Enjoy a delicious meal at a surprising price at Tapeo Cafe & Tapas – Beckenham

BY PALOMA LACY

I love tapas so when my local Spanish restaurateur hung up his paella pan, I was gutted.

Spanish fayre was once a town centre staple, feeding the appetites of Brits fond of breaks on the Costas but so few remain these days.

The appearance of a couple of high-end chains has filed the gap somewhat but I’m always grateful to find a local independent option.

It was on a sunny Saturday afternoon that I headed to Tapeo Café & Tapas in Beckenham High Street.

Nothing like a glimpse of sunshine to make sangria or in my case, margaritas seem like a fine idea.

This weather also lends itself to that most leisurely of lunches, tapas. We were a seven-strong all-girl gang of old school friends and ordered pretty much everything on the menu, at least twice.

The call went out: “Who’s ordered calamari?” Two hands went up and we ordered a third for good measure.

Tapas has a strange effect on the brain. Small plates leave the diner nervous that there won’t be enough food so the attitude that ‘more is more’ prevails.

Today was no different.

Our table was creaking under the weight of some seriously good tapas and when two of our party had to leave unexpectedly, the anxiety around the table was palpable.

We managed so brilliantly that when one of the girls returned, we realised we hadn’t quite saved enough for her to eat.

I’d like to point out that this was mainly because we were good enough to consume dishes that would perhaps not be best served cold.

Tapeo’s look is fresh and modern and this extends to the menu.

Pretty sure I didn’t see any Russian salad – a reminder of tapas of old – no one needs that much mayonnaise.

I love fresh anchovies and my haste at polishing these off almost caused a row with my absent friend when she returned to find an empty plate.

She ordered more and understood my dilemma in her absence but did point out that this was one cold dish.

Guilty as charged.

At just £3.50, this price tag came as a huge surprise to me.

In fact, pretty much every menu I look at these days makes my eyes pop out of my skull when I catch the inflated prices.

Not so here. Scallops, chorizo, caramelised onion and cured Manchego foam for just shy of a tenner is also excellent value for money.

I also enjoyed albondigas (pork and beef mince meatballs in tomato sauce – £6.95) and skirt steak, grilled corn and chimichurri sauce – £7.95.

My only criticism is that the much-loved croquetas de jamon were a little on the weedy side but hit the right flavour notes.

This said, the menu’s solid, with so many updated takes on classics, making it a joy to behold.

Tapeo Café & Tapas 142 High St, Beckenham BR3 1EA.