Copita is a tapas bar on D’Arblay Street in Soho and, as it features in the ‘Bib Gourmand recommends’ section of the Michelin guide, we thought we’d pop in to try a couple of the dishes.
It was a bright and airy restaurant and at 3pm, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the place was positively packed. There were no tables, just stools in front of high benches, yet we didn’t feel uncomfortable – in fact, quite the opposite.
We started with two mushroom croquettes (£1.05 each) which were fantastic value. Crisply coated with a gooey centre; these were a mushroomy delight.
The smoked ham and rabbit with rhubarb dressing (£4.85) came in terrine form. On my first bite I had to spit out a small bone which was a tad unfortunate, but the flavour was at least incredible and both meats were really tender. The sweet, sticky and sharp rhubarb dressing worked perfectly as an accompaniment.
Sweet potato, cavolo nero and curry yoghurt (£4.50) came exactly as expected yet the flavour combinations were a revelation; simple yes, but each ingredient blended perfectly. The lamb rump, piquillo pepper and thyme (£6.95) looked beautiful and was easily my favourite dish. Thin slices of rare, delicately cooked lamb were matched beautifully with the sweet peppers. Again, simple but delicious.
For dessert, the Churros and chocolate (£4.50) were a real highlight. They were the best Churros I’ve ever come across – the main reason being because the chocolate sauce was thick enough to stick to the little donut sticks when dunked; often the sauce is too thin and watery.
We only popped into Copita for a quick bite, but after tasting some of those dishes, it’s made me want to go back with a much emptier stomach. Not only was everything we ate delicious, but it was really well priced too; fair enough we didn’t eat masses of food but the bill was tiny. Well worth a visit I’d say – and make sure you get the Churros.
9/10