Tapavino, CBD

Earlier last week I visited Tapavino for dinner, the little restaurant happens to be a short five minute stroll from my office and it’s always bustling with customers despite being located in a quiet part of Circular Quay and Wynyard. I’d heard many great things about the tapas here so I was looking forward to the meal.

Half-shell seared Queensland scallops, morcilla, & chilli

I actually ordered the scallops without realising that morcilla was actually blood sausage, I’m not quite a fan of blood sausage but the scallops themselves were all absolutely delicious.

The menu features a whole section dedicated to the heavenly food item that is jamon served in various forms, this particular dish is a mushroom truffle tart topped with delicious jamon and shaved manchego cheese. I’ve found that I prefer jamon over prosciutto for both taste and texture.

This dish was actually surprisingly good despite not looking very photogenic, the artichoke dip with a hint of truffle was very tasty even on it’s own but even better with the crispy flatbread covered in cheese.

The easiest way to describe the texture of this dish would be to compare it to chicken parma doused in sauce, although the paprika mayo and salsa have a distinctly different taste. The chicken in this dish certainly makes it stand out as it’s so tender that it feels like it melts in your mouth.

I was certainly impressed by the food there, we sat at the bar with a view of the kitchen in action and it’s almost amazing how fast the line chefs prepare the various dishes with precision despite the extensive menu. The restaurant itself is quite small but well designed and there’s an upstairs area for group bookings. I couldn’t help but admire the back wall completely adorned with various wines bottles.