La Sangria, Balmain

F has had his eye on La Sangria ever since seeing a friend hold his birthday here. Deciding that he should try tapas once and for all, F offhandedly mentioned that he had reserved us a table one night. Bemused and curious to see how La Sangria stacked up to places like Encasa and Kika, I went along with his plans without much fuss.

I always seem to have trouble at tapas-style restaurants: the choices are always too numerous and I am sadly limited by my stomach. Everything (besides the spicy dishes – chorizos I’m looking at you) sounds so yummy on the menu and when you go to eat tapas with only two people, I find that you have to be that much pickier with your choices (naturally, I suppose).

It took us a while but by the time our waitress came back for the third time to take our order, we had our game plan sorted.

Spanish Green Olives Bread ($3.50)

I ordered the olive bread thinking of Harris Farm’s olive bread that I had a couple of months ago. The sliced loaf had actual pitted olives embedded in them and I assumed this would be like what I had. It was clear that it was not when La Sangria’s version came out. I felt a little silly and a bit disappointed that it wasn’t as nice as the bread from Harris Farm.

Grilled Calamari with Onions, Parsley and Garlic ($12.50)

Soft and juicy (and not at all chewy), this dish was definitely a hit with us. There was the right amount of parsley and garlic – not overwhelming the calamari and helped compliment the flavours in the dish.

"All-i-oli" Potatoes - Garlic Mayonnaise Sauced Potatoes ($9.50)

I think you know by now that I whole-heartedly adore potatoes, so I couldn’t resist ordering the “All-i-oli” potatoes (also, the dish name made me giggle). The potatoes were scrumptiously crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and perfectly seasoned. I was glad that they didn’t skimp on the garlic mayonnaise – it was quite garlicky and went well with the potatoes (of course).

Garlic Prawns - Fried with Garlic, Chilli ($13.50)

Also by now, I’m quite sure you know by now just how terrible I am with spiced things. I told F that I could feel the chilli hit, though it was quite mild, and he stared at me incredulously, “Chilli? You’re not serious, are you?” He couldn’t taste any at all. *sigh*

Besides the chilli giving me a slight headache, the prawns were pretty nice – they were decently garlicky and juicy.

"Croquetas" of Chicken ($11.50)

Inside view of "Croquetas" of Chicken ($11.50)

The chicken croqueta was one of my favourite dishes of the night. They were wonderfully crispy (as all deep-fried things should be) and creamy inside. They went especially well with the aioli “all-i-oli” potatoes.

Pan-Fried Scallops with Fresh Herbs, Onion Wine Sauce ($13.50)

I think I’ve been terribly spoilt by experiencing perfectly pan-seared scallops as I found these scallops to be way over-cooked.

I thought perhaps I didn’t understand how scallops should be when pan-fried and so I Googled. I found out that pan-fried is done with a little oil (hence the “fried” bit, I suppose) and pan-seared just uses a dry hot pan. Hmm… Somehow I don’t think then there’s really an excuse to cook the scallops to the point where they become slightly dry and chewy. F likened it to “chewing on a rubber thong” (though to be completely honest, I didn’t think it was that bad, but really, it wasn’t that good either).

"Flamenco" Fingers - Pork Loin Rolled with Cheese and Breadcrumbs ($12.50)

It sounded so delicious – deep-fried pork and cheese! – but sadly it was let down by some rather hard, chewy pork. Considering that it was mainly pork and not much else, I found it hard to like this dish. I didn’t notice whether the cheese placement in the roll was random (in the middle, at the end or somewhere inbetween), but it was a nice surprise when I bit into its gooey-ness.

Profiteroles with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce ($9.50)

The warm profiteroles were filled with either chocolate or custard and the warm chocolate sauce was to die for. I loved how generously sauced it was – even after mopping up the sauce with profiteroles, there were still some leftover.

Churros with Spanish Hot Chocolate ($9.50)

Dipping the Churros in Spanish Hot Chocolate ($9.50)

I’ve never had churros until Oktoberfest last year and I had to wonder where the heck I’ve been. Needless to say, this dish was the highlight of my night. The churros were crisp and warm, the hot unsweetened chocolate was silky smooth and thick – together they were phenomenally delicious, but they also stood well on their own.

We noticed that a guy came in specifically asking for the churros dessert. One of the waitress (who I took to be also the owner) gently admonished him that they don’t usually serve customers dessert without them ordering another dish. I’m not sure why she relented, but she was rather good-natured about it.

La Sangria is a welcoming Spanish tapas restaurant with friendly and quick service. The tapas dishes were a bit hit and miss, but the desserts definitely are not.

La Sangria
371A Darling St
Balmain, NSW, 2041
Ph: (02) 9555 2086

13 Comments

1. Helen

   August 25, 2009

   

   oh yes, churros… yum… and i’ve gone into places before and just ordered churros only. the good stuff is hard to find!

   love the hand modelling too!
   .-= Helen´s last blog ..Wellington on a Plate food festival 2009 =-.

