I only stumbled upon Salt Yard a month or so ago, when I clicked on a link for a sherry tasting event, within a newsletter sent by my excellent, local independent wine shop, ‘The Theatre of Wine’. Disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to make the tasting, I thought that was no reason not to do my own tasting and eat some interesting looking tapas at the same time. Typically, once I mentioned I was going, several people told me they’d been and had a good experience, so it wasn’t quite as undiscovered as I’d thought and on further research, noticed it’s actually been around for a few years!

Even after an exploratory foray into Marylebone beforehand, searching for SKK and Circulon pans to replace my existing, battered, unbranded set, I still managed to arrive embarrassingly early for the 7pm booking. However, I cheered myself up no end by realising that a half hour wait on my own also meant I had 30 minutes more time to eat and drink and with a good book, this was more fun time than dead time.

On entering the bar/restaurant, it did feel rather cramped at street level, although being situated in Goodge St, the window seat would probably make an excellent people watching spot. The street level was not for me, though, and I was led into the depths of the lower ground floor, replete with soft lighting, plenty of mirrors and (at the table I was directed to) a view into the kitchen, which I was more than happy with.

I started my own sherry tasting event with a glass of the Manzanilla Pasada, which was dry, but not overly so. Alongside my aperitif, I couldn’t restrain myself from ordering a couple of bar snacks to prevent me from wasting away before Miss P arrived (that was my excuse, anyway), deciding on the Sweet & Spicy Guindilla peppers and some Grilled Sourdough with alioli. The sourdough was good, but I really liked the Guindilla peppers. Sometimes these kind of peppers can leave a bit of an aftertaste, but these ones were indeed both sweet and spicy, with no bitterness and highly more-ish.

After consulting with our waitress, we ordered 5 dishes (along with another couple of sherries, although the Palo Cortado was a little too dry for me), including the recommended Sauteed Scallops with Chestnut Puree and Black Olive Caramel, Courgette Flowers stuffed with Monte Enebro Cheese & drizzled with Honey (thanks Ms M), alongside the Classic Tortilla (which had to be done and is always a good indicator of a quality Spanish restaurant, in my opinion), Morcilla Croquetas and Seared Onglet, a tender cut of beef rarely seen on any restaurant menu. I did think that the menu was impressive and I could easily have ordered the same number of dishes again, but all different, with equal anticipation.

The tortilla was a very good one, although I didn’t think it was quite as good as the ones at Barrafina, but then again, those ones are outstanding. Both the Morcilla (black pudding) croquetas and Onglet were interesting and different, although I think the croquetas could have done with a sharp sauce to cut through the inevitably, slightly claggy, texture. The Scallops and Courgette Flowers were both superb, though, with the chestnut puree and Black olive caramel, perfectly enhancing the sweetness of the scallops without overpowering it and the Courgette Flowers being an amazing combination of the sweet, savoury and slightly sour flavours of the honey, courgette and cheese, respectively.

With the waitress having judged our appetites well, we still had room for dessert, to go with the much anticipated glass of Pedro Ximenez sherry we’d both earmarked as a certainty at the start of the meal. I went for the Cold Chocolae and Espresso Fondant, with Miss P going for the special, which was a kind of chocolate and hazelnut log, with quince ice cream. I remember enjoying both, but I’d polished off 3 glasses of sherry and half a bottle of excellent Rioja by this time, so the details now escape me.

Overall, I really enjoyed Salt Yard and have nothing but good things to say about it. The tapas dishes were well priced and good value for money (between £4 to £8) with a good and interesting range of both sherries and wines (of which I expected nothing less, considering the Sommelier used to work at the Theatre of Wine). The service was efficient, our waitress knowledgeable and the setting pleasant. If you want to have a more relaxed tapas meal and can’t be doing with neither the queue nor eating at a counter, like at Barrafina, then I would highly recommend checking out Salt Yard. I would rank it as one of the best Iberian restaurants I’ve eaten at in London, along with the aforementioned Barrafina, El Faro and Moro.