Meal #56: Spain

Ah, Spain. Land of tapas, red wine and men who can dance. Yes, yes, there was that little inquisition thing. And that whole brutal conquest of other lands. And that messy revolution. But the important things, the main embodiments of Spain, are tapas, red wine, and men who can dance. With tastebuds dancing, Sai, Naomi, Nick, Caroline, Rami, Paul and Deb tripped lightly into the Spanish Quarter of Melbourne. Ole!

Colmao Flamenco
60 Johnston St
Fitzroy

Dimly illuminated by candlelight, Colmao Flamenco presents an intimate venue on a Sunday night. White clothed tables nestle neatly, offset against the dark wooden bar. Flamenco dancers whirled amongst other neatly framed, quintessential images of Espana. Hungrily, we eyed the chalk board specials, and nibbled on marinated green olives as we made our orders.

The Menu:

Sopa de Marisco - seafood soup
Menestra - medley of vegetables
Bistec en salsa de cafe - steak in coffee sauce
Pollo Madrileno - Chicken fillets in onion, capsicum, mushroom, tomato, white wine.

Albondigas Colmao - Meatballs braised in chef's special sauce with rice
Chocolate con churros - Spanish donuts with hot chocolate sauce

The Meal:

Following last week’s sampling of Basque/ Spanish tapas, our expectations were high. While, as a group we decided to graduate to full Spanish meals, some diners chose to continue the Spanish tradition of sharing their meals.

The soup was ordered with some trepidation; a soup which doesn’t specify its ingredients, simply stating ‘seafood’, does have a certain air of mystery surrounding it. But we needn’t have worried. Prawns, mussels and portions of succulent fish clustered like treasure in the tomato and garlicky soup, creating a delicious meal reminiscent of a light, subtle bouillabaisse.

With a similar tomato base and presented in a simple clay pot, the menestra also cut a fine figure. Chunks of root vegetables nestled in a richer, heavier, more developed tomato sauce. The happy exclamations of the diner as he soaked up the stew with slices from the well stocked bread basket were keen advertisement for this dish.

Bravely ordered from the chalkboard, the tantalizing ‘steak in coffee sauce’ wafted a mouth-watering, WAKE UP odour of espresso in its wake. The thick steak is skilfully cooked to specification, our medium steak beautifully browned, but tender and pink within. Luscious juices mingled with the thick, bitter coffee sauce; the texture of the meat almost melts in the mouth, before the sharpness of the coffee jolts the tastebuds.

A dish perfect for sharing was the Pollo Madrileno. Strips of delicately battered chicken presented abed a generous portion of salad. The chicken was lightly fried to preserve the texture and taste of the meat, and the simple flour coating served to enhance, rather than smother the flavour.

It’s a mistake to compare dishes between restaurants; sadly, Colmao’s meatballs failed in comparison to the delicious offerings at Basque. Where Basque’s meatballs were complex and herb laden in flavour, the Colmao version were overly bread based, and the simple pork flavour seemed underwhelming. The chef’s special sauce was unable lift this dish. A single blemish on Colmao’s copybook.

Most turned down offers of dessert; however one determined diner, in a quest to sample every chocolate con churros in Melbourne, delved in and was pleasantly rewarded. While not so thick and dark as previous samplings, Colmao’s sports a rich chocolate flavour, and a texture of liquid velvet. The churros were well cooked; light and crunchy, not too oily. Presented in an unusual ring shape, and dusted with cinnamon sugar, this beats the chocolate con churros on offer around the corner hands down.

Overall:

While the first impression of Colmao Flamenco may be a little conservative and upmarket, the warmth of the restaurant is soon apparent. Service is impeccable, our waiter frequently topping up our complementary olives and bread, and eager to elaborate on menu descriptions. Prices are a little steeper than some of our previous ventures, main starting around $20, but they are in line with other Spanish venues in the area. Corkage is a friendly flat fee, and, while we were the only diners of the evening, it isn’t hard to imagine the venue bustling with noisy, happy diners, wine flowing and their tastebuds dancing.