Overview
Glebe Point Road is a continually evolving strip of international cuisine. You can get anything you want, without having to pay high fine dining prices. But this street also doesn't have the clout of hotter spots in the city.
It also has a fair share of clever Latino restaurants. The newest on the strip is Despana, a Spanish tapas joint that's open from breakfast to 11pm, which is quite a stretch of time. Perhaps there's a siesta for staff in the middle of the day?
The set-up is fairly simple: a few red lights, a few bulls' heads on the wall in case you didn't know where you are, a wall of wooden logs, and a small bar. The impression is that the concentration is on the food.
A tapas place rises and falls on the speed of the dishes served, and the timing. The plates come out thick and fast from a sharing menu of five tapas for $21 per person, from safe bets like patatas bravas to a small collection of croquettes, chorizo, and manchego on one plate with lemon aioli. Rounded off with chorizo in cider, veal and pork meatballs, and chicken skewers marinated with lemon, thyme, and pepper, it's a neat little evening meal.
Actually, the centrepiece is the sangria, brewed for four hours, and dynamite in a jug, followed by churros and a hot chocolate dip. There's obviously also expected dishes such as paella on an evolving menu, with plenty of room to manoeuvre.