Pop ups and supper clubs / Reviews
La Yaya Tapas – pop-up restaurant review
A new Spanish food pop-up has arrived inside Steam, the pub inside the former Clifton Down railway station building.
La Yaya offers tapas inspired by the the cooking of founder Paco’s grandmother after who the business is named, with yaya the Spanish for ‘nan’.
With hot and cold dishes on the menu, as well as sides and larger meals, the pop-up offers a wide range of food from such a small serving space inside the steam punk style pub that was previously Roo Bar.
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Three tapas costs £12, with customers able to mix and match between the hot and cold options. I chose a hot option of vegan croquettes (there are also cheesey vegetarian and meat options available) and from the cold menu, olives and a seafood salad.
Seafood salad, vegan croquettes and olives
The food arrived in small ceramic bowls placed on a wooden tray with dipping sauce. It looked an appetising feast, but the vegan croquettes were a soggy mess of mushroom and butternut squash.
The seafood salad was better; full of colourful vegetables with a dressing that was tangy and sharp.
It was difficult to find any more positives, however. Although the squid was cooked well, and the onions were crisp, there was so much green pepper it felt like a week’s source of iron in one meal.
The olives were dripping in far too much garlic oil and the mussels had an unexpected crunch.
Pop-ups within pubs have become a popular concept in Bristol for new businesses looking to test the water, with recent successes including Kansai Kitchen at the Hillgrove and Wing’s Diner at Small Bar.
It’s still very early days for Yaya, but they will need to raise their game considerably if this family-influenced food is to gain any fans.
La Yaya Tapas, Steam, Clifton Down, Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2PN
www.facebook.com/LaYayaTapasAtSteam
Read more: Dough – restaurant review
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