Right at home at Encasa

After a long stint away, you want to come home to what you know and love. New adventures and relationships can always be found, but for the lucky ones that have it, home is where the heart and soul are.

After a long absence from Encasa, it's amazing how easy it is just to slip comfortably back in to order a jug of sangria and the usuals on an as-always packed Friday night.

Ensalada con queso - salad with cheese from Encasa, Pitt Street, Haymarket

The salad with goat's cheese is the only way to go for a salad fix here. Sweet roasted red capsicum, black olives and mixed lettuce leaves provide a little early respite from what is always a protein- and carb-heavy meal at Encasa.

Patatas bravas - Fried potato with garlic mayonnaise and spicy tomato sauce

I remember in earlier days, the patatas bravas used to be served in the small, round terracotta tapas dishes. It's now grown to a small oval dish and no-one is complaining. It just means more crunchy, golden chunks of potato smothered in aioli and spicy tomato sauce for everyone.

Chorizo a la sidra - Spanish sausage poached in cider

This version of the spicy Spanish sausage is a little more subdued than the normal grilled version as it is cooked in cider, with some of the sweetness penetrating the big, salty slices of chorizo.

Mejillones a la Marinera - Black mussels in fresh tomato sauce with chilli and basil

The prettily arranged dish of mussels is not how I remember the dish from prior visits, but I guess it's been a while. The perfectly cooked molluscs are a silky, soft delight to eat, and are given a bit of a kick with the spicy tomato sauce that's made for mopping up with white bread rolls.

Gambas Sevillanas - King prawns in spicy tomato salsa

Bread rolls also come in very handy for the even spicier king prawns in a chilli spiked tomato sauce - sometimes painful but one of my favourite tapas at Encasa. The large, whole prawns are always cooked to perfection, and on this occasion, burningly hot in temperature too.

Champiñones al ajillo - Garlic mushrooms

There is no shortage of garlic or oil with the mushrooms - whole and chopped button mushrooms that are cooked ever so slightly so as to retain a fresh firmness.

To be honest, I've never even seen the dessert menu at Encasa - we generally stuff ourselves with the tapas. And as always, we were closer to rolling out of Encasa than walking out, but when it's something you know and love rather well, it's easy to feel right at home doing so.