Copita del Mercado, Spitalfields – what a gin galore! But that was not the main thing that enticed me to dine at Copita del Mercado. I'd heard enough to make me want to visit. I only noticed the various gin bottles, not empty ones, on display as we entered the restaurant. So it was not surprising to find there was a dedicated G&T menu. I was even more so impressed that they had Xoriguer gin; despite from seeing it in Laithwaites in Borough Market, I don't recall having seen Xoriguer in any London restaurant before. My favourite gin of all time, not only fragrant but a concentrated flavour of the juniper berries.

Starting from £7.00 at 35ml, I decided to leave my Xoriguer moments at home and try a different drink at Copita del Mercado.

The dishes at Copita del Mercado is a mixture of dishes to share and for one to have with an average of £8.00 per dish. The dishes have a strong Spanish influence, using aioli, sobrasada as well as the style of cooking, but takes on a newer, more modern and creative flair.

Immediately immersed in the one sheet menu with all starters, mains and desserts, the meat dishes did sound much better than the seafood and vegetarian options. The only thing that I need to nit pick is that it really leaves me disgruntled when I have to pay for bread in a tapas style restaurant. Most of the time I would like just a slither to wipe out that last bit of sauce, so paying for a full basket of bread whilst does not do much injury to the wallet but is the little detail for the goodwill that money can't buy. By polishing up their dish, I would also have probably saved their cost of washing up liquid.

Not trying to be querulous here because I really did love the food.

salmorejo, duck egg and roasted beetroot – The pink-orange appearance of salmorejo was a good start and very well seasoned. The roasted beetroot did not have the intensity that roasting implies. It was a mediocre dish, probably the least exciting dish of the evening. With a wobbly egg yolk, I cannot resist the obligatory egg porn photo. Great contrast of textures – with the crusty bread, soft beetroot and wobbly egg - and this was where I thought that the piece of bread would be great to 'scoop' up those delicious sauces. Or, lick the plate.

sea trout tartare, tarragon butter, apple and pine nuts – the colour is so rich that it looks almost like a salmon. Flavours were very delicate.

Iberico pork jowl, pear and pine nuts – one word: STUPENDOUS!

neck of lamb, pistachio migas & apricot chutney – my favourite dish of the evening. The nutty pistachio was delicious with the tender meat. Quite a fair bit of fat but I really didn't mind it. Mildly spiced apricot chutney on the side was also excellent!

fish of the day – grilled hake in squid ink – I was a little apprehensive with hake because I knew that the meaty fish can be quite dry and tough. Luckily I tried it because the fish was, and I don't normally quote this but on this occasion it is most suitable to say it was cooked to perfection. The hake was moist and so delicate, flakes off politely and the squid ink was not over powering. The drizzle of olive oil was 'A' class and I wished I had bread to scoop those beautiful sauces up! A generous size portion of fish.

roasted acorn-fed Iberico pork caramelised onion & pincho moruno salsa – a beautifully cooked dish, the pork is tender and full of flavour, slightly caramelised around the edges, and very well complimented by the salsa.

churros con chocolate – a hot and warming dessert perfect for the rainy cold weather. Served with the bitter chocolate; initially which I didn't thought it was going to be enough but it had plentiful to even have spoonfuls of the chocolate sauce alone – the bitter sweetness made every mouthful so pleasurable. I was offered a share of the dessert but secretly, I think my diner companion regretted offering it.

tarta de Santiago, seville orange marmalade & allspice ice-cream – this Galician almond cake was moist and delicious. Delicious with the allspice ice-cream but I did think that it was a little sweet for my palate. I still enjoyed it.

Service was very good and it would have been more attentive had the restaurant not filled up. It felt like the waitress needed to rush off her feet each time we tried to converse. A surprisingly busy Monday evening with office workers.

Overall, I think that Copita del Mercado excelled in their food. A little fanciful with their precise chopping of food in cubed form but I was glad that their mains were served in the same manner. Good sized portions of food and their meat dishes really wow-ed me!

With the special star deal for £16.50 - a 3 course meal with cava/wine - there is a turnaround table of two hours. Brilliant value but I'd say that they could have been a little more generous with their cava portions. Wouldn't you agree with me?

Situated on the corner of Wentworth Street, Copita del Mercado was the only buzzling place on the street.

Fresh off the heels of the London foodie boom, which seem as though it’s never going to slow down – Spanish food is seeing a revival. It’s not that it ever really had a slump, but it did become rather predictable and in my opinion insanely expensive, with small tapas dishes priced at the same, if not more than a main course. For me that just isn’t tapas. True tapas should be quality, ingredient led produce which is affordable, always pleasing and pairs with just about any glass of wine or sherry – so it was refreshing to come to somewhere like Copita del Mercado who obviously have my same opinion in mind, because our experience was spot on.