Perth Voice Interactive

by JENNY D’ANGER

I’D died and gone to foodie heaven. But why was everyone speaking Spanish?

“Ola!” my taste buds cried, and Newcastle Street slipped back into focus and I realised I was sitting at Pinchos, in Leederville.

It’s Spanish for little sticks, and this amazing tapas has them skewering a variety of dishes.

Well-priced and authentic tapas is something Hispanophile owner Justin Bell, of Jus Burgers, prides himself on.

And the menu starts with the para picar selection (Spanish for “to pick”), a mix of tiny dishes, at amazingly small prices such as chorizo with honey and cheese ($3).

I’m not a fan of anchovy on pizzas but Pinchos’ pinto gilda ($1) is a dainty white morsel, skewered to half an olive, and the soft, un-salty, flesh melted in the mouth, leaving me wishing I’d ordered more.

My lunch companion and I nibbled on some delicious smoked almonds ($3) and sipped a Spanish dry white in anticipation of an endless parade of dishes ordered by ticking boxes on the menu, which was then collected by our ever-so helpful waiter.

The remolacha y garbanzos ($9) was next to arrive, a generous bowl of beetroot, chickpeas, apple, fennel and radish with a magnificent dressing of yoghurt, honey and dukkah. Which went perfectly with the grilled tomato bread, ($4).

We skipped the embutidos (cured meat) selection, but meat lovers at the next table were stoked with their grilled pork sausage, with garlic and paprika ($9), and the pate ($8) looked smooth and creamy as it quickly disappeared.

As did the brochetta de gambas ($9.90) on our table. The flame-grilled prawns tender, and the tomato salsa smothering them just the shot.

A dish of patatas bravas ($8) took potatoes to new heights, chunky pieces smothered in garlic, rosemary, house-made tomato sauce and aioli.

Saving the best for last the bienmesabe fish with stuffed squid ($19) really was to die for.

A generous serve of spice-infused fish sat atop a delicious salad, but the absolute piece de resistance was the small squid, stuffed with fig paste and basted with a balsamic reduction.

And even better, my mate doesn’t like squid, so I got to eat both. Oh, the joy.

I’d like to say we tried the magnificent-looking poached pear tart ($11), but while I would have happily tackled another dainty squid, a huge slice of tart would have ended me.

So we headed off our taste buds doing a flamenco and crying “fantastico! fantastico!” all the way home.

Pinchos
749 Newcastle St, Leederville
9228 3009
open Sun and Mon 11.30am–9pm,
Tues–Sat 11.30am–10pm