Braving the heavy rain, heat and accompanying humidity that defined much of December, we settled into the dry and cool interior of the Bodega Tapas Bar for our last work-related Christmas event for 2018.
For groups of up to 30, the restaurant offers exclusive use of their second dining room. The upside is we’re close to the bar, but the downside is we don’t get to watch the kitchen. All groups dine on their Chef’s Banquet Menu. This is the $65.00 option (there’s an $85.00 option with two more mains).
While waiting for others to arrive and not a wine-drinker, I nurse a glass of lemon, lime and bitters. It’s a bit weak and took them 15 minutes to bring it out in contrast to the wine glasses that were topped up constantly throughout the night.
To start, we have olives with bread and olive oil ($2.00 pp on the menu). The bread is soft and tender sourdough with a good crust.
Next up are cold cuts ($16.00 on the menu) of jamon serrano and sopressa veneta. We enjoy these cold cuts and wish they were as affordable as ham.
These fish fingers, hiramasa, charred toast, cuttlefish and mojama ($24.00 on the menu) are easily our favourite dish of the evening. We enjoy the creamy mouthfeel from the three types of seafood that’s cut through with the acidic dressing. One wasn’t enough!
Following on are mussels, michelada, palm hearts, pickles ($12.00 on the menu). The mussels are fresh and pair well with the acidity from the michelada. I wasn’t a fan of the palm hearts (the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees), which tasted soft without their own flavour.
These “Gozleme” zucchini, green olive, feta cheese, spiced beetroot ($20.00 on the menu) start us off on the warm foods. The gozleme have a crisp skin and cubes of zucchini and olive adding bite to the softer feta cheese. The gentle acidity and sweetness from the spiced beetroot dip complement the gozleme beautifully, giving it a lightness despite being fried.
For the dairy-free colleagues, they’re served deep-fried pork crackling with zucchini. The pork crackling is light and crispy without the slightest oiliness.
Next up are “Arepas” grilled corn cakes with creamed corn, mojo verde and manchego ($16.00 for 2 pcs on the menu). These corn cakes smell just like corn chips, but they have a soft texture just like cake, with the creamed corn adding bright pops of fresh corn flavour. The machego rounds out the flavour, while the mojo verde cuts through the richness with its herbaceous flavour.
After a considerable break, we start on the mains with this grilled SA calamari with ink sauce, pickled cauliflower and green papaya salad ($26.00). We enjoy the smoky char of the calamari, while the cauliflower crumbs served well as a carbohydrate substitute with the bite of the green papaya.
Next up is the pork, octopus, cabbage & green apple salad with jalapeño dressing ($24.00). The mix of crispy pork crackling with tender octopus was a new combination for many of us that worked surprisingly well with the crunchy tartness of the green apple. The jalapeno dressing didn’t deliver on the heat, though, which would’ve have made this salad more enjoyable like those often found in Thai restaurants.
The last main for the night is the jerk-spiced pork chop with sesame purée, roast peach, red onion & habanero salsa ($36.00). We enjoyed the flavour of the roasted peaches and thought the pork chop decent, but nothing special. D did not enjoy the jerk spice on the pork chop at all, and the habanero salsa lacked any heat (or we missed it?).
Finally, this orange, goats curd, roast peppers, pinenuts & black olives ($18.00) finished off the savoury dishes of the night. The salad suggests a dessert visually but definitely tastes like a salad, with the oranges having savoury and tangy juiciness. We’re not fans of the goats cheese or the roast peppers, though.
The meal is finished with two desserts. This is the “tres chocolates” brownie, mousse, hazelnut crumb with smoked vanilla bean ice cream ($16.00). The chocolate here is rich, with the brownie moist to the point where it’s a creamy fudge. The hazelnut crumb added a much needed alternative texture to the softness of the rest of the dessert, while the chocolate mousse and smoked vanilla bean ice cream introduced contrasting temperatures for interest.
Finally, to cap off the meal is the “banana split” cream flan, banana marshmallow, dulce de leche ice cream, salted peanuts ($16.00). I was disappointed by the mellow banana flavour for a dish named the ‘banana split’. The cream flan tasted like just that — cream — without much sweetness of flavour. The highlight was the banana marshmallow that was bruleed to a crispy sugary top despite lacking banana flavour. Indeed, the flavour of the roasted peanuts and the rich sweetness of the dulce de leche ice cream dominated.
We enjoyed the inventive and unexpected modern takes on traditional Spanish tapas, which were most successfully executed in the entrees, but were left really quite disappointed by the small serving sizes overall.
Bodega Tapas Bar is located at 216 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills NSW 2010.