Malvarosa

Small, friendly restaurant serving familiar and interesting Spanish food to the local community.

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This welcoming restaurant claims to offer ‘tapas as nature intended’. There’s a rustic edge to the cooking here and while the food isn’t the prettiest you’ll ever see, it’s hearty, tasty and satisfying. The limited menu contains well-known dishes such as patatas bravas, calamari and tortilla as well as less familiar dishes like ensalada de invierno – broad beans pan-fried with asparagus, artichoke and spinach – and fabada asturiana, a hotpot of butter beans with chorizo and black pudding, all available in smaller tapa or larger ración portions. However, the star of the show here is the paella, which is made to order for a minimum of two people. You can even leave a deposit and take the pan out with you to nearby Portobello beach. The short-but-interesting wine list is well-priced and worth dipping into. Malvarosa is popular and busy with locals, so much so that it can be difficult to get your food for the staff chatting with regulars and friends, however this just adds to the charm of the place and, with a bit of patience, it’s worth the wait.

• High point: Hearty and satisfying Spanish food in friendly surroundings
• Low point: Waiting a little longer to eat while regulars chat to the staff
• Notable dish: Paella