Priory House Overview
This upmarket tapas restaurant used to be a gastro pub which played host to gangs of Aussie’s and South Africans’ watching sport. It’s definitely gone up in the world, the TV screens have gone and where the large wooden benches once stood there are now comfy booths with leather upholstery.
It’s amazing what you can do with some fairy lights from Habitat. They flow down the windows and swing gently in the wind, creating a magical entrance. The door is large and heavy – like something straight out of Hogwart’s - once over that obstacle we were inside the buzzing and warm Priory with its continental feel.
We were lucky to be seated in one of the booths. “They’re very popular,” says Nikola Jermaic, the manager. I asked him if it’s always this busy and I’m told that on a weekend the place is “crazy”. The place was packed with a local trendy crowd and there seemed to be quite a few groups of eight or more. It was just the two of us but we didn’t feel out of place, the tables were far enough apart and the music (jazz) played at a level that’s loud enough to block out the conversations of the big tables but low enough to allow us to chat without feeling the need to breathe into each other’s ears.
We were handed some piping hot bread with salt, oil and balsamic vinegar on the side, before ordering a bottle of Chenin Blanc and settling in for the evening.
The menu was easy. A selection of vegetable dishes (grilled halloumi with pinenuts, tomato and rocket salad, patata bravas, gorgonzola and spinach risotto balls), fish (tuna filo pastry, grilled calamari with a lemon chilli dip, spicy prawns with garlic), meat (chicken kebabs wrapped in pancetta, lamb and spinach meatballs, spicy Spanish chorizo) as well as a selection of mini wood fired pizzas (rocket and pancetta, goats cheese and peppers).
We went for the halloumi, the calamari, the chicken kebabs, risotto balls and tuna filo rolls. The halloumi was my guest’s favourite and the calamari was mine, so we agreed to order seconds of our favourite dishes. Neither of us were keen on the tuna filo which seemed to be a mix of tined tuna, peppers and some onion so we left that to the end.
They were good sized portions but we both fought over the last piece of calamari and agreed that a few more pieces would have been welcome.
When I asked Nikola why they settled on a European tapas menu I was told, “Although we love Spanish food, we knew that all the Mediterranean cuisine's are all based around a similar group of core ingredients, hams, cheese, olives, oils, herbs and fresh seafood. We sourced such great suppliers that we wanted to offer such dishes as Palma Ham and Pata Negra, Halloumi and Mozzarella all on the same menu.”
Nikola offered my guest an espresso martini on the house, which he gratefully accepted. The bill came and it was a pleasant surprise.
We had an excellent night, drank plenty and didn’t have a hole burnt in our pocket. I’d definitely recommend the Priory, either for a night out with friends or a cosy couples’ night. My only problem was working out how to get my guest home as the coffee martini had left him a little unsteady on his feet. (Updated 28/03/2006)
Additional Info: Outside Drinking, Hire Available, Cocktails Recommended, Food, Disabled Access
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