Back to El Patio again

A week ago, back to El Patio, a couple of months since our last visit, noticed at reference 1. But this time to eat, so inside on this occasion, not being that fond of eating outside, even when the weather is behaving.

On the way down the passage, on the way to Court Rec (a favourite overnight location for the Surrey police helicopter), we heard some very strange noises from the top of a flat roofed shed, noises which turned out to come from a couple of cats looking at each other in rather an odd way. We wondered whether one of them was not well, but thought it best not to try in interfere - with interference, in any event, being a bit complicated from we were, being on the wrong side of the fence and not having a clue what the relevant house number was, were we to have walked round.

More or less reprised our last eating menu, that is to say bread and olives followed by paella. Bread made on the premises, pretty good for a restaurant. Olives green with stones, but good all the same. On balance, the paella was better than last time, not cooked to the point of sticking onto the bottom (said by some to be the mark of a true, Andalusian paella). The couple of langoustines on top better than last time, the mussels sprinkled around inside, not so good.

For the first time since the catastrophe, a few years ago now, we took two bottle of wine with our dinner, the excellent 2016 Noradaneve Albariño. Two excuses. First, no aperitif to start, no pudding wine (indeed, no pudding) and no liqueur(s) with coffee. Second, we asked to retain the cork against our not finishing the wine on the premises. They also promised to add a brown paper bag for discretion, should that have proved necessary.

Service good and much entertainment from both staff and customers, including some forwardly dressed ladies of various ages. At least one cuddly baby, about 12 months.

We learned about an Italian restaurant in Ashtead, run by a brother. Maybe a place to visit, even though it would involve car or taxi. Bit of a walk from Ashtead Station. Probably reference 2, snapped from Google Street View above, which looks well enough from its pictures. With the menu including that popular Campanian take on the roast beef of Sunday of England, arrosto di manzo.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/06/back-to-el-patio.html.

Reference 2: http://ziavitalia.com/.