Dinner At Sol Y Sombra Tapas Bar, Broughty Ferry, Dundee
Published On Friday 19 Jul 2024 by Sticky Beak
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The Man Bird and I were slowly making our way southwards, his day job tasks in Scotland done. Our final night saw us land in Dundee well, Broughty Ferry, to be exact, and we were staying in a Best Western Hotel: The Woodlands. As had been our habit all week, we decided to walk down to the nights’ eaterie. Fabulous walk down, past some gorgeous properties and down a steepish hill; great to walk down but, I suspected, not so much fun to walk back up – turns out I was right!
For the second time on our Scottish odyssey, we found ourselves in a Tapas Restaurant: Sol Y Sombra. Unlike the other Tapas place, this one offers a set dinner menu at £27.50 per person, made up of six cold Tapas dishes and seven hot ones; the menu changes daily, the Chefs using that days’ deliveries. There is also a lunchtime equivalent; priced at £19.50 pp for five cold dishes and six hot.
Sol Y Sombra Tapas Bar has a relaxed Cantina feel to it, aided by the mix of wood and tiled flooring. Upbeat music creates a feel-good vibe which, when the restaurant filled up, was buoyed up by the bubble of chatter. I decided to have a jug of Sangria to go with my meal, and His Nibs opted for a pint of Estrella, though there is a wide range of other drinks and cocktails to choose from. The young man who was serving us was lovely and friendly, taking time to check that we had no allergies or dietary requirements that would mean a tweak to the dishes we’d be eating.
Having done that, he brought over a couple of bowls of nibbles: Mixed Olives in one, Roasted Mixed Nuts in the other. Absent-mindedly snacking, The Man and I were deep in conversation and didn’t notice the first of the cold Tapas coming over – even after all these years together we still have plenty to talk about.
First out of the trap was a bowl of wonderfully pungent Aioli, accompanied by plentiful slices of bread that we eagerly ripped into pieces to scoop the garlicky dip up with. If you don’t like Garlic, you won’t like the Aioli at Sol Y Sombra: it packs a wallop-and-a-half. Luckily, we both love the stuff, so stinky breath wasn’t going to kill our ardour… if there was to be any amour later!
Slices of Manchego cheese were drizzled with Garlic, Chilli and Rosemary infused oil and this simple, classic dish was incredibly tasty, especially as we partnered it with the Chorizo Iberico de Bellota. This Chorizo is the highest grade of Spanish Chorizo, coming from pigs that feed on Acorns and grass and are allowed to mature slowly and naturally. The resulting flavour of the cured meat is second-to-none, and Chef had sliced it perfectly so that it melted in our mouths, flooding over our tongues and releasing all its taste.
Alongside a rather super Tomato, Onion and Chickpea salad (dang, the Spanish sure know how to make simple dishes taste intricate!) was pan-fried, flaked Coley fish in a thick, intense Tomato sauce. Both of these treasures were delicious; very different in texture, but complimentary thanks to Tomato being a common denominator.
Our final cold Tapas dish was a cheeky salad of Chorizo and Red Pepper. Each and every dish had kept our palates on high alert and although they were light and scrummy, we knew that we’d eaten a good amount of food already. A common misconception is that Tapas aren’t filling, but a lot of the dishes contain meat, poultry, seafood or fish and so their protein content is sturdy and satiating.
The multitude of dishes were cleared away in readiness for the second, hot course of treats. Now, The Man doesn’t normally do the ‘dark’ chicken meat, sticking to the breast meat but, as you all know, he’s been getting quite adventurous recently. To this end, he said that he’d give the Garlic Chicken Drumsticks a bash and was surprised by how much he enjoyed them! Mind you, they were beautifully juicy and moist and their richer flavour paired perfectly with the Garlic and spices that had coated the skin.
More chicken featured on the ‘Pinchos de Embutido’: Kebabs with Chicken, Chorizo and Morcilla (Spanish Black Pudding), interspersed with Onion and Peppers. There may only have been one of these delights each, but they were a superb size and were chocka-block from tip-to-end with pieces of meat and vegetables. Flavoursome, they most certainly were, and we both said that we’d happily eat these on their own as a main course with rice or salad.
Fish is a staple of many Mediterranean diets, and here it came in the form of Pan-fried Coley, lightly dusted with herbs to augment its delicate taste. His Nibs and I paired the fish with another Tapas dish, Charred Tenderstem Broccoli, and the two dishes went seamlessly together. Any Tapas menu worth its salt offers Patatas Bravas and Sol Y Sombra’s version is quite chunky; the Potato cubes were a good size and were bathed in a tangy Tomato sauce before being topped with a hefty dollop of homemade Garlic Mayo. Yet another great example of a relatively simple dish absolutely blasting with flavour.
Pork Tenderloin with Paprika proved to be a real smasher, the relatively mild meat getting a shift of gear from the earthy-but-sweet and peppery spice. Chef had also very finely sliced Red Peppers and softened them to go in this dish. Our final hot dish was the ubiquitous Gambas Pil Pil: sizzling Tiger Prawns cooked in a super-flavoursome fusion of Garlic, White Wine, Parsley, deliciously smoky Pimentón and a smidge of Chilli to give a little kick. A recent convert to the charms of fresh Prawns, The Man seriously got stuck into these, smacking his chops in appreciation at the tasty juices. We’d saved a couple of slices of bread back from the cold Tapas and used them to mop up every last bit of the cooking liquid that was left.
Our tummies were certainly full after this feast! Everything had been wonderful; cooked and presented with care and served with a smile. If we could change one thing, it would be that the hot Tapas came out a couple at a time, rather than all together. However, we do appreciate that might not be possible from a logistical point-of-view; there was only two chaps to serve the whole restaurant, so if this was the only criticism, then I guess it’s a minor one.
Hot Wings certainly given here and, if we’re ever back in the ‘ferry it’ll be our first port of call. To book a table call 01382 776941 or visit the website www.solysombratapasbar.co.uk and hit the ‘book table’ button. Whilst you’re there, you can browse examples of the various menus (vegans and vegetarians have their own menu, as do pescatarians) and check opening times.
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