Santiago

To put it simply, I have a love / hate relationship with Middle Park's Spanish restaurant Santiago at the moment.

It was the first time I had tried this quaint little Tapas Bar and, on ordering the 7 course degustation menu with matching wines ($85), I went in with high hopes and expectations.  However, whilst there were exceptional aspects to our night, there were a number of flaws that I just couldn't get overlook.  In times like these when I can't decide one way or another, I always find it helpful to write a list - so here it goes:

Cons

• We were only served 6 courses, not 7 as promised.
• Overpriced and small portions (note the pictures below - it was one plate per course for all three of us) - even after spending $45 on the food portion of the degustation, I was still hungry and went back home to eat again.
• There was a thick black hair in one of my dishes (but note the exceptional way they handled it below).
• The three of us were crammed onto a pokey little table and, when we asked whether we could move to a bigger table, we were told that they were booked (however, at 10:00pm when we left, the tables were still empty).
• The prawns and the cheesy chicken drumsticks were cold and uninspiring:

 

Pros

• The staff were incredibly welcoming and gave the place a family-owned feel.
• When I complained about the hair on my dish, the restaurant gave me a $50 voucher for my next meal which I thought was extremely generous.
• The matching wines were exceptional.
• The goats cheese ball I had was incredibly delicious and was just bursting with flavour. The spicy chorizo and manchego rolled in jamon with tomato and black olive was also delicious and well cooked: 

So as you can see, I am on the wall with this one, but I may be tempted to give it a second chance at some point in the future.

Service: 4/5
Venue: 2.5/5
Food: 2.5/5
Total: 9/15