by MARK SLUTSKY

As has been noted many times before in this column, high-end tapas joints are everywhere these days, and why not? Sharing a handful of small plates with chums or that special somebody is almost always a shortcut to mealtime conviviality—unless, of course, you steal that last piece of shrimp. It’s also been mentioned before in this space that I happen to have a real weakness for the authentic stuff, Spanish tapas, in its original, simple form (as you might find in a bodega anywhere in Spain), or in fancier iterations, as is the case with the food served at Tapeo, a slick, crowded little place up in Villeray.

Villeray East might not be the first place you’d expect to look for fancy-schmancy Spanish food, but that hasn’t prevented Tapeo from becoming quite a popular place. Advance reservations are a must, especially as the dining room is a little on the, let’s say, cozy side. But it’s nicely under-lit, with a bar at the back and a semi-open kitchen, and when it’s full (which seems to be most of the time), it has a fun, lively energy. The staff is friendly and helpful, and service is surprisingly swift—our antipasto arrived on our table in what seemed like mere seconds after we’d ordered.

Before even that, though, the server had placed a bowl of deep-fried potato sticks in front of us, along with some fresh bread and olive oil for dipping. The staff at Tapeo seems to be particularly conscientious about keeping the bread basket refilled, a good move as many of the dishes feature extremely dippable sauces and oils. But back to the antipasto plate ($7). This was a toothsome little number, consisting of a marinated pepper and fava bean salad alongside a couple of slices of manchego cheese and paper-thin slices of cured serrano ham. It’s a beautiful trio—the beans are meaty and full of flavour, the ham is savoury and soft, and my only real complaint is that the cheese could have been a little sharper. We also went in for a small dish of marinated olives ($2), which were full of character. Actually, I could have had a few more orders of those; they were really quite addictive.

If you’re a fan at all of rapini, by all means try Tapeo’s take on the dark green veggie, also known as broccoli raab ($5). Liberally soaked in olive oil and served with whole roasted cloves of garlic, the rapini is mischievously bitter, with a distinct flavour faintly reminiscent of horseradish. The vine tomatoes ($7) are also worth trying—baked still on the vine with some healthy dollops of goat cheese, they’re a little acidic but delicious otherwise, and the residue in the dish once you’re done is dipping heaven.

The chorizo ($8) actually seems more like a Polish dish than a Spanish one. Three meaty slices of chorizo come served with cabbage leaves, all atop a rich fava bean purée. I could have used a little more sausage, but otherwise this is great, hearty winter eating. Even richer is the chicken ($13), cooked in a cream and lemon sauce, a not-so-common combination that nonetheless pays off well here. And yeah, you can count on using some bread to mop up that zesty cream sauce. Unmistakably strong flavouring is the name of the game—the large and juicy shrimp à la plancha ($7) burst with garlic power.

Desserts seem to vary by day, but when we went we had the churros with chocolate sauce, a somewhat dainty take on this popular South American street food. Deep-fried batons of dough encrusted with sugar, these were off the sweetness-scale but very yummy, and the chocolate sauce was delicious. Frankly, once the churros were finished we all ended up dipping our fingers in the leftover sauce, it was that tempting. Hey, you would have too if you’d been there—don’t judge us.

TIPS? QUESTIONS? COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF? E-mail eattothebeat@gmail.com

Tapeo
ADDRESS: 511 Villeray E. (by Berri)
PHONE: 495-1999
HOURS: Tue–Fri noon–11 p.m., Sat–Sun 5–11 p.m.
BEST FEATURES: The bitter, flavourful rapini and the chorizo with cabbage
ALCOHOL: Bring your own wine
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: One step up
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
NO-SMOKING SECTION: Yes
PRICE: $15–$20 per person, before tax, tip and wine
RATING: *** out of ****