TAPAS REVOLUTION, SHOREDITCH

Reviewing a restaurant right after Christmas was a risky move as I wasn't exactly hungry... I hadn't been actually hungry for days, having eaten way more than necessary on a daily basis for well over a week. But I got back to London on the 28th from my parent's house, and had plans to meet up with a girlfriend, so decided to go to Tapas Revolution, just off the top of Brick Lane, where I'd been invited to check out the food. I was worried the menu would be full of deep fried bits, and heavy meats, but we ended up having such a delicious meal, full of light bites, raw meat and fish, and wonderful salads.

Tapas Revolution is a chain. I don't normally review chains but it's only got a few branches and the menu appealed to me so thought it would be worth checking out - it definitely was. They've got London branches in Shoreditch (which I went to), Westfield and Bluewater (as well as one in Birmingham, and opening soon in Sheffield). The menu at Tapas Revolution is very typically Spanish (as you'd expect) and consists of lots of meat, fish and veggie tapas sharing plates - hams, cheeses, olives, anchovies, patatas bravas, croquettes.... All of which we skipped! We picked the lightest, freshest dishes on the menu, and thoroughly enjoyed all of them.

First up was carpaccio de ternera - seasoned thin slices of 45 day-aged ribeye from 8 year old basque cows, topped with shavings of parmesan, cress, a little lemon and salt. There was a beautiful piece of fat on the end of each slither of beef, and rolled up with the salt and the cress it was a heavenly mouthful. The quality of the beef was outstanding.

In fact, the quality of all the ingredients used really stood out. We could taste how good each ingredient was especially in the next dish we had. I was craving raw, fresh vegetables so we had the ensalada de tomotes - red and yellow tomatoes with olives and pickled red onions. Clean, sharp flavours, well balanced with the sweet tomatoes, salty olives and gently pickled onion, and just the lightest drizzle of olive oil.

Atun con mango was Robin's favourite dish - seared tuna slices topped with coriander cress, mango and chilli. Again, top quality ingredients, simply done which really was all we wanted after an over indulgent week or two!

Pulpo a la gallega - steamed octopus with thinly sliced potatoes and smoked paprika - is a favourite of mine, and though nothing beats eating it al fresco in the Spanish sunshine, this came a close second. Overloaded (but not in a bad way) with smokey paprika and soft to bite into I ate more than my fair share.

Having said we'd picked the light options, we couldn't resist a side of bread, mostly because of the ridiculously pungent aioli that came with it. So much garlic in there (which I love!)

Finally we shared one of the bigger plates on offer. I wasn't so keen on the plating(?!) but luckily it tasted better than it looked. Two fillets of sea bass with spinach and chopped courgette, though for £14.95, I would stick with the little tapas plates if you go, as I thought they were better quality and value than the seabass. The tapas plates range from £1.95 - £8.95 depending on the ingredients used. You can also get paella to share for £10+ per person.

Tapas Revolution is a great spot for dinner with the girls, or boys, as you can order as you go, so don't have to "commit" to a three course meal. The staff were super friendly and they've got a really good and affordable Spanish wine list, with bottles starting at £16.95. For info on their locations and to see the full menu, check out their website here.