Sol y Lunas Northampton

I recently visited Sol y Luna with my family for a night out to celebrate my birthday.It was the second visit for some of us and for the rest it was their first time.We opted for a late table as we wanted a leisurely meal rather than knowing we had to be finished by a certain time for the earlier sitting.The reason for this being that it is not an overly large restaurant but is extremely popular and therefore very busy at times.We were asked to wait in the new outdoor seating area at the back which is very pleasant and will be lovely extra seating to eat in the summer,whilst they cleared the table .We ordered our drinks and had a good look at the menu whilst we waited.One point that I will make is that one of our party doesn't drink and unfortunately like an enormous amount of other establishments the only drinks on offer are orange juice (and J2o type drinks) and the normal fizzy coke and lemonade.There are so many fantastic alternatives out there now why not use them? We did point this out and were told that the possibility of home made lemonade is on the cards....a much better offering.
This visit we decided to once again go for the majority of the menu but decided against the pinchos this time (sliced bread served with various toppings) opting for something from the specials board instead.As the dishes were cooked they were served to us.Beautiful small plates of well cooked tapas.On the vegetable side we went for the well known Patatas Bravas served with a generous dollop of garlicky alioli (a wonderfully garlic mayonnaise),Patatas Camperas con Salsa Verde - potatoes with a herby sauce and Padron Peppers simply fried and sprinkled with salt.It is said that eating them is liking playing russian roulette with spicy heat.Only the odd one is hot whilst the others are mild.We had no overly spicy ones on our dish but they were still very tasty.The Champignones de la Granja (flat mushrooms stuffed with melted cheese and tomato) were still juicy,the cheese just melted right.

On the cheese front we also opted for Queso de Cabra baked goat's cheese with caramelised onion and redcurrant rather like a baked camembert all melted and oozing.
The fish options we chose were all time Spanish holiday favourite Calamares a la Romano.However these were not the chewy,bouncy rings of package holidays but cooked to perfection and rather nice dipped into the alioli.We also had 2 other squid dishes and were glad we did as these were also not the chewy squid that everyone imagines but were once again cooked to perfection being perfectly tender (chewy squid can put people off for life.You must try these if you visit).Chipirones en Salsa Tomate was squid simply cooked in a tangy tomato sauce.Simple but nevertheless delicious.The other one from the specials board was perhaps a braver choice for those of us that had never had squid ink before. Chiperones en Su Tinta - Baby Squid cooked in Cuttlefish Ink.Apart from the ardent non fish eater amongst us we all agreed that this dish was absolutely delicious and we would choose that one again with no problem.Along with large juicy prawns cooked in olive oil,chilli and garlic (delicious) we also had the chilled mixed seafood salad with olives ,pepper and onion in a vinagrette.Although this was a nice dish I personally wouldn't choose this next time.I didn't find it as appealing as most of the other dishes.We also had the deep fried whitebait in breadcrumbs which although not to my taste were devoured and declared fantastic!!

The meat dishes had to include the old favourite of albondigas the little meatballs in a rich tomato sauce that most of us associate with tapas.There were however dishes that i hadn't tried before and that I found very good indeed Carcamusas,a rich stew of tomato,peas and tender pork shoulder...tender being the word.Pollo Limonero lightly seared chicken with lemon ,rosemary and white wine,a light dish with a delicate flavour .We also had another mushroom dish,this time with melted cheese and salty serrano ham,a perfect combination. of course a tapas meal wouldn't be complete without  a chorizo dish.....or two! The first one being Chorizo del Inferno,spiced chorizo chunks ,fire roasted red peppers and chilli oil.A lovely kick .The second dish being Chorizo slices cooked in a cider sauce .Once again a lovely dish.Great with bread to dip up the lovely juices.Finally from the specials board we went for our only pincho of the night,Pincho de Morcilla con Queso Azul y de Tomate or Rustic Bread with Spanish Black Pudding ,Blue cheese and tomato jam.A nice little bite on  a plate with an unusual combination.

For the dessert I was quite disappointed that they had run out of the Crema Caramelo (they also earlier run out of the tortilla) as this is one of my favourites and one of only 3 dessert dishes on the menu.I consoled myself with Sorbete de Frambuesa .Fruity Raspberry sorbet with fresh berries and
berry sauce. This was indeed also very good.The others went for the Hebdo de Caramelo y Nueces
Salted Caramel Ice Cream, drizzled with Moscatel sauce and finished with walnuts which they also said was equally as good.
All in all this was a fantastic meal ,the food and atmosphere of Sol y Luna is very good and makes for a great evening when socialising .They are also have the tables outside (at the front as well ) and welcome people popping by just for a drink.A highly recommended evening out.

Sol y Lunas