Since our return from Andalucia in September last, Cafe Andaluz has been on our wish list as we enjoyed the tapas style of dining, but the visit was delayed as I always thought the tapas prices were a bit on the heavy side there.  My dining companion suggested Cafe Andaluz and was footing the bill, so who was I to argue?!

Inside the interior design has all the hallmarks of Spanish and, in particular, Andalucian style from the terracotta floor tiles to the hand painted white, red, green and blue wall tiles and moorish inspired ceiling lamps. Normally I would find this overwhelming, bordering on kitch but not so here as we did dine in restaurants that had this style in Spain.  I would say that some of the seating won’t be the most comfortable you will sit in, depending on where you are placed.

We ordered four tapas to share between the two of us, and these arrived fairly soon after ordering.  The scallops (£5.95,we were served three) with Serrano ham and rich, creamy leak sauce were lovely, pan fried to the right degree.  Patatas Bravas (£3.45) were a bit more on the halved potatoes side and served with creme fraiche, which I don’t recall being the case in Spain, but were tasty.  The stuffed aubergine (£4.25) was cooked well, and served with delicious cous cous and manchego cheese melted over the top, the Ensalada Marroqui (£4.25) of sweet potato, chick pea, roasted parsnip with corriander were a lovely combination of texture and taste, although the sweet potato was a bit on the crunchy side.  The four rich and flavoursome tapas shared between the two of us insured we had eaten to satisfaction.

Tapas

Staff were friendly and attentive, although the Manager did forget our coffee order but he soon realised and approached us humbly apologising for his forgetfulness, asking us to confirm the order again when he realised his omission so it wasn’t a problem.  At the table next to us an older man called a waitress over and complained forcefully and bitterly that the table was dirty – I felt his complaint was rude and over the top as he was shouting “This is DISGUSTING,…you are dropping your standards, this is UNACCEPTABLE…”.  The waitress listened to the complaint, noted what he said and agreed, apologised and immediately set about remedying the issue in a calm and professional manner – well done, she was a class act, despite it being clear to me she was rightly upset by his tone and manner.  That said, I would have to agree with ‘Mr Stroppy-Pants’ that the downside to the traditional artisan tiled tables is that they provide an uneven surface therefore muck does gather in the grout, and on closer inspection we noted that there were some food remains on our table too, but it was certainly nothing worth shouting about.

If you enjoy tapas you should enjoy a visit to Cafe Andaluz.  Of course, you may not enjoy paying for it – I feel that the prices are a tad high.  I understand it is more upmarket than a number of  Tapas bars in Edinburgh I have dined in, also it’s location on George Street in Edinburgh will add a premium, but realistically at least 50p – 75p could be shaved off prices to make it reasonable, and even then I feel I am being kind when I think of how much we were charged for tapas in famous Casa Cuesta in Seville (around €2.75/3.50) .  I would like to try the £16.95 per person menu which is shared between two – two Portugese (or possibly Brazilian) gents at a table next to us were enjoying that – which gives you 8 tapas.

77b George Street, Edinburgh EH2 3EE T: 0131 220 9980