La Luna
The restaurant reviews continue and this time we’re indoors.
La Lluna is the first and only Spanish restaurant in Muswell Hill, merging traditional and modern tapas made with local and organic ingredients.
The menu is efficiently divided into aperitivos, charcuteria, paellas, tapas de pescado (fish), tapas de carne (meat) and tapas vegetarianas (veg). You can find some Spanish classics such as patatas bravas, croquetas, pan con tomate & tortilla and some modern dishes such as crab tartar, quinoa salad & mojama (dried tuna carpaccio).
The drinks menu is extensive with various cocktails, gins and sangria to choose from. I opted for a passion fruit margarita which was fruity but not too sweet. I appreciated the glass not having a salt rim as I never particularly enjoy that but a halved passion fruit instead of a kumquat might have been a nice touch.
We started with a simple ensalada de tomate, heritage tomatoes with thyme and feta. The salad was refreshing, the tomatoes sweet and the feta creamy but not too tangy.
Shortly after we received a selection of our tapas; gambas al ajillo (king prawns and garlic), chiperones (fried baby squid), berenjena frita (fried aubergine with honey) and boquerones (marinated anchovies).
The prawns were nice but not fantastic, the garlic was quite raw and not caramelised enough so that altered the flavour.
The fried squid was tasty and well seasoned but having the ali oli sauce and sautéed greens on top meant that the batter went slightly soggy rather than crispy.
The fried aubergine divided the table; I found it far too sweet and the aubergine got lost in the honey but my family thoroughly enjoyed it.
The anchovies were fresh and flavoursome, perfectly balanced with the vinegar and really light.
For my main, I had grilled salmon with avocado and mango salad, spring onion confit and balsamic glaze. The salmon was perfectly cooked, the salad was refreshing, slightly sweet and paired well with the fish. My family had the individual meat and fish paellas which they enjoyed but weren’t overwhelmed by.
Friendly service, authentic and modern food, great atmosphere. 7/10 would go back.