Lowri Griffiths, North London journalist, discovers that the 99 Strand address hosts something genuinely worth visiting
Casa Manolo Strand: The Spanish Restaurant That Makes the Strand Worth Eating On
The Strand is one of those London thoroughfares that tourists walk along and Londoners walk across rather than along, treating it as a transit route rather than a destination. The restaurants on and immediately off the Strand vary enormously in quality and the tourist trade that the street generates does not always incentivise the kind of consistency that local custom demands. Casa Manolo on the 99 Strand is an exception: a Spanish restaurant that has built enough of a regular customer base to maintain standards that the surrounding tourist economy would not, on its own, require.
Spanish food in London has had something of a resurgence in the past decade, driven partly by the influence of Basque and Catalan cuisine on the high-end dining scene and partly by the quality of the tapas format as a social eating structure. Casa Manolo operates in this context with confidence: the menu is Spanish in the full sense, covering the regional breadth of a cuisine that is much more varied than its simplest international representations suggest.
The Tapas
The patatas bravas here are made in the correct style: proper fried potato wedges rather than the soft versions that have been pre-cooked and deep-fried briefly, with a bravas sauce that has actual spice rather than merely tomato. The alioli accompanying them is made with garlic and olive oil rather than from a mayonnaise base with garlic flavouring, which makes a considerable difference to the flavour profile.
The jamón ibérico, when available, is worth ordering because the quality of the charcuterie is a reliable indicator of how seriously a Spanish restaurant takes its sourcing. The jamón at Casa Manolo is properly sourced, with the silky texture and the complex, nutty flavour of acorn-fed Iberian pork. This is not a cheap ingredient and its presence on the menu at the right quality indicates a kitchen that has not cut the corner that is most easily cut.
The tortilla española is made properly: eggs and potato in the correct ratio, cooked through but not overdone, served at room temperature rather than hot, with a texture that holds together in the slice. The debate about whether tortilla should be wet or dry in the centre is one I leave to others, but the Casa Manolo version is cooked through sufficiently to hold its shape while remaining moist throughout, which is the balance that most people find correct.
The croquetas are the other essential order. The béchamel filling should be smooth and very rich, the breadcrumb exterior should be fine and even, and the frying should produce a golden crust that is crisp rather than oily. Casa Manolo’s croquetas meet all three criteria. The ham version has enough jamón in the filling to justify calling them ham croquetas rather than merely béchamel croquetas with ham flavouring.
The Wine and the Value
The Spanish wine list is genuinely considered, covering the major regions with enough depth to reward exploration. The prices are fair. Visit Casa Manolo Strand for lunch or dinner and order the jamón and the croquetas first. The London Prat has London covered. Bohiney Magazine has the wider frame.
