El Toro Espanol in Semaphore

IT WAS a short fling, just six delirious weeks, but a brief encounter with Spanish dining still burns bright.

taste el toro

IT WAS a short fling, just six delirious weeks, but a brief encounter with Spanish dining still burns bright.

Those crunchy little sprats in Cadiz; the salty fried peppers and clam stew in Majorca; the grilled fish by a river in Seville; bar cruising around the "plazas" of Madrid; the green olives with apple-like crunch.

Yes, Spain has a few dud restaurants as well, but generally these are close to tell-tale signs with Union Jacks and offers of Yorkshire pudding.

Stay away from the tourist-driven clusters, follow the locals on their nights of socialising and snacking (in that order), and you can be guaranteed the seafood will be fresh and the jamon served in generous portions, even in the tiniest hole-in-the-wall.

Listen to the locals down the Port and they will tell you they have found their own Spanish favourite. El Toro Espanol is in Semaphore Rd, alongside the fruit and veg shop also operated by the restaurant owners, and a recent addition to what is becoming one of Adelaide's most beguiling suburban precincts.

More people have told me about El Toro Espanol (not to be confused with El Torro in McLaren Vale or Espana in North Adelaide) over the past few months than perhaps any other restaurant. The online world is filled with similar glowing testimonials.

Some follow-up research reveals a menu of 20 tapas choices all of them simple and authentic as well as a few variations of paella. No spring rolls cut up and called tapas; no nachos or pizza slipped into the mix when there's a crisis of confidence. Finally, it seems, here is a Spanish restaurant getting it right.

First impressions are promising when we visit on a frosty Saturday night. The welcome is warm and genuine, and nearly makes up for being given a table by the front door that we need to keep closing.

Still, with only 30 seats here, we're fortunate to get a booking at all, as we've discovered in previous failed attempts.

The little room has been dressed sparsely with the requisite bullfighting posters and a striking red feature wall at the back behind a small bar/counter. There's no pomp about any of the furnishing cafe-style dark laminate tables and moulded seats or, for that matter, the old bathroom/laundry out the back of what was once someone's home.

No matter in such a convivial, buzzy atmosphere, where everyone seems to be happily sharing what's on offer.

Perhaps that's down to the sangria they pour , a potent blend with a little hit of sweetness to help it down.

A better food match is the tempranillo, one of the imported choices from a short list that's evenly balanced between Spanish and local labels. Spanish beers, cider, brandy and sambuca are also included, but strangely there is no fino or other dry sherry.

Over two visits I've sampled more than half the tapas offerings, enjoying them considerably more the second time around. Garlic, paprika, sherry, and more garlic feature strongly, which is to be expected, but a few of the dishes are, for me, too salty.

The best moments are the simplicity of plump, sweet mussels, lolling about in a pool of their own juices, wine and garlic. Thick discs of fried black pudding (from San Jose smallgoods) are packed with rich, funky meatiness and dark chunks of mushroom work well with their sherry-based sauce.

We also like three rolled gar fillets that have been preserved in a vinegar marinade, the fish's texture soft and the dressing well balanced, especially laid on slices of excellent grilled bread.

The garlic prawns, with tails attached, are just cooked, the flesh still nice and springy. They are better on our second visit, where both saltiness and garlic is kept more in balance.

But the fried calamari doesn't have that irresistible quality that comes from cooking spanking-fresh squid for a few moments in hot oil.

The same applies to the cubes of "crisp-fried potatoes" with aioli that aren't really very crisp at all. But still, with tapas serves costing from $4 to $7.50, I'd happily sit with friends and graze away.

The paella, costing $40 for the mixed version, sets a higher bar, even if it will feed two to three people.

While the rice dish might be "served in an authentic paella pan", as the menu boasts, it hasn't been cooked there, and has no sign of the grains that would sit on the bottom, getting nicely toasted.

Instead, the rice is an even, bright-yellow colour, and with the diced capsicum and peas strewn through, looks more like a pub salad.

It is also painfully salty, presumably from the stock it has absorbed, but that overwhelms any hint of good chicken or seafood, or saffron flavour there.

The seafood bits we extract are okay, particularly sweet little morsels of mussels in their shell, but this is far from a proper paella.

The uneven cooking continues to the end.

A creme catalan gets the contrast right between the smooth, creamy custard and fragile crust of toffee. But while the churros look promising, fried a deep golden brown, and smell divine, the initial crunch gives way to a dough that is still raw and mushy.

It's easy to understand why people have fallen for El Toro but the good vibe and the warm welcome can only take you so far. Perhaps it was a bad night. I hope so because I'd like to relive a few of those memories closer to home.

El Toro Espanol (39A Semaphore Rd, Semaphore; ph 8449 1949)

Food: 12/20
Staff: 7/10
Drink: 2/5
X-factor: 4/5
Value: 7/10

THE SCORE OUT OF 50: 31