Tapas in Greystones: Las Tapas Review

The Bank Holiday weekend was glorious, wasn't it? All the sunshine, all the fun. 

We decided to make a sailing trip out of the few days off. We set off from Dun Laoghaire at midday on Sunday and made our way towards Greystones. 

It was a very relaxed sail, little wind and plenty of sunshine. We ended up having to motor into Greystones Marina but we got there around 4:30pm. 

After mooring up, we headed to The Beach House for a cool drink and a discussion of where to go for dinner. I torment my poor boy at times with how I am about food. Despite there being grub on offer (that looked very good), I wouldn't commit to us having dinner there. Why? Food FOMO - I wanted to explore the town and see what else was on offer. 

After extracting a promise from me that I wouldn't take more than an hour to do this and a pit stop for another drink at a bar in the town, I settled on Las Tapas on Church Road in Greystones. 

This wasn't our first time in Las Tapas but after two winning visits, I can confidently say it won't be our last. 

We managed to secure a coveted outdoor seat in no time and our skin took in the last of the evening sun as we looked over the menu, our eyes as big as saucers. 

I love tapas - the little dishes play right into my desire to try as much food on offer as possible. I love the relaxed, casual feel of it - tapas encourages sharing and can create a joyous food experience for the people involved. 

I always love hearing what other people think of the food; what are they tasting, feeling, thinking as their eating? Do they experience something as bitter or sweet? Is it moreish, palatable, exciting? I believe that food is a wonderful way of sharing a moment together; sticky fingers crossing from one plate to another in order to try a chicken wing, a cheekily stolen chip, the salt and vinegar creating a tangy and unforgettable memory in your mouth. 

But anyway, back to the tapas. With an extensive range on offer, we decided to go for the Chef's Selection with some supplementary dishes. 

This included:

Alitas de Pollo (chicken wings)

Pollo con Salsa (diced chicken and sliced mushroom in a cream and sherry sauce) 

Albondigas a la Jardinera (meatballs in tomato sauce)

Ensalada de Pera y Jamon (mixed salad leaves with serrano ham and sliced pear) 

Gambas Gabardina (deep fried king prawns in a crispy batter)

Patatas Brava (Fried tomatoes with tomato sauce and aioli) 

Cochifirto (Lamb shoulder sauteed in olive oil with peppers and onions) 

and we ordered three additional dishes because we're hungry b*stards: 

Chanquettes (crispy, deep friend whitebait) 

Pescado Blanco Frito (deep fried cod in batter) 

Pan Tomate (toaste bread with garlic, crushed tomatoes onions  and herbs) 

Whitebait

                                                              Pan tomate and cod 

Well dear reader, we devoured them all. In particular, I was really taken with the salad. I haven't experimented that much with pairing savoury with fruit, but I definitely will in the future. The sweetness of the pears played off the saltiness of the serrano so beautifully, I could've eaten a bowlful of it. 

                                                            Serrano and Pear Salad 

Another standout dish was the chicken and mushroom in a creamy sherry sauce. Dare I say there was a bit of side eye between myself and himself as to who would get the last bit of it? It was so perfectly balanced, decadent without being heavy. 

                                              Chicken & Mushroom with sherry and cream 

With a glass of wine for me and a beer for him, the total bill came to just over 70 euro. It was worth every penny; the food was of the highest quality and we were very happy and satisfied after all our dishes. Considering how much we got, I thought it was great value for money. 

Their tapas selection start in the 40 euro range - split between two people, in Dublin these days you're hardpressed to get more than a salad and drink for that. Individual tapas dishes range from 4-7 euro depending on what you're ordering, so all in all, very manageable. 

I would highly recommend taking the dart over and checking it out for yourself with a few friends on the weekend. Between the sunny weather and the bangin' flavours, you'd be forgiven for forgetting you're in Ireland. 

Xoxo