El Tarantín

A tarantín is a traditional street restaurant in Venezuela, the home country of restaurant owners Miguel Portillo and Paola Di Meo, a young couple passionate about both food and hospitality. Portillo is the chef, a self-trained cook with five years of experience under his belt in Barcelona kitchens, whilst Di Meo collaborates on the research and helps Portillo perfect recipes that were inspired by a journey together through the Caribbean. She also runs the front of house, welcoming guests into the rustic and friendly dining room.

Through a wide window set into an exposed brick wall, diners can watch Portillo in El Tarantín’s open kitchen as he prepares some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, from crispy-fried yucca croquettes and Jamaican jerk chicken to the refreshing prawn cocktail with homemade tamarillo (tree tomato) ketchup, tabasco and green mango.

Our meal began with a classic Venezuelan guarapita, a cocktail with guava juice, white rum, caramelised sugar syrup and spices, and an order of mariquitas—thin strips of plantain, fried into crisps and served with a sweet and sour black bean dip and a dusting of chilli powder. It was a no-fuss start to the meal, and a great snack to quell our hunger immediately upon arrival. The yucca and jerk chicken croquettes, topped with dollops of pineapple chutney and guayaba barbecue sauce, are a must-try. I enjoyed the flavour, though they did remind me a bit of a Caribbean corn dog and I would have liked more meat in each croquette; I was left asking, where was the spiciness of true jerk chicken? This version was extremely mild, even for local tastes.

We were intrigued by the fried okra that comes with the Jamaican corvina dish and convinced the chef to prepare us an extra order of these tempura-coated treats, which were absolutely delicious. Slightly slimy, as okra usually is, but well-seasoned, light and crunchy, I would recommend that they add the vegetable to their menu permanently.

The prawn cocktail didn’t immediately appeal to me, but in the end I couldn’t get enough of the tangy tamarillo ketchup and succulent, chilled prawns. I also loved the texture and sharp acidity of the bits of green mango, and the accompanying yucca flour crackers were excellent, making the dish a surprise favourite of the night.

I wasn’t as keen on the root vegetable and coconut curry, served with coconut rice, beans and burned corn. It was a unique flavour that I hadn’t previously experienced, but again it felt too mild. I would have liked a bit more spice, curry and acidity, which would have made this dish really pop.

Dessert, a canelon de guayaba, was a pleasant surprise, as I usually find variations of the typical Catalan canelons a bit tiresome. However, this sweet cylinder of guava pulp, set with pectin, rolled into a tube and stuffed with creamy goat’s cheese, was reminiscent of the classic Spanish combination of cheese and membrillo (quince paste). Served with peanuts, panela (brown sugar) and lime, it was a balanced dessert that cleansed our palettes while feeling indulgent enough to bring our meal to a satisfying close.