our dining experience, from asking about any allergies to checking with us how we would have preferred the meat to be cooked, to serving dishes that were both a pleasure for the eyes and for the belly! We concluded our meal with a fantastic almond & pear dessert! Absolutely stunning! 😍
Overall, 5* experience! Following this second visit, I am strongly recommending visiting this restaurant. I will myself be back very soon. Thank you for making our evening special!
This was quite an impromptu visit but got a table quite easily, it was early though.
Its a lovely little Tapas with sectioned off dining at the back in what can only be described as a bowl 😊
The food was really nice and very reasonably priced for London, we had Sangria which was nice but could have done with more fruit than mostly 🍎 apple.
We would go again if we were in the area but wouldn't go out of our way to be there.
Lovely friendly staff, helpful and a good vibe.
One of the best meals I've had in London, and definitely the best tapas. We got a seat at the bar, which was great as we got a great view of the chefs cooking and preparing the food. Chef Manuel even took time out to chat to us. All the staff were really friendly and the food was absolutely outstanding. Cannot wait to go back!!
The meal was good, staff friendly and knowledgeable. The little terrace area was great for a warm evening.
In general the dishes were good and some missing a bit of salt for my taste, but would be back for some of the them that were really well executed.
The only negative point for me, was their back of house could be better maintained and the floors to the toilets clean.
Loved this place! Good food (apart from that paella was just okay) and a good range of drinks options. Staff were extremely nice and welcoming, and the space was open and nicely decorated.
Always exceptional, and this was as good as ever. Incredible clams, but the start of the show was the Galician octopus - wow!
Notable mention to the incredible olives stuffed with orange, and the fantastic bread - great for mopping up the clam juice!
The Iberico Secreto is to die for. This is the first time we tried it, it doesn’t taste like pork at all and has more of a wagyu texture to it but taste milder. I can eat more of this than the wagyu without bein sick! Jamon iberico is always a fave but we gave us darker cuts and they are crazy good! The gambas were great! It didn’t look much but it was a lot and very tasty and make sure to get bread to dip in the oil because you can’t let that oil go to waste! The dessert was good too but the savory items were the best! We have tried Tapas Brindisa at Borough Market and they didn’t have the Iberico Secreto so def going back to this one! Sangria was nice too! Serving is good too!
Fantastic calcotts experience!!
We came here for the second year in a row to sample the calcotts menu. Really recommend it. Really good fun, and the food after the calcotts was absolutely delicious.
Given the quality of the food, it's good value too. We all left so full that we felt a bit ill (that was our fault though).
Very good food, quick and friendly service, lovely atmosphere. Absolutely loved the experience. Picture below is seafood paella 🥘 I rate it 11/10!
Hubby and I had a rare date night here. Blown away by the quality of the food and service. Also as a self confessed goats cheese addict there are about 5 different options which have it (plenty without too!!!) Food was beautifully presented and I was liking it too much to remember to take proper pics!!! Just GO there!!!! We will be back!!!
Jamon, Manchego and Paella are all unmarkablly outstand! Good wine selections too. Friendly and professional staff.
Atmosphere-wise it is not as special as their London Bridge restaurant. However here you can reserve table, and have a quiter meal.
Difficult to pitch this review. The food is not overpriced but not really a bargain, at roughly £7-£8 per tapas plate with some more expensive items. There was nothing disappointing with the food (other than they had run out of their “signature” iberico pork at 7pm), is we enjoyed eating it all. However nothing was desirable enough to make me wish I could come back to eat it again. Maybe put this restaurant on your list of “back-up” restaurants to come to.
Delicious tapas and amazing pork ribs paella. I hadn't satisfied my paella craving in London until I tried the one here, it was so good, like the ones I have back at home in Spain.
Service is faultless and staff is very welcoming too.
Probably the best tapas place I visited in London. Every single dish was really delicious and also good value for money. Service was also very good. I can only recommend Tapas Brindisa!
Amazing food and perfect service, this place is spot-on for trying out new and a little bit eccentric tastes and having a glass of wine/pint of beer. It is in the middle of a very lively and hip area and there is loads to do after a nice meal.
As far as prices go - it is London, so the prices are reasonable and affordable.
The food tastes really good but the proportions versus the price was one of the reasons for one less star. The staff were nice and accommodating as well.
So impressed. Fantastic service and food to meet the high standard. Highly recommended the paella with seafood. Great menu options too
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