As well as wrangling the queues for its magnificent chorizo sandwiches on Borough Market and selling a range of stellar food and drink in its shops, Brindisa also finds time to run a switched-on group of tapas bars. Brindisa Battersea is the latest restaurant in the Brindisa portfolio, taking up residence in Battersea's shiny new Power Station development and offering a tried-and-tested combination of authentic tapas nibbles and larger plates.
Brindisa has a history of picking very attractive spaces and the Battersea site is no different. The floor is warm terracotta tiling, and it blends nicely into the sunny glow of inset lighting and bright white walls, making Brindisa Battersea feel cheery and summery. A bar and counter runs the length of the restaurant, and the rest of the seating is a mix of booths and tables, with an open kitchen featuring at the very end.
This Spanish importer’s restaurant arm began in Borough in 2004, and each outlet follows the original blueprint, with menus structured around a splendid range of cured meats, Spanish cheeses and classic tapas (croquetas, Gordal olives stuffed with orange, and so on). There are also various small plates – perhaps gazpacho, grilled octopus with mash and paprika, pluma ibérica with fresh figs and pomegranate. The menu at Brindisa Battersea also includes classics like Padron peppers, pan con tomate, and patatas bravas, as well as some hearty sharing plates like squid ink rice with red prawns and alioli, and a 500g chunk of roasted Galician dairy cow with Navarrico peppers and chimichurri.
Add a nifty choice of sherries by the glass, a very reasonable all-Spanish wine list, and some suitably comforting desserts (a burnt Basque cheesecake and Galician quince and almond tart, for example) to round things out at this authentic Battersea hotspot.