It was a very muggy Tuesday evening and my mother and I walked down to Northcote Road in search of a light dinner. Lola Roja caught our eye and we would very much have liked to eat there: when we entered its serene white decor and cool air conditioned atmosphere was bliss but it was all booked up. We walked on. I had Niksons in mind but en route we spotted Tapas Variadas. With a family eating outside and another few tables taken inside it looked like a local's spot. Inside, it seemed authentic, a view reinforced when a Spanish waitress came to seat us. After studying the menu we asked the waitress how many tapas she recommended for two diners (I find portion size varies between different restaurants). She didn't understand the question and summoned another Spanish waitress to help us. She also did not comprehend and informed us that no, we couldn't mix the dishes up. In the end we ordered four to have alongside the bread and olives they had already supplied. Tap water was no problem, and the house white wine was very nice, as was the service - despite the language barrier both waitresses who served us were pleasant and smiley. The only issue was that they were really rather slow.
The green salad was plentiful, simple and fresh - more than enough for two and we couldn't finish it. Lamb kebabs were really beautifully marinated and flavoursome and goats cheese with roasted vegetables was a pleasant dish too. The Spanish tortilla was my favourite - I was surprised that it came as a circular omelette and not cut up into smaller portions - very generous.
A nice night, and good to know about locally.
Tapas and half a bottle of wine: £20 per head
Value: 7/10
Service: 6/10
Atmosphere: 6/10
Food: 7/10
SCORE: 26/40
Tapas Variadas, 124 Northcote Road, London, SW11 6QU. Tel: 020 79243566.
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