The Tapas on Hindley is located close to the centre of Hindley Street. The decor is traditional with Moroccan influences. The dim lighting and the Spanish music playing in the background create a vibrant and intimate atmosphere. There are basically 16 tapas dishes on offer with 2 types of paella. The staff are really friendly and the service was above average.

Tonight, we came as a large group and ordered the banquet. The dishes were the Spanish Meatballs with Feta, Paprika Chicken Wings, Patatas Bravas and a Traditional Paella.

SPANISH MEATBALLS – Best dish of the night. Good combination of pork, veal and beef held together by egg and bread crumbs. The meatballs were well cooked and full of flavour. The sauce was a beautiful red colour, slightly tangy, with a nice thick consistency. My only criticism of the dish was the meatballs were warm rather than hot.

PAPRIKA CHICKEN WINGS – Chicken wings were very bland. It was almost as though paprika was the only spice used in the marinating process, which even then, wasn’t long enough, as the wings had no flavour. A bit of salt and pepper wouldn’t have gone astray in this dish. I also noticed the inconsistency in the dish. Some wings were cut into pieces, others were not.

PATATAS BRAVAS – These are basically potatoes boiled in salted water, dried and then deep fried. A tomato based sauce that includes vinegar, red pepper and other spices is poured on top. The potatoes tasted like they were microwaved and the sauce was really bland.

PAELLA – The Spanish rice in a paella should be firm, dry and separable when cooked. The rice that I had was like a risotto. I also found the risotto to be inconsistently cooked. This is a common problem when you don’t rotate the pan to distribute the heat during the cooking process. The rice at the base of the paella was burnt in some areas and not in others. The paella also wasn’t as flavourful as I expected, in fact, I thought it was rather bland. I would guess that the stock that they use isn’t up to scratch.

For $30 a head, the food we received was overpriced and ordinary. Looking at it simplistically, I was hungry at the beginning, I put something in my mouth and then I was full, so the meal did its job. The drink prices were average, although a friend did get a $5 glass of Sangria. She reported it was the worse she’s ever had. The venue itself is pretty funky, but I guarantee I will never eat at this place again.

WHERE: 147 Hindley St, Adelaide