Bar Pajarita

This weekend, I headed for the second time to Bar Pajarita - Tribunal's most exciting offering for those looking for creative but affordable gastronomy. Tucked away on Calle Apodaca, this little gem really impressed us across the board.

The simple menu offers an exciting array of Spanish International fusion tapas as well as some pretty impressive puds. We ordered 6 dishes to share between us, but as soon as we saw the delights coming out of the kitchen to our neighbours we couldn't help but add an extra few to our order.

Starting off light, we had the Chalupa Baby, cucumber boats topped with tzatziki and feta cheese - simple but delicious. We then in a devoured some Coca Guanajatense, chimichurri tortilla chip flutes filled with avocado, frijoles, cheese and pico de gallo.  Sounds like nachos I hear you say? Absolutely not - this was *special*.

Then, in keeping with the Mexican theme, we tried the Quekas, some delicious quesadillas filled with mushroom chipotle, sunflower seed pesto and pumpkin flower, all topped with a sprinkling of pico de gallo. An exquisite take on the simple joy of melt-in-the-mouth quesadillas.

Picanha Coqueta

Moving away from the joys of these Mexican and Greek flavours, we opted for some fishier flavours trying the Bombitas de Camarones and the Delicia de Bacalao. The prawn and avacado dish was balanced and zingy - benefiting from the crunch of the tiny fried quisquilla shrimps before the cod came along to steal the show.  The smokiness of the low temperature cooked fish contrasted brilliantly with the sweetness of the batata purée and the strong and punchy alioli mayonnaise. Just YUM.

Well impressed by our experience so far, we thought we'd see if the meats could match the fish, ordering the Baori de Cebón and the Macarones Mejicanos.  The baori were extremely tasty, but not a showstopper, bringing together succulent beef, crispy spring onion and chilli garlic mayo in a Taiwanese bun. Unable to resist the allure of the chef's Mexican marvels we also loved the sweet and savoury joy of the macarons - filled with pibil pulled pork and spicy chicken with avocado. A true adventure for the daring foodies out there.

Boari de Cébon

Six plates in, food envy got the better of us resulting in the addition of the Flautas de Buey de Mar, some melt in the mouth crab spring rolls on a bed of apple purée and salted shallots. We may have been pretty full at this point, but it was well worth venturing into the "eating-for-gula-zone". And as if that wasn't enough, we also had to try the Picanha Coqueta - some perfectly cooked slices of sirloin beef topped with tropical fruit purée and pomegranate seeds - a splendid crescendo for an exquisite evening.

The good news? It's still pretty easy to get a table (call 3 - 4 days before). More good news? It's not expensive. And to top it all, the service is fantastic. The staff were polite and knowledgable setting us up for a fabulous dinner at a very competitive price. This one is about to become a regular of mine!

Price: 30€ per person (inc. wine)

Service: ☆☆☆☆
Food: ☆☆☆☆
Decor: ☆☆☆

Bar Pajarita, Calle Apodaca 20 (Metro Tribunal)