Tanta

Inconspicuously and coincidentally placed on Plaza de Perú is Peruvian restaurant Tanta, one of a chain of three (Madrid, Barcelona and Chicago) owned by celebrity chef Gastón Acurio.  For those unaware, Peruvian cuisine is a wonderful carnival-esque fusion of Asian and Latin American flavours.  Tanta captures the best of all worlds in its dishes and brings them together to produce some spectacular plates of food.

I headed there on Friday night with a friend visiting from England looking for something different and exciting and we were not disappointed.  We started off with a "Piqueo Chifero" platter which included some exquisite prawn and pork mince wontons with tamarind sauce; some sweet and sticky chifera wings; pork fillet nestled in a crispy sweet potato noodle-like nest and a xa sui sandwich (roasted pork with a fruity glaze and a red onion and coriander topping).  This starter provided a perfectly balanced and an exciting array of flavours before venturing onto our main course.

Piqueo Chifero

 We had intended on ordering two mains but the waitress pointed out that this would be too much (hence the 5 stars for service) so we decided to share the "Chifero Tapao": an oriental rice dish composed of seasonal vegetables and chicken covered with a langoustine omelette and a sweet tomato dressing.  This may not have been the most Peruvian dish on the menu but after the quality of the food I have every intention of going back to sample the Ceviche and the more traditional dishes. 

Chifero Tapao

Wowed by what we'd eaten so far we indulged ourselves with two original and delicious desserts: the "Volador" and the "Suspiro la Limeña".  The volador was comprised of layers of flaky sweet pastry and thick dulce de leche cut through with a tangy apple purée and accompanied by a strawberry coulis.  The pinnacle of our evening came in the form of the suspiro: several wonderful mouthfuls of dulce de leche creamy mousse-esque pudding topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.  It might not have impressed as much as the volador aesthetically but it more than made up for that in terms of taste and texture.

Volador

Given that we enjoyed a crisp bottle of Spanish white with our meal we really felt that Tanta provided great value for money as well as excellent service and high quality food.  If you're looking for a foodie adventure in Madrid then head to Tanta: they guarantee a "tantalising" experience.

Price: 35€ per person

Service: ☆☆☆☆☆
Food: ☆☆☆☆☆
Decor: ☆☆☆☆

Plaza de Perú, 1 (nearest Metro, Colombia / Pío XII)