Sal Gorda - So good I went twice - I KNOW A LITTLE PLACE IN SEVILLE

I’ve known for a while I need to extend my gourmet tapas repertoire to somewhere ideally with an outside terrace so Sunday, my dog gets to come too.

Sal Gorda was up there at the top of my list. A few trusted foodies-in-the-know had rated it and so when the chance finally came on Sunday evening, I decided to go.

Located in one of those funny little streets between Alfalfa and Plaza Salvador, home to shops selling polka-dotted items for every occasion, gentlemen’s straw hats and old-fashioned perfume, it’s a shining gastronomic beacon complete with some outside tables and clean lines inside.

Looking around at the other diners, they were mostly tourists on holiday, but not the type who’d stumbled into any old bar close to the cathedral demanding jugs of sangria. These were clearly a discerning bunch who’d done their homework and seen that Sal Gorda hits pretty highly on all peer-to-peer recommendation sites like Trip Advisor.

After bagsying a table outside, a very pleasant waiter tried his best to cater to the varying nationalities present and after running through any dishes ‘fuera de la carta’ I went for ajo blanco and ajo colorado with poached egg and wild mushrooms. My friend had the strawberry gazpacho with pistachios followed by white prawn tartar.

For me the stand out dish was the ajo blanco. There was something fishy going on in it, Mojama tuna I think, which added a salty kick and was utterly delightful. Also on the menu were some standard gourmet tapas contenders, such as the ubiquitous tuna tartar or was it tataki, one of the two. But they were all offered with an individual twist and stunning presentation.

Pricewise, this is the mid-price end of the tapas market, so don’t expect to get your fill for under 10 Euros. But the portions are generous and the service pleasant, so all in all I went home a happy new customer.

The following night, another friend wanted to ask me out for dinner at any place of my choosing. So being of the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ variety, back I went in a bid to try out some more dishes. This time it was chargrilled sea bass, delicately flavoured and served under a steaming bowl on a bed of ajo blanco.

Needless to say it was a triumph and sealed the deal: Sal Gorda is officially my new, tapas crush.

Sal Gorda, Calle Alcaicería de la Loza 23

Open every day apart from Tuesdays from 1pm- 4.30pm and 8pm -12.30am