For over four years El Gato Negro has been delighting diners with a real taste of Spain. Always busy this place can only be described  as sheer tapas heaven and its not hard to understand why.

Situated in the former iconic bank building in Park Row from the moment you walk in you sense all is going to be good with the warm welcome bestowed on  you by the staff..

The most endearing thing about El Gato Negro is that it can be anything you want it to be at any time of the day. It’s a relaxed space with eclectic décor, ornate tiled floors, pendant lighting, exposed brick walls, trailing plants all that make it the perfect setting for the food it serves

Tapas is a great shareable dining experience and who better to share it with than a friend, who spends a lot of time in Spain, and has become an authority on its various regional cuisines and wines.

When we knew El Gato Negro was going to be our dining venue we became quite excited especially when we learned that the restaurant had just launch a new and exciting seasonal menu that sits alongside some of the original favourites loved by so many customers.

The new menu harnesses the season’s finest ingredients to create a generous number of intricate dishes with a real depth of flavour – and be warned it may take more than one visit to try them all.

Spain’s favourite dining pastime is Tapas – it’s a social way of eating and sharing food, wine and conversation with friends and family.

El Gato Negro recommends you order five or six dishes to share between two people but adds ‘you can always order more – later’ That’s the fun of Tapas.

From the Para Picar section of the menu we ordered the Solo Bread Bakery Sourdough with olive oil and Pedro Ximenez balsamic vinegar.

The bread arrived at our table warm with a portion of oil with balsamic vinegar. The bread was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside – perfect for dipping into the balsamic vinegar.

The Charcuterie section was very appealing. We chose the La Peral blue cheese with orange blossom honey and crystal bread and were so glad we did.. This was pure heaven on a tapas plate and very unusually for me and a ‘first’ I was tempted to order a second one – but refrained as the rest of our tapas arrived and I thought of my waistline.

The blue cheese has a wonderful strong flavour not too strong and the orange blossom honey sits well with it on the crispy crystal bread. Verdict a great combination.

From the Fish and Shellfish part of the menu we decided to be different ordering grilled Seabream served with a butterbean hummus and an orange and fennel salad. The fish was succulent, tender and flavoursome. The butterbean hummus combined with the orange and fennel salad, although an unusual accompaniment, complimented the fish perfectly.

Croquetas are one of my favourites but the El Gata Negro Jamon Iberico ones, were I can say honestly the best I have ever tasted. They had a great flavour and I  learned part of their flavoursome secret they contain an amount of Parmesan and Bechamel Sauce – but don’t tell anyone and I am sure the chef has more secrets about their ingredients.

No tapas meal is complete without salad or vegetables and we chose the Spanish Barbastro tomato salad with basil oil and pickled shallots – a tasty salad that is great to eat on its own with the amazing addition of Spanish tomatoes.

Desserts are pure delight at El Gato Negro my Lemon Cake was like no other.It was not the usual cake but a delicious concoction with lemon frosting, lime curd and raspberry coulis – the flavours of which blended together excellently.

My colleagues Basque cheesecake was very smooth and the caramel sauce had a faint bitter taste to it which complimented the sweetness of the cheesecake.

The staff here are friendly and knowledgeable and will be only too pleased to guide you through the menu.

El Gato Negro has become a fixture with lovers of Tapas and with the new and flavoursome items on the menu I am sure it will remain so for the foreseeable future.

El Gato Negro 35 Park Row, LeedsLS1 3JL

Open: Tuesday to Sat 12 noon till late (check website for last orders)

Closed: Sunday and Monday

www.elgatonegrotapas.com