Duende

Caught the train to Leederville to explore on Friday night and ended up sitting down at the communal table at Duende. Had heard a lot about this tapas specialist and was not disappointed!

Started with warm sicilian green olives, marinated white anchovies and beef carpaccio with radicchio, which turned out to be my favourite three of the night. The olives were gorgeously crisp, unlike any I’d had before and I wanted to buy a vat of them to take home. The marinated anchovies reminded me of when I first realized that anchovies were, in fact, delicious and that they didn’t have to remind one of ‘hairy salt’. And the carpaccio was perfectly seasoned and perfectly paired with slightly bitter radicchio.

Followed with sweetcorn & manchego fritters, potato bravas and a persian fetta and roasted pear salad. Two deliciously executed staples with the croquettas and patatas bravas, but the pear salad won me over this time - fantastic balance between the salty fetta and sweet pear, the softness of both against the crunchy accompanying leaf. Yummo!

Finished up with fried white bait and wagyu meatballs with quail egg. By this time I'd really eaten too much, and the white bait didn't blow me away (though it was nice) but the sauce with the meatballs was dark and smokey, without being too rich - Mark ate all of them!

--- update ---
Have been back three times since that first exploration and have continued to be very impressed. The menu changes often, but not enough that you can't revisit one or two favourites from last time. The olives (which are the best olives I've ever had) are always there!

www.duendetapasbar.com.au
662 Newcastle St, Leederville
ph:: 02 9228 0123
Price guide :: tapas $3 - $16 each