It wasn't planned, but there was something quite fitting about guzzling Spanish tapas whilst England were beating Spain in a penalty shootout during the final of Euro 2025.
Occasionally checking the score on my phone with a glass of Spanish wine in one hand made the agony of penalties a lot less stressful than usual.
My unusually relaxing penalty shootout experience took place at Escala, a Spanish restaurant that's been open on Clevedon’s seafront since 2021. With its beautiful views across the Severn Estuary to Cardiff, I could easily see why it was so busy on a Sunday evening.
Escala serves more than just the obvious tapas classics, although they’re there if you want them. More exciting plates include the likes of salt cod croquetas, cockles with white wine, and scallops with Coronation butter. Throw in produce sourced from the excellent Mevalco and an interesting selection of Spanish wines by the glass, and it makes for a very compelling proposition.
We started with lovely glasses of Cava, a Villa Conchi Brut (£7) for Mrs G and a Vilarnau Rose (£7.50) for me and then moved on to glasses of Verdejo from Diez Siglos (£7) and an Albarino from El Cameron (£10.50).
On the food front, pieces of densely meaty and smoky chorizo (£8.50) were bathed in a sticky, sweet and fruity cider and red wine reduction. Mrs G had to restrain me from tipping the remaining liquid straight into my gob.
Berenjenas con miel (£7.50) is one of my favourite tapas dishes and a must order whenever I see it on a menu. Tender aubergines coated in a light batter could have been a bit more assertive in their crunch, but they were deliciously drizzled with sticky and toasty molasses.
Jamon and short rib croquetas (£6.50) delivered well on the flavour front with their big meatiness coupled with a paprika-laced chorizo mayo and crisp shards of jamon. But, a huge chunk of beef, which was sat in my croqueta's core, detracted from the silky bechamel that normally makes them so enticing.
A chicken thigh (£10.50) was beautifully juicy with crisp skin and accompanied by an excellent charred leek and lovely earthy and nutty romesco sauce. A deep green mojo verde was another very nice sauce but its big punch of acidity meant it slightly dominated the other components on the plate.
The only real dud of the meal was a pan con tomate (£4.50), which we ordered to mop up all the delicious sauces and dressings on our other dishes. Seemingly shop bought ciabatta was topped with a rather one note sweet tomato concasse that lacked vibrancy, a good honk of garlic or the grassiness of olive oil.
The stars of the meal were the two salads we ordered. Both were examples of excellent produce put together with consideration.
A colourful selection of fresh and sweet heritage tomatoes (£6) was dressed with top notch olive oil, thinly sliced shallots and a scattering of sea salt.
Even better, were pieces of bitter chicory (£7), that paired beautifully with nuggets of pokey blue cheese, the crunch of hazelnut and a fresh and zesty orange dressing.
We had a good meal at Escala with lovely service in a beautiful setting. If you ever you find yourself in Clevedon looking for a meal on the seafront, then it's well worth checking out. Especially so if you’re looking to transform a penalty shootout into a relaxing experience.
Address - Escala, 12 The Beach, Clevedon BS21 7QU
Telephone - 01275 217600
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