Tel: 9417 4131
Website: http://www.colmaoflamenco.com/
BYO Wine - Corkage $5
CHURROS FROM THE HEAVENS
Undoubtedly any Spanish restaurant in Melbourne will draw comparisons to Frank Camorra's Movida. Colmao does not disappoint.
The food is simple, honest Spanish fare - no tricked up foams or dry ice here. The menu is extensive, with numerous shared entrees, and mains including game, seafood and of course, paella. Hidden in the back of the menu is a list of attractively priced set menus. We ended up going with Set Menu III. Coming in at $43, it was more expensive than the tapas degustation at Movida, so expectations were high.
For this price we received 4 types of tapas, paella, and churros. The tapas was particularly noteworthy. Arriving in close succession were:
Chorizo sausages with aioli
Button mushrooms cooked in a claypot with white wine, garlic and rosemary
Fried spinach tossed with garlic, sultanas and lemon wedges
Potato wedges with a spicy salsa
Meatballs with a tomato based sauce
The chorizo sausages were particularly well done, with the juicy pieces of chorizo having just the right balance of saltiness and heat from the paprika. The creamy aioli complemented this dish nicely. As for the spinach, after a couple of tenative mouthfuls I found myself pleasantly surprized - and this is coming from someone that usually doesn't like spinach. The creaminess of the spinach matched well with the garlic, and the sultanas provided a great counterpoint to the savoury flavours. Don't forget to add a squeeze of lemon - the sweet, sour, salty combination really works for this dish.
Next up was a VERY generous serving of paella mixta. A wagon-wheel sized pan of paella studded with king prawns, mussels, calamari and chicken was placed in front of us. The serving size was for 4, but could easily have served 6. The paella itself was good, and I would have been happy to get it in any other restaurant. However, it did not live up to the standard of the tapas . The paella had a gummy consistency that suggested overcooking, and taste wise could have used a touch more salt.
Paella for 2 pictured below.
As for dessert, the churros were magnificent. Crisp golden twists of pastry that were still soft and fluffy on the inside. These doughnuts were served piping hot and dusted with cinnamon and served with a dark chocolate sauce. Sweet, but not too cloying. They were without a doubt the best churros I've ever had. An excellent finish to a great meal.
Rating: 15/20
It would have scored higher but for the slow service. In addition, the waiters, whilst well-meaning and polite were forgetful and sometimes inattentive. However, having said that the service did pick up towards the end of the meal.
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