That moment when you open a menu.
The first drink that’s poured for you at the table.
Fresh baked bread made in the kitchen that day.
Not having to do the washing up afterwards…
The many things that we’ve missed about going to restaurants. I could go on and on especially as one of the things I’ve missed the most is writing this blog. But lovely readers, I hadn’t been to a restaurant since November. Around six long months of home cooking, ready meals and take aways. After London exited the second lockdown, only to be put into Tier 4 ten days later and then lockdown again after that… it has meant that I haven’t set foot in a restaurant since early November just before everything closed. Now we are on our road map to escape, the first stop is outdoor dining and I was ready to take advantage.
The restaurant of choice, was Parrillan in sunny Kings Cross, as suggested by my sister. In our taxi there we stared at the London streets, it felt like we were going on holiday … this was the furthest I’d been from my flat in months. Honestly, forget Spain and Greece was were happy with King’s Cross on this blue skied day!
Parrillan is located in Coal Drops Yard, a food and shopping destination set in a converted Victorian building that was originally two coal drops sheds. The restaurant itself is from the team behind Barrafina and Executive Chef Angel Zapata Martin.
Diners are encouraged to select from the ‘para picar’ tapas list before moving on to the main course cooked at the table yourself on the mini charcoal ‘parrillas’.
Sitting on the terrace in the crisp weather under the heaters didn’t feel trying or weird… it was absolute bliss to be in a restaurant. Starters were padron peppers – sheer salty / spicy bliss – and creamy ham croquettes. 
Anchovies in olive made the final tasty starter.
For the main course the Parrillan was bought to the table… for this reason the restaurant isn’t really suitable for children which is why I left Oscar at home with Mr S. Guests are encouraged to cook their fish, meat or vegetables themselves by using the tongs provided to place the food on the grill. We ended up ordering four prawns each, tuna and steak to share. You are also encouraged to choose a sauce to accompany the food and side dishes. We opted for a light and fresh green leaf salad along with our proteins.
Now, honestly I’ve never been a fan of ‘cook your own food’ type restaurants which are usually just a novelty. Plus, I’ve most certainly had enough of cooking food! But there’s little cooking actually involved and I absolutely loved the flavours of our simply grilled meat and fish which have beeb pre-seasoned to perfection.
A first meal out in months had to be rounded off suitably and we opted for marshmallows and cookies… heated on the grill obviously!
We had a brilliant time at Parrillan and it felt so good to in a restaurant. Dining outside is fun too – definitely the new going ‘out out’.