   Reply
2. FFichiban

   August 25, 2009

   

   Ooh yummm getting hungry at 0130 is not good >_< The garlic mayo looks very good and of course the desserts! Interesting how F knows what chewing on a rubber thong feels like
   .-= FFichiban´s last blog ..Japaz – Neutral Bay, Sydney (2) =-.

   Reply
3. shez

   August 25, 2009

   

   I’m only just (cautiously) rekindling my tapas-love. It can be so hit and miss sometimes… but when it hits, oh does it hit! Those two desserts sound delicious! Did you drink all the chocolate down at the end of the churros? Say you did
   .-= shez´s last blog ..italian beef casserole – a Leggo’s challenge =-.

   Reply
4. Simon Food Favourites

   August 25, 2009

   

   looks like they do a great Churros. i’ve been recommended to check this place out so that’s great you’ve already been. awesome photos. are you using a flash for these? what would you order again next time if you went?
   .-= Simon Food Favourites´s last blog ..Jaya Malaysian: Char Kway Teow, Sydney (13 August 2009) =-.

   Reply
5. Moya

   August 25, 2009

   

   I love how many tapas places there are in Sydney now, such a civilised way of trying everything! Oh my, I can almost taste the garlic breath from those potatoes!
   .-= Moya´s last blog ..FLYING FOX CAFE – Mona Vale =-.

   Reply
6. Caitlin - Roaming Tales

   August 26, 2009

   

   Olive bread usually has pitted olives in it. If this bread didn’t, in what way was it olive bread? I’m curious!

   Not sure why a restaurant wouldn’t serve someone dessert only. The customer generates less revenue but they also take up a table for less time.
   .-= Caitlin – Roaming Tales´s last blog ..Recipe Road Test: Strawberry and polenta cupcakes =-.

   Reply
7. Forager

   August 26, 2009

   

   Interesting – I’ve never thought about going into La Sangria – but by the sounds of it I should at least pop in for dessert. Oh and Balmain is firmly in the inner west not east! Go westies!
   .-= Forager´s last blog ..Freddy and Faheem’s Fast Food =-.

   Reply
8. Belle@OohLook

   August 26, 2009

   

   I used to go to La Sangria all the time when it first opened a few years ago, but they never change their menu, so I stopped. I remember the churros as being fantastic, and it’s good that it hasn’t changed! Time to go back there, I think.
   .-= Belle@OohLook´s last blog ..Lean Green Pesto Pasta =-.

   Reply
9. squishies

   August 27, 2009

   

   Helen: I don’t normally see them around, but when I do, it’s a must-get! Heheh

   Aww, you’ve gone and embarrassed F ^_^ Teehee

   FFichiban: Hahah worse when you try to sleep when you’re both tired and hungry. I know huh? It makes me wonder =P hehe

   shez: I was pretty full at this stage so no, I didn’t drink the rest of it =( Would have loved to been able to though

   Simon Food Favourites: Nah, not using a flash – I used the street light from outside. Should have realised that it would clash with the warm lighting inside *sighs* Next time, next time… (though I did the same mistake with the Universal photos haha bother)

   Hmm, I’d get the calamari, potatoes, chicken croquetas and both desserts hahah. There were a couple of things on the menu that I’d love to try out as well, so I’d go back to try them too ^_^

   Moya: Haha It’s convenient too! =D Yeah, glad that we ate other stuff to dampen the strength of the garlic hehe

   Caitlin – Roaming Tales: That thought did cross my mind hehe It seemed like it was made like garlic bread only with crushed/minced/finely diced olives instead of garlic… so I guess in a way, it wasn’t totally misleading. But still…

   I’m not sure either, but this isn’t the first place where I’ve heard they prefer customers to order more than just dessert. Harbour Kitchen Bar at Park Hyatt had that rule last time I went.

   Forager: Oh good =) I wasn’t too sure where it was (my geography and classification of areas are terrible). Thanks for clearing that up!

   Belle@OohLook: Hehe if only for the churros? =)

   Reply
10. Yas

    August 31, 2009

    

    I used to work in Balmain before, but never knew this place was a tapas restaurant. (well, kinda obvious from the name of it though lol)

    Hmm I love churros. The desserts look very goood!
    .-= Yas´s last blog ..Add some Asia to it – trying to eat sensibly. =-.

    Reply
11. abercrombie

    August 31, 2009

    

    shame a bout the scallops and flamenco.. sounded good on paper.. shame they weren’t executed well at all..

    spanish and no sangria? must do next time

    Reply
12. squishies

    September 7, 2009

    

    Yas: Churros are the best =) Now I have a hankering to go there and just have desserts! I’ll even take the scolding for it! haha

    abercrombie: Yeah, always disappointing when executing could have been so much better – such potential! Hahah, sif – I’m not much of a drinker.

    Reply
13. Best of the Web – Gooseberry Fool: Foodie links for 8 September | Roaming Tales

    September 9, 2009

    [...] – tapas. Squishies from eatshow&tell reviews La Sangria, a tapas joint in Balmain in Sydney’s Inner [...]

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