After the split from Filipino chef Juan Carlos de Terry, his namesake restaurant has now become La Taperia. As the name suggests it has a focus on Spanish tapas and larger plates. The venue still maintains its casual spirit and it remains a good spot for big groups thanks to an outdoor patio, communal tables, floor-to-ceiling windows and booth seating. 

 

Known for their take on Italian and French food, the folks at Les Amis have now decided to take a stab at Spanish cuisine with classic tapas dishes of croquetas de jamon ($14) elevated with the addition of suckling pig bechamel; almejas a la marinera ($16), a dish of venus clams cooked in dry sherry wine, pimenton de la vera, garlic and olive oil; and a fried egg dish with iberico chorizo, piquillo red pepper, mushrooms and straw potato ($16). 

 

If you're after a heavy meal, their range of paellas and meat dishes sound pretty good, too. We're enticed by the sound of paella de bogavante ($66), a lobster paella with saffron, runner bean and tomato; the caldereta Asturiana ($32), a seafood stew of shrimp, squid, scallop and rockfish; and the rabo de toro ($30), braised oxtail with jamon serrano, sun-dried bell pepper, red wine reduction sauce and grated dark chocolate.