Sunday, September 21, 2014

Toro Bravo (Brisbane) 09/2014

This cafe/bar/restaurant has a Spanish theme menu built around half a dozen mostly spicy tapas, half a dozen or so raciones, dishes suitable for sharing and half a dozen or so steak dishes. There  is also a fish dish a Morrocan chicken or a pork belly main course as well as desserts. Tapas, the menu tells me, was a slice of bread bartenders used as a 'tapa' or lid, to keep flies out of drinks. From this the hundred of variations of small dishes we enjoy at Spanish restaurants evolved! 
The place is sparcely furnished and minimally decorated with a large central bar 

and an outdoor terrace. There is an ATM machine near the entrance, a large TV screen showing an endless variety of fish swimming across the screen and one, strangely appealing painting at the end of the room. 

I was not expecting much but, having just been offered an insulting ?meal by Virgin airlines I was more than ready to eat. The two for one Tueday was irresistable.

I started with a montadito, shredded smoked slow pork shoulder cooked in esterella lager with plenty of aioli and with pickled zucchini. ($4.6) 

followed by a 250gm (more like 350gm) wild harvest kangaroo loin. It is extremely unusual to get a steak cooked so rare that it is literally just over warm in the middle, which happens to be how I like it.
 
Chris, the chef here succeeded beyond my expectations. It was an excellent piece of meat excellently prepared. What impressed even more was that the jus was not over reduced and could not have been better.I chose potato, jammon serrano and rosemary grattan  which was a decent accompaniment. ($29.0) The second main meal I had, normally $29.0 was free because it was Tuesday, was the slow roasted pork belly with red cabbage and potato bravas.

Another really good dish with the pork cooked to perfection.  

The desserts looked attractive but I had had my fill. This place is a bargain for both prices and food.
It's not flash and the food could have been presented a bit more attractively but it was very very good.
A glass of Rioja Tempranillo Cepas Antiguas 2013 ($9.5) was quite acceptable too
Score: 14/20

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