Call me uncultured but I have always struggled to understand the point of Tapas. I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to eating out I like to be presented with a structured ‘starter’ ‘main’ and ‘dessert’ option. So the idea of ordering loads of little dishes of stuff in some kind of free flowing food frenzy just freaked me out.

The thing that got me to the point of trying it was a photo posted by Bar Encore in Towcester, of their Churros with chocolate sauce. I just decided that whatever happened I needed to try those Churros and invited our friends Helen and David along to join us.

Our table was booked for 8pm, but we rocked up at 7pm to take advantage of Fizz Friday, £10 for a bottle of Prosecco which Helen and I shared. The boys went for a lager each…lads lads lads!!! It was already pretty packed in the bar by this point so we asked if our table was free early so we could sit down. It was, so we made ourselves comfortable and out came the menus!!

At this point I am hit with a new anxiety about how many dishes you should order so you don’t look like a total pig or even worse, go hungry! Helpfully they do a Tapas Board where you choose 3 dishes off the Tapas menu for £10. The boys were too busy discussing work and football so Helen and I took the executive decision to order two Tapas Boards and a few extras on the side.

We ordered Chorizo & Mozzarella Croquettes, Salted pork crackling straws, mixed shellfish (not for me as I am allergic), Wild Mushroom, Gorgonzola
& Truffle Arancini Balls, Sweet Potato Fries, Garlic and Rosemary focaccia, Potatoes in spicy tomato sauce with aloli and some Chorizo in red wine.

The food was absolutely delicious and bursting with fresh flavours and spice. My personal favourites were the Chorizo in red wine and the pork crackling which you know is pure animal fat but it’s just too nice to care!! The only dish that was a little disappointing were the Chorizo & Mozzarella Croquette which were a bit mushy and bland.

After we polished that lot off we decided we needed a few more dishes just to make sure, so ordered some Crispy pork belly bites, Chicken skewers and some more Chorizo in red wine because yes, it really was that good!! The pork belly was delicious.

Then it was the moment I had been waiting for….the reason I broke my Tapas virginity…bring on the Churros in Cinnamon Sugar served with warm, oozing, sweet, decadent, heavenly chocolate sauce…oh my!!! They didn’t disappoint, crispy, deep fried dough, light and luscious!! They made all the pre Tapas trepidation worth while!

Having now discovered you can get very full on Tapas we decided to finish the meal with a cocktail for Helen and I and brandy for Paul and David. It’s at this point that I discovered my new favourite cocktail, a ‘Flat White Martini’ with Baileys, vodka and coffee, seriously good and Helen who went for an Espresso Martini tried mine and had drink envy.

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We asked for the bill and to our surprise the entire lot, including drinks, came to just over £120 for the 4 of us. Paul and David then made the mistake of letting Helen and I take control of the tip where we made a slight miscalculation which made the waiting staff very happy, the boys not so much…’Taxi’!!!

All in all a great meal, a nice buzzy atmosphere, good service and I am now a Tapas convert.