In Oxford - Review
Oxford’s St Giles Fair was in full thunderous swing as my friend and I hurried away from the Waltzers, hotdogs and pounding ABBA music in search of something a little more sophisticated and soothing on the senses for lunch. What a relief to find Al-Andalus, an established tapas bar just seconds away in Little Clarendon Street. Al-Andalus is the old Arabic name for the southern part of Spain and the menu promised a wide range of hot and cold tapas treats from that region.
The restaurant has a fun, rustic atmosphere, with vibrant art and Spanish music but it also provides an intimate haven from the world outside. Our helpful waitress advised us to make a selection of about four or five dishes to share, in true tapas fashion. We chose from the main menu and the daily specials but there is also a very reasonably priced lunchtime menu offering set price mixed tapas platters.
We shared three dishes and chose one dish each. Our shared dishes were the Patatas Bravas (perfect texture, spicy but not overwhelming, served with creamy mayonnaise), Calamares Romana (excellent deep fried squid) and Pulpo y Mejillones Marinado, (chopped octopus legs and mussels marinated in vinaigrette with a salad of peppers, onions and tomatoes and coriander). The salad in particular convinced us that the dishes here are freshly prepared for each customer.
I also chose a refreshing Gazpacho Andaluz , from the specials menu, and my friend went for the very tasty pan fried Chorizos de la Casa. We were sorely tempted by several other dishes such as the Gambas al ajillo (king prawns sautéed in garlic, chilli and olive oil) and the Revuelto de Trigueros y Gambas (scrambled eggs with green asparagus and prawns) but were determined to leave room for for our pudding choices of crisp topped Catalan style crème brulee and, a delicious variation on that, the Vanilla ice cream with Catalan crème caramel sauce.
The wine list offered a good variety of Spanish wines and also Sangrias and beers. We sampled a glass of both the mellow red Rioja and the dry but fruity white Rioja, both of which accompanied our meal perfectly.
I certainly intend to return to Al-Andalus and will bring my vegetarian partner for whom there is a refreshingly wide range of dishes. It’s the perfect place for both a relaxing lunch or a fun evening meal , with, as Mel the owner informs me, dancers on Fridays and Saturdays to boot.
Reviewed by Helen Reid