We got to Mornington Crescent around 8pm and our suspicions were confirmed at Asakusa so we headed along the small parade of shops to El Parador. We were just in time and managed to nab the last unreserved table. Although the inside of the restaurant is fairly sparse with a few Spanish paintings on the wall, the atmosphere was lovely and lively. We were promptly given a fairly vast and varied menu and ordered ourselves a beer and cider while we perused the many offerings. The menu was split into three main sections - Meat, Fish, and Vegetarian. To be honest, there was so much on the menu that I would have loved to have tried but we settled on the following after our waitress suggested we share 5 dishes between us:
Panceta con Cidre - Rolled Pork Belly marinated with garlic, black pepper and dill and braised in Asturian Cider. This was delicious and moist, if a little heavy on the old black pepper.
Calamares a la Romana - Squid marinated with lemon and coriander, lightly dusted with flour and then deep fried. This was crispy, light and a good size helping.
Pollo a la Plancha al Morroquin - Grilled chicken thighs marinated with harissa, lime, garlic and ginger. The portion was pretty damn big and heavily spiced. I felt it was slightly dry to be honest but Gerry tucked in merrily.
Patatas Harra - Ratte potatoes pan-fried with rosemary, Harrisa, caramelized leeks and roasted red cherry tomatoes. These were nice if a little oily and I think I would have preferred simpler potato dish such as Patatas Bravas, as there was almost too much going on in this one.
Finally, Brecol del Parador - Brocolli florets pan-fried with roasted green peppers, roasted silver skin onions and smoked Idiazabal cheese shavings. This was perhaps the most disappointing of the dishes because we felt there was far too much oil for something that should have been clean and fresh.
The dishes were brought out with a speed that would make Superman jealous and it felt a little too much all in one go, I like a meal to be more of an occasion. I think they were keen to retrieve the table quickly and we did feel a little rushed. The service was good but there were no offers of drink refills which I always find frustrating. Restaurants would do so much better our of me if they only offered!
Overall, we did enjoy the meal, despite the hectic speed at which it was delivered but felt that a couple of the dishes were a little too heavy on the oil and after a while it marred the taste of the others we had ordered. I also felt, given the size of them all, that 4 dishes would have sufficed.
I will probably try this one again because I feel it has promise, if only we are given the time to appreciate it a little more!
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