Restaurant Review
El meson de Los Hermanos,
20 Baker Street, Weybridge KT13 8AU: 01932 851333
to
As the nights darken and memories of summer holidays start to fade, there can be
few better places to escape a bleak evening than El meson de Los Hermanos in
Weybridge. Matthew Williams discovers a ray of Spanish sunshine here in Surrey
ISTORICALLY, I've always
found tapas a little hit and
miss in England and it's
probably fair to say that it hasn't really
been my first port of call when looking
for an evening out.
I've tended to find that the evenings
I have enjoyed in various 'Spanish'
restaurants are usually more to do with
the people I' m with, rather than the
quality of the food I'm being servednothing especially wrong with that, you
might say, ~but you can obviously
achieve much the same effect round the
dinner table at home
So, I was intrigued by the steady flow
of glowing reports we've received about
a well-established Weybridge eatery and
finally built up the nerve to give it a go.
And I' m so glad I did.
Anyone longing for the Spanish sun
and holidays on the Costas will find the
bright and breezy El meson de Los
Hermanos (I' m informed this translates
as the inn of the brothers) a ray of
sunshine in their autumn.
It was a Tuesday night and, having
started early, every t~ble was full by the
time we left. We were welcomed by the
smiling owner next to a tinkling water
fountain in the 'so Spanish it hurts' venue
- tiled walls, pictures of proud bulls etc.
In fact, he was so friendly I half
thought he'd cottoned on to my exact
reason for visiting but as the evening
progressed everyone received the same
warm smile and light conversation!
H
150 SURREY LIFE October 2011
The atmosphere was great and we got
the impression that many of the
surrounding tables were occupied by
people to whom the restaurant may well
be a second home.
It's not just tapas at Los Hermanos;
they also have an a la cane option,
which I' m told is well worth checking
out. We opted for the more traditional
route of dining, however, lin~ng up
seven dishes that took over our table and
the accompanying (and highly
convenient) fold-out extension - with a
very reasonable bottle of rioja to keep
the feast company.
Tackling the tapas
Highlights for me were the patatas
bravas (bringing a well-rounded kick to
proceedings), the chorizo in red wine
~trong, smoky flavours) and the
albondigas (extremely tasty meatballs).
Combined with Spanish omelette,
prawns, a mushroom concoction and
assorted Spanish cured sausages- with
no complaints about any of the dishes
served - it proved a delicious way to
spend the evening.
As for dessert, I was defeated and had
to call a truce.
Apparently, the restaurant's tag line is
'Food to fight for' (not quite the 'Tapas
is for sharing' that you might expect),
though fortunately no blows were
exchanged as the sizzling dishes were
tackled (maybe they are referring to the
battle to complete the sizeable portions).
In fact, it's the kind of place where
any stresses and strains melt away
and brings back memories of one of my
favourite Spanish phrases: mafiana.
With food this good, frankly anything
else can wait. -
Verdict:
Food and drink 8
Service 8
Venue 8
What we ate:
Tapas
Gambas al pil pil (peeled prawns
with garlic and chilli), £7.50
Tortilla de chorizo y espinacas
(Spanish omelette with chorizo and
spinach), £4.50
Patatas bravas (chillied potatoes), £3
Setas portabella y jamon con virutas
de queso manchego (portabella
mushrooms with Serrano ham,
manchego cheese shavings and
rocket leaves), £5
Chorizo picante (spicy chorizo in red
wine), £4
Albondigas (meatballs), £4.50
Surtido de lbericos (assorted
Spanish cured sausages), £7
Drinks
One bottle of Ramon Bilbao Single
Vineyard Rioja, £17.50
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I
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Every month, we publish the best
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Zio's, Walton-on-Thames
by Sinead Fitzgibbon
A warm welcome greets you off the streets of Weybridge at the well-established Los Hermanos
3 other ...
Spanish restaurants
El Pie Spanish
177 London Road, Camberley GU15 3JS
Tel: 01276 670670
El Pie has been named in the top five Spanish restaurants in the country by Channel
4's The F Word.
Don Fernandos
27F The Quadrant, Richmond TW9 1 DN
Tel: 0208 948 644 7
Open since 1990, this is a traditional Spanish restaurant serving authentic cuisine,
owned and run by the Izquierdo family.
La Casita
4/5 Chapel Street, Guildford GU1 3UH
Tel: 01483 455155
Offering Tapas for a Tenner (three dishes) until 7pm every day and takeaway, this
Mediterranean restaurant is a popular destination.
surrey.greatbritishlife.co.uk
Something of an institution in
Walton-on-Thames, Zio's Italian was
established in 1979 and this familyrun restaurant has been providing
Walton residents with authentic
Italian cuisine for over 30 years.
I discovered Zio' s not long after
moving to Walton from London,
and from the first visit, I was hooked!
The food is simple Italian fare, and
invariably delicious (the garlic bread
is to die for!), while the wine list
boasts a nice selection of good,
mainly Italian, wines.
Everything about this restaurant
feels genuinely Italian, not least the
temperamental 70-something Sicilian
waiter who is often heard scolding his
younger eo-workers in rapid-fire
Italian for even the smallest oversight.
And therein lies the secret for its
success ... the customer always leaves
this gem of a restaurant with the
vague sense that they have discovered
a little corner of Italy right in the
heart of Surrey.
• Zio's Italian Ristorante, 9 Ashley
Road, Walton-on-Thames KT12 1HY
Tel: 01932 22297 4
• Enjoyed a memorable meal in
Surrey? You can submit your own
local restaurant reviews at surrey.
greatbritishlife.co.uk or e-mail
them to [email protected]
October 2011 SURREY LIFE 151