“This week we are proud to bring diners an authentic taste of Spain!” announces Michalis Xekalos, restaurant manager at The Terrace. The nation, rightly renowned for its regional cuisine that is packed with flavour and character, is being celebrated over three evenings. On Thursday 3rd March, there will be a fabulous selection of sophisticated Tapas available for those attending the ‘Flamenco Dancers Casa Patas’ performance and Gypsy Rumba concert. Anyone attending can pre-book or order Tapas on the night from The Terrace. Ten Spanish-style bar dishes will be offered, including Chorizo sausage with cider and Shrimp croquetas that are fried after being wrapped in breadcrumbs. Also being served will be the Galician region’s special of boiled, paprika-scented octopus dressed with sea salt and olive oil. This dish perfectly reflects the tasty and satisfying character of the Tapas food tradition.Chef Carl Chapman, a master of meat, will be preparing Pork belly croquetas and Moorish lamb pinchos (or ‘small snacks) which are ideal hearty fare to accompany your beer or wine on the night.
Saturday’s performance will be followed by a poolside Spanish buffet dinner that may be pre-booked or ordered on the night. All the buffet menu options have a connection to the varied cuisine of Spain’s 17 regions. Dishes include Black squid rice, a Valencian rice dish made distinctive by its black colour from squid ink. It has several layers of flavours arising from the onions, the squid, shellfish and the fish stock. Chef Carl’s Milk roast pork loin with apple sauce will celebrate Spain’s favourite meat. “This Spanish-style dish gently braises the meat in milk,” says the chef who explains, “this does double duty by tenderising the pork loins while also serving as a creamy gravy.” The Spanish sweet treats for desert include Turrón ice cream with raspberry coulis. This uses both traditional soft and hard varieties of turrón (almond nougat candy) to create a spectacular dessert. Diners will also enjoy Tocino de Cielo, a dish from Southern Spain, similar to a flan but made with very different components. This dessert is made only with egg yolks, sugar and water. The simplecombination of ingredients creates an extremely light, tender and deliciously smooth custard. Slices of Santigo almond tart, a Galician speciality is another Spanish classic dessert being served on the night. The crunchy, creamy filling plus a perfectly sweet crust, a hint of lemon and nuttiness from the almonds will go perfectly with a coffee.
Finally Saturday’s Gypsy Concert will be followed by a colourful Spanish food fair. There will be six stalls each offering an array of fresh, honest, tasty street food and bar snack offerings. “The Pinchitos or Andalusian skewers remind us Europe’s first kebabs came from North Africa.” explains Chef Carl who will be serving beef and chicken at this fun evening. Non-meat eaters will find a selection of seafood options including tuna kebabs, Gambas Ajillo (garlic shrimp) and battered calamari. In addition to savoury mini dishes there will also be a selection of Spanish-style desserts.
The Spanish classic of Paella, the spicy rice dish of meat and seafood, will be given special attention from Chef Carl. “We have made careful plans at The Terrace and enlisted expert help to produce an authentic Paella flavour,” explains the chef who adds, “Our diners on Thursday and Saturday will taste the results!” For a truly authentic taste of Spanish music, dance and fabulous food simply come to The Terrace at Slipway this week.
Tapas, Thursday 3rd March: USD 15 (pre-pay) or USD 20 on the night
Buffet Dinner, Friday 4th March: USD 30 (pre-pay) or USD 40 on the night
Street Food Fair, Saturday 5th March: USD 30 (pre-pay) or USD 40 on the night
Enquiries: 0659 608 507; email: terrace@retom.com; or call in any time to the restaurant at The Slipway.
