Brindisa Battersea Power Station

With Battersea Power Station as your backdrop, the enclave of restaurants that make up Circus West Village have a prime spot indeed. There’s a trinity of top places that open up to a large Thames-side terrace: the Italian Fiume, Wright Brothers for seafood and Spanish stalwart Brindisa. Come the summer months, a seat outside any one of them will be coveted indeed. We visited on a blustery January evening but brightening up the winter night was the free light festival with the area featuring a number of fun installations (on until March 5) and some insulation from the cold provided by a strong cocktail from Control Room B (as you’d guess from the name, it is set in the old power station control room and it’s awesome).

We’d booked a table for Brindisa and it was a great choice for a chilly evening with the vibes of a bustling Spanish bar transporting you to Madrid or Barcelona. There’s rustic rendered walls and cosy wooden booths; hams hang from the shelves and wine bottles line the walls. Our waiter was all fun and enthusiasm when we asked him what he’d recommend to drink, quickly returning with a sample of three of their most popular reds. Our favourite, and, it turns out, that of the Brindisa Battersea team, was a Valenciso Reserva Rioja, 2014, elegant yet with enough structure to go with a variety of tapas, from the earthy squid ink croquettes to a dish of Iberico pork cheeks.

We started with some bar snacks – some of the aforementioned croquettes, which were crispy on the outside and yielding within. Rich and delicious. Our waiter recommended the classic snack of tomatoes on toast but suggested we elevate it with a side of boquerones – these simple dishes all rely on the quality of ingredients and here the tomatoes were fresh and zingy, the anchovies plump – together, heavenly.

Next, we went for a dish of sea trout, with rich flavours of chestnut and anchovies alongside. We were recommended the beetroot and hazelnut salad too, and it worked well.

The pace felt relaxed so it was nice to be able to order as you would in Spain, deciding what we wanted as went along, rather than picking a whole selection at the outset. It might also be why we were among the last to leave! That said, other diners were heading off fairly early on – perhaps it is more of an after-work or early evening destination – or the fact it was a school night in January.

Braised pork cheeks are always one of my fave dishes – here, the meat was tender, tasty and cooked perfectly but it didn’t need all the accompaniments such as the overly plentiful fried vegetable crisps. A chocolate and orange crema Catalana was the perfect sweet treat to finish things off, and a glass of Recondita Armonia Monastrell, 2018, was a delight with the sweet red wine pairing well with the chocolate.

This is a fun spot for a night out at Battersea Power Station, and I look forward to heading back for sundowners and tapas on the terrace in the summertime.

Brindisa, Battersea Power Station