Casa Asturiana, Liverpool St, Sydney

Casa Asturiana, Liverpool St, Sydney
Monday 17 July, 2006

On our way to see the new Australian flick, 'Jindabyne' we decided to wander down to Liverpool St or the Spanish quarter as it is affectionately known. We had approximately 40 minutes to sit down & eat so thought tapas would be the quickest option.

Casa Asturiana has an authentic Spanish feel to it - the rustic wooden furniture, the wine bladders hanging from the wall, the Spanish dolls strategically placed on the tables near the entrance and the Spanish staff to greet you. The restaurant bears the name of the central Spanish town, Asturias, near the Catabrian Mountains and their motto is, 'Casa Asturiana will take your hunger away'.

My dinner buddy grabbed a couple of menus so we could select some tapas - there were staff around but they were otherwise occupied i.e. talking, standing near the bar etc. We didn't even look at the other menu offerings - just zeroed in on the tapas which were split into 3 categories - vegetarian, seafood and meat. The idea behind tapas is that you order a number of small dishes as opposed to one large main meal. This is the perfect share meal as you can't get tired of any one dish, if anything it helps you decide which one to order again!

Whilst everything sounded great on the tapas menu, we decided on:

- Patatas Bravas - Fried cubed potatoes topped with spicy tomato salsa - served hot
- Chorizo a la Plancha - Barbecued Spanish pork & paprika sausage
- Albondigas a la Asturiana - Delicious meatballs cooked in a savory tomato sauce

The dishes were delivered fast and steaming hot - the absolute highlight was the chorizo - it was rich, so the tapas portion was ideal. It was sliced thickly and served in a terracotta pot swimming in oil - definitely a dish to enjoy in small doses! I didn't find the spicy tomato salsa served with the potatoes spicy but it was still good and the meatballs were plump, round and yes, delicious.

The tapas servings range between $7 - $14 each, so it is an affordable way to enjoy a meal and try a few different dishes. Did it live up to its motto - yes.....no hunger pains during the film.

Casa Asturiana - 77 Liverpool St, Sydney - (02) 9264 1010

http://www.casaasturiana.com.au/index1.htm