Dacantus, the self-defined wine bar, signature restaurant and gin lab on Grey street might sound like the wild and confused concept of a drunk Spaniard, but this very pretty place is rapidly becoming a favourite for many, including the Fat Spoon. Why? Because they give you delicious complimentary tapas with every drink you order. EVERY drink! Knock back enough of their excellent gin cocktails and you might even think you're actually in Spain. Dacantus really has done an outstanding job at setting the scene, a stunning venue with a very strong, extensive gin menu and staff that genuinely want you to stay eat all their chorizo-rich delights.
This attractive venue has much more to offer aside from the luxury gins and the persuasive world wine selection, the tapas freebies are there to draw you in for the kill - their excellent contemporary Spanish menu. And it is very much a case of contemporariness over authenticity, but that's drastically better than the mindless faux-Spanish drivel that the generic tapas chains like to plate up. Although they do offer a well constructed (very) early-bird set menu for a mere £15 (which is possible the cheapest three courses on Grey street), the a la carte menu is where you need to focus your attention. They offer an excellent selection of sea food, pork and beef dishes, many as contemporary versions of Spanish classics, as well as a number of other surprising menu choices. Despite these random features, you can expect every dish to be executed well, in line with the high calibre of their drinks and décor.
Although much of the menu tends to step away from actual Spanish cuisine, they do still retain many Spanish quirks across most dishes and the dining-drinking hybridity of Dacantus certainly holds true to the Spanish way of entertaining. Despite this place being rather small, an expansion of the venue would almost certainly kill the intimacy of this outstanding gin and tapas bar. The commendable standard of service here also fortifies this welcoming atmosphere, making Dacantus the perfect place for casual drinks, pre-theatre diner or a lavish meal out. RIP La Tasca. 90%
À la carte restaurants are brilliant; often considered the pinnacle of the fine dining experience, providing delicious and elegant food in a sophisticated environment. But sometimes that simply isn't what you want. Sometimes all you want is sheer, glutinous volume. Monstrous portions of fat and carbs that ultimately provide you with an immense feeling of greedy satisfaction as well as strong hints of self-loathing, only achieved by going completely wild at a buffet restaurant. If you're not struggling to breath and walking like you're about to lay an egg after one, then you're doing it wrong. Chinese buffets like Lau's 202 do it well, as do world buffets like Za Za Bazaar, but notoriously, Indian attempts at buffet restaurants are typically disgusting and considered a total abomination in the eyes of the Fat Spoon.
However, Aneesa's buffet restaurant breaks this age-old tradition of repugnancy, offering an encompassing Indian and Pakistani dining experience at a very fair price. Unlike most 'Indian' buffet restaurants, the Quayside Aneesa's presents itself as a clean cut and stylish venue with a huge number of tables and a never-ending flow of good quality Indian classic dishes, including plenty of vegetarian features as well as a beastly amount of meat. Everything from masala fish and lamb seekh kebabs to tarka dhal and palak paneer are available, all of which are prepared to a solid standard. What sets Aneesa's apart from the others is that fact that their starters haven't been re-fried 16 times, their mains aren't drowning in a viscous layer of grease and they even offer some made-to-order speciality dishes. They really do have the Punjabi dining concept right - good food and savage amounts of it.
The only let down for Aneesa's is the lack of traditional Indian sweets available, they've unfortunately taken the general approach to buffet desserts and just sliced up a series of feeble and bland gateaux/sponges, straight from the bargain bin at Iceland. Although this is an understandable business move given the cost associated with producing butter and sugar-rich classic Indian desserts. They've also copped out to some extent with the inclusion of limp pizzas and some dubious attempts at Chinese food - if you come to an Indian restaurant willingly partaking in these travesties, then you need to go home and reassess your life. However, overall Aneesa's provides an accurate selection of Indian/Pakistani cuisine, in an easy to sample format with a professional approach on service. And best of all, you can eat grotesque amounts of food until you're a pakora away from being sick on yourself and somehow that's still totally socially acceptable. 80%
Dacantus, the self-defined wine bar, signature restaurant and gin lab on Grey street might sound like the wild and confused concept of a drunk Spaniard, but this very pretty place is rapidly becoming a favourite for many, including the Fat Spoon. Why? Because they give you delicious complimentary tapas with every drink you order. EVERY drink! Knock back enough of their excellent gin cocktails and you might even think you're actually in Spain. Dacantus really has done an outstanding job at setting the scene, a stunning venue with a very strong, extensive gin menu and staff that genuinely want you to stay eat all their chorizo-rich delights.
