There’s nothing better than sitting on a serene Spanish coastal promenade or bustling city street enjoying a glass of sangria and a bite of tapas - but can the Metrocentre’s new Spanish restaurant Tapas Revolution live up to the authentic Iberian cuisine despite the less authentic location?

I’m a big fan of tapas and there’s certainly been something of a tapas explosion in the UK over recent years, with cocktail bars to restaurants of all cuisines wanting to get their hands on the mini-dish concept. There’s something quite fun and quaint about ordering a few small taster dishes instead of having to commit to one meal choice.

Read more: First look as Tapas Revolution opens Metrocentre restaurant

I’ve been lucky enough to go to Spain twice this year and had my fair share of patatas bravas (insert unoriginal joke about brave potatoes here) so I was excited to see how Tapas Revolution compared.

The Northern Echo: Tapas Revolution, Metrocentre.Tapas Revolution, Metrocentre. (Image: DANIEL HORDON)

Me and my friend Becca visited after a busy day at work last Saturday evening. The restaurant wasn’t very busy when we arrived at 7.30pm but I’d guess it’ll be at its busiest during the day when the malls are buzzing with shoppers. We were taken to a table and given a menu.

We decided to order a starter and three tapas each. From 11am til 4pm Monday to Friday you can pick up three tapas for £18, which is a decent deal as most of the dishes are at the £7-£8 mark.

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For starters we opted for some bread – Pan de ajo (Toasted ciabatta with garlic and olive oil - £4.25) and Pan de la casa y jamon (Toasted ciabatta with grarlic, tomato, olive oil and serrano ham - £5.95). I’m sure restaurants only opt to use the authentic name for the amusement of their wait staff.

The Northern Echo: Pan de ajo (£4.25) and Pan de la casa y jamon (£5.95)Pan de ajo (£4.25) and Pan de la casa y jamon (£5.95) (Image: DANIEL HORDON)

For our main tapas dishes we opted for – and I’ll just translate to make life easier - Honey and Lemon Marinated Chicken Wings (£6.95), Ham Croquettes (£7.50), Spanish Meatballs (£7.95), Chorizo (£7.50), Pork Belly (£9.50), Pan-fried Tiger Prawns (£9.25), and a side of the famous brave potatoes (£5.50).

The Northern Echo: Alitas de pollo (Honey and lemon marinated chicken wings) - £6.95Alitas de pollo (Honey and lemon marinated chicken wings) - £6.95 (Image: DANIEL HORDON)

Our starters arrived and we jumped right in. Both were fresh and tasty.

Before we knew it our dishes started to arrive in the traditional tapas style – as soon as they’re ready.

The Northern Echo: Croquetas de jamon (Ham and creamy bechamel sauce croquettes) - £7.50Croquetas de jamon (Ham and creamy bechamel sauce croquettes) - £7.50 (Image: DANIEL HORDON)

The Northern Echo: Albondigas con tomate (Beef and pork meatballs in a rich tomato and vegetable sauce) - £7.95Albondigas con tomate (Beef and pork meatballs in a rich tomato and vegetable sauce) - £7.95 (Image: DANIEL HORDON)

No tapas restaurant ever seems to have a big enough table for all of your food and so the obligatory game of plate Tetris commenced.

We were really impressed by all of our dishes, they were all full of flavour and generous portions too. The chorizo and croquettes both stood out as personal favourites. I’m not a fan of prawns but Becca told me they “tasted of holiday” – which is exactly what I was hoping for from Tapas Revolution.

The Northern Echo: Gambas a ajillo (Tiger prawns) - £9.25 and Chorizo a la sidra - £7.50Gambas a ajillo (Tiger prawns) - £9.25 and Chorizo a la sidra - £7.50 (Image: DANIEL HORDON)

The Northern Echo: Torreznos con mojos (Slow cooked belly pork with herb mojo verde and a sweet & spicy sauce) - £9.50Torreznos con mojos (Slow cooked belly pork with herb mojo verde and a sweet & spicy sauce) - £9.50 (Image: DANIEL HORDON)

We were really quite full after our tapas selection but decided to opt for a dessert since we’d just finished a pretty busy shift at work and felt we deserved it. We both opted for the Tarta de queso (Traditional Basque cheesecake - £6.50) which came with a red berry compote.

The cheesecake was lovely and we even had to take some home as we were so full.

The Northern Echo: Tarta de queso - £6.50Tarta de queso - £6.50 (Image: DANIEL HORDON)

Can I see myself visiting Tapas Revolution again? Absolutely! The food lived up to my expectations for authentic Spanish tapas and it makes a nice change to the numerous Italian restaurants at the Metrocentre.

I’m one of those people who gets quickly bored of having a sandwich for lunch and love the tapas dining style since you can get a couple of dishes for a lighter meal. At £18 for the weekday deal you could easily share three dishes between two for lunch and not pay much more than you would for a sarnie in a café.

We both came away adequately stuffed, having enjoyed all of our dishes, but wishing we’d actually been on a Spanish promenade in the sun.

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