Postales

We ate here last night, a Saturday, and I expected the place to be quite busy and loud. Thankfully neither.
We were staying at a hotel and had had canapés beforehand — rookie mistake.
The service here was friendly and attentive, though language barriers did come up occasionally.
Food was delicious. We stuck with just tapas — as we always prefer a variety of food.
We had the Pan de Miche con Aceite de Oliva y Aceitunas (bread and olives) to start and, while I don’t like olives, the bread and oil was really good.
The tapas we had were as follows (copying directly from the menu, my comments in brackets after):
— Gambas al Ajillo, Sizzling Prawns Cooked in Garlic, Chilli and Tio Pepe Sherry (superb — 5 stars!)
— Calamares Fritos, Lightly Fried Calamari Sprinkled with Paprika and served with a Lemon Aioli (perfectly cooked and light and tasty)
— Jamón Iberico de Bellota, Spanish Ham from Acorn Fed Black Iberian Pigs Cured for 3 Years (20g) served with Petit Salad, Sourdough Bread and Romesco Sauce (this would normally be my favourite dish, but I found it to be just a bit meh, the bread isn’t my favourite type, and the sauce is just not needed)
— Carne de Cordero Chimichurri Salsa, Grilled Lamb Chunks served with Semi Dried Tomatoes, Confit Garlic, Green Olives and a Chimichurri Salsa (tender and tasty)
— Ensalada de Tomates y Chorizo Picante, Warm Salad of Cherry Tomato and Spicy Chorizo with Red Onion, Chickpeas, Rocket and Pedro Ximénez Vinaigrette (perfect!)
Yes, we probably ordered too much. All of it was amazing. Especially the prawns and the calamari. We were just discussing what we would drop off on our next visit (getting a dish less) and it’d probably be the jamón.
Wine list is extensive, I ordered a moscato but really wasn’t impressed. Firstly the pour was really small and secondly it tasted stale and not at all sweet. Very disappointing as I don’t drink a lot these days and I was treating myself.

We visited this restaurant twice in our recent visit to Sydney. We were extremely happy with our meals on both occasions. The service was very good without being intrusive. We had the mushrooms, patatas bravas, pork belly, beef meatballs and the lamb chunks. The flavours are excellent. I can recommend this restaurant.

Love, love, love! May be one of my new favorites in Sydney. The location and atmosphere are quite nice. The service was well above average. But the food is the star of the show. I tried:
— Gambas al Ajillo: Sizzling Prawns Cooked in Garlic, Chilli and Tio Pepe Sherry [served extremely hot, so pull them out of the dish and give them a minute to cool — very nice sauteed shrimp]
— Pimentos del Padron Fritos: Lightly Buttered Green Pepper served with Creamy Goats Cheese [ended up being lightly «battered» green peppers — still very tasty, better than expected, but be careful if you’re gluten-​free]
— Albóndigas de Carne: Grilled Beef Meatballs served with a Spicy Confit Piquillo Peppers and Cherry Tomato Salsa [hearty portion and good flavor, especially when you ensure to get enough of the confit in each bite of meatball]
— Zanahorias Caramelizadas: Sautéed Baby Carrots with Honey, Cumin, Chilli and Oregano [by far my favorite of the lot… absolutely delicious! not to be missed]
Sadly, I was eating alone, so couldn’t fit in any more than these four dishes — but there are SO many more items on the menu that look fantastic; and given the limited yet exceptional experience of the plates above, I cannot wait to come back and explore more of what they have to offer.

Last year, I spent my 50^th birthday in Paris, eating dinner in the shadow of Notre Dame in what is truly the most beautiful city on the planet. So this time round, now that I am merely counting down the days to a nursing home tub chair, we settled on something here in Sydney. That we are soon off to Madrid made me long for Spanish food but our morbid dread of overpriced, cod ordinary tapas, nearly steered us clear of that culinary quest.
Then we found Postales…
Stereotypical to my sexuality though it may be, I do not gush easily and give out full marks even less but here, we found the perfect romantic place to eat. The glorious architecture of what looked more like the crypt of a great cathedral than a reconfigured old post office, the cosy and comfy booth, the subdued lighting and the effortless service, all served as a perfect backdrop to an exquisite array of fine food. We chose the ‘Fiesta’ menu ‘cos it well, sounded like something you’d eat on your birthday.
Among the stand out performers: the calamari, which was light and tender, the chorizo, which was elevated in flavour by a deliciously spicy sauce and the sautéed spinach, chickpea and cauliflower, which had a bold authenticity thankfully not dumbed down for the local palate. Throw in some churros and crema catalana for dessert, along with a jug of refreshing sangria, and this ranked as one of our best dinners ever.
If I had to quibble over anything, it would be to beg the owners not to stop at just one slice of that delicious ‘miche’ bread.
Highly recommended, especially for lovers…