The Spaniard, Northbridge

Buenos Dias amigos – good news – The Spaniard restaurant, previously located in Wolf Lane is now open in James Street, Northbridge.

Primarily a dinner and bar venue, The Spaniard opens for lunch on a Friday and Saturday. With an outside area and an indoor space split into sections, this popular evening venue was quiet when we visited on Friday lunchtime.

Pride of place inside goes to a large bull—don’t panic—it’s not real. However, the red glow from its eyes and the occasional belch of steam surprise patrons, including me, who were not expecting it!

The menu is not large but it has enough authentic dishes to satisfy anyone hankering for Madrid, Barcelona or points in-between. Paella(for two people) is made fresh, so be prepared to wait at least thirty minutes if this is your favourite dish. There is a choice of Seafood – local prawns, squid, mussels and clams ($48),Valenciana – traditional chicken and vegetables ($44), Vegetariana -seasonal vegetables ($40) and Arroz Negro – squid ink paella with squid, scallops, prawns and aioli ($46).

The rest of the menu is divided into Aperitivos (Marinated or Warm olives), Boards (meat and/or cheese) Pinchos (Ham, Prawns or mushrooms) and Tapas.

We decided to share three tapas:

Gambas al Ajillo – eight delicious prawns, cooked in olive oil, butter and chili ($24), Chorizitos – small spicy sausages coated in ash honey and lemon ($20) and Croquetas – four deep fried, breaded morsels ($16). We also ordered toasted baguette ($4) to soak up the lovely pan juices. We both enjoyed the prawns and chorizitos. While Frank enjoyed the vegetarian croquetas, I wasn’t that enamoured with them or the meat croquetas – far too bland for me.

The only dessert on the menu is Churros Con Chocolate –cinnamon coated churros served with a chocolate ganache ($16).

There is a small but comprehensive drinks menu featuring Spanish, Australian and New Zealand wines. Prices are on par with the rest of Northbridge – a glass of NZ pinot noir was $16.

There are a few steps inside the venue so it’s not the best for seniors with mobility issues and it is not wheelchair friendly inside.

Service was good and the staff friendly.

Weekly dinner specials include Taco Tuesday with 20% off all tapas and half price Paella on a Wednesday

Operated by the team behind other Northbridge venues, Geisha and 399 Bar, The Spaniard benefited from a recent $25,000 improvement grant from the City of Perth. It is an interesting addition to the far end of James Street, close to the new Alibi lounge and around the corner from the evergreen Mustang Bar on Lake Street.

Look out for future announcements about Flamenco dancing in the restaurant. Ole!

Address: 158 James Street, Northbridge

Phone: 0477 799 418

Reservations: Yes

Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – 5pm-9:30pm

Friday and Saturday: 11:30am -10pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Gluten-free options: Yes

Vegetarian options: Yes

Restrooms: Clean but not accessible

Parking: On-street parking or nearby car parks.

Website: thespaniard.com.au

About the Author
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About Hazel Broomhead

My name is Hazel and I am a Perth senior!

Originally from Edinburgh in Scotland, my husband and I moved to New Zealand with our children in 1974. As my husband is in the oil business, we moved to several other countries including the Sultanate of Oman, the Netherlands, Singapore, the Philippines, the USA, Russia and Kazakhstan during the next 36 years before retiring to Perth.

We have six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who live in different parts of the globe – New Zealand, Scotland and Colombia - which makes a great excuse for us to travel and visit.

My career background is in radio and print journalism in Scotland and New Zealand as well as public relations in various other countries.

We love to eat out, walk, travel and enjoy the wonderful lifestyle here in Western Australia.