Authentic Spanish tapas bar pops up in Neutral Bay

For tip top tapas, you can’t go past new Spanish restaurant La Despensa in Neutral Bay.

Paella with prawns, mussels and octopus is on the menu.

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For tip top tapas, you can’t go past new Spanish restaurant La Despensa in Neutral Bay.

The new venue, which opened in November last year, was inspired by the lively wine caves and tapas bars found in Las Ramblas, Barcelona.

Owner and head chef Antoni Serra. Picture: Adam Yip.

It’s the first venue for Spanish owner and head chef Antoni Serra, who moved to Sydney from Barcelona 10 years ago.

Serial snackers will love the sharing menu, which features small tapas plates, toothpick skewered ‘pintxos’ and the larger-portioned ‘raciones’.

“We don’t follow the pattern of entree, main, dessert. We serve the food as soon as it’s ready, so it’s a very relaxed and casual style of eating,” says Antoni.

Spanish omelette pintxo with Ostargi guindilla pepper. Picture: Adam Yip.

“I thought that people would not understand it here, but they actually love it.”

Roasted pimientos del piquillo peppers stuffed with cod brandade and manchego. Picture: Adam Yip.

Antoni’s menu features favourites from the Iberian Peninsula, including tortilla with hot sweet quindilla peppers, pan con tomato, crispy confit patatas bravas and paella, made with prawns, mussels, baby octopus and Albufera rice.

“We started out with a lobster paella and then we tried a razor clam one. Next I want to use rabbit, which is very traditional,” says Antoni.

For those who want to take their nibbling to the next level, La Despensa also serve a Spanish cheese board featuring a selection of goat’s, cow’s and sheep’s cheese.

Confit salt cod with torched aioli. Picture: Adam Yip.

They also dish up a generous charcuterie board laden with Andalusian and Pamplonian chorizo, jamon and a Catalonian fuet, as well as tins of premium conserved seafood such as baby squid in ink, mussels in escabeche, cockles and baby sardines.

“These tins, called conservas, are a traditional Barcelonian snack. We serve them with croutons from the oven and it makes a great start to the meal,” he says.

The interiors have a Spanish feel. Picture: Adam Yip.

Wine is also a prominent feature of the menu, and prior to opening La Despensa, Antoni worked as an agricultural engineer and wine producer in the Margaret River region.

Antoni imports the wines himself with the entire offering sourced from small, boutique wineries in the Catalonia region of Spain.

“These are wines that you won’t be able to find anywhere else in Australia,” says Antoni. “I deliberately tried to source local wine varieties that Australians may not have tasted before, such as Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Parellada and Carignan.”

The lively venue has indoor and outdoor seating. Picture: Adam Yip.

Vinos aside, patrons can also choose from Estrella Damm on tap or Vichy Catalan sparkling water.

The small, narrow venue has also been given a Spanish-style makeover, with bare brick walls, colourful tiling and a stunning retro wall mural.

In the last few weeks, La Despensa has also opened a new outdoor dining area, with the venue’s paprika-spiked snacks and bold red wines promising to keep you warm.

Details
What: La Despensa
Where: 159 Wycombe Road, Neutral Bay
When: Tuesday to Saturday - 5pm to 10pm
Web: ladespensa.com.au