Dionika

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Dionika's welcoming owner and head chef Juan Blanco – who was taught to cook by his large extended family back home in Galicia, an Iberian region just on the Spanish side of the Portuguese border – would take offence if people referred to his restaurant as a mere tapas bar. But there's a wonderfully anarchic sensibility about the place which doesn't lend itself to fine dining either, and this is emphasised by the way Blanco will discuss improvised dishes with his customers if they can't see something they'd like on the menu. Fat chance of that, though. Blanco, a former seafood exporter, will only throw seasonal, unfarmed fish on his plancha grill, and Spanish favourites such as calamares, gambas al pil pil – prawns in a sharp garlic and chilli marinade – and rape con jamon Serrano – thick monkfish tails wrapped in Serrano ham – are fresh and smoking hot. The wine-soaked chorizo and morcilla – meaty Spanish black pudding – tapas are rich and very Spanish, while the goat's cheese-rich ensalada de Dionika is as refreshing as one served in a Barcelona terrace café. For a pricey but satisfying treat, though, the grand parrillada – a heaped plate of griddled fish and shellfish – is worth pushing the boat out for.

• High point: The owner's personality and heritage really come through in the food
• Low point: Forget the quiet meal for two if a large crowd is in