From Barcelona sidewalks to Joburg, Bocodillo sterling Spanish tapas

The restaurant diaspora in Johannesburg is spoiling foodies with the many new spots which are more authentic to its chosen cuisine.

This way of eating slowly becoming part of South African food culture. 

Spanish tapas and its cuisine have increasingly immersed themselves amongst local restaurants. 

Beloved chefs, Chef Glenda Lederle and multi-talented Kevin Collins, have opened up a quaint and authentic tapas pop-up at Glenda’s Restaurant in Hyde Square, Johannesburg. 

The pop-up is called Bocodillo, it translates to snack or sandwich in Spanish but also means delicious small-plated food. Some of the dishes are served up in side walks in Barcelona and many parts of Europe.

Bocodillo menu

Savouring many of the tapas on the Bocodillo menu, one of the most notable standouts was how simple and fresh the dishes were. 

Collins explained they decided to open the pop-up because of the desperate need of Joburgers to find safe food spots around their area. With the reception being so positive, its clear there is a need for this. 

Collin’s bright and infectiousness was felt throughout the table as he cooked and plated some of the dishes. 

He served up some of the tapas on his eye-catching self-made fish plates that are inspired by the Spanish fish. He says during lockdown when people were baking banana bread he gained the skill of making plates, the portions were just the right size.

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The serving started with a grilled watermelon with feta, which was refreshing. The vegetable tapas main stars were the polana – pickle vegetables a sweet spicy carrot and beetroot, and a selection of olives. The beetroot and carrot were delicious, sweet with a bit of tang, an easy crowd-pleaser.

Other notable mentions are the layered tortilla de patatas, a Spanish omelette, with roasted lemon potatoes with some cheese, and the pan con tomato- a toasted bruschetta with baby tomatoes, herbs and garlic, simple and divine. 

My personal favourites were the salmon fishcakes with salsa verde, four of them can be easily devoured by one person. Including the slow-roasted spare rib empanadas. 

The pastry was buttery and flaky, the meat was flavoursome and melt in your mouth. The crispy and spicy calamari was a winner too. 

My motto when eating out is always to make space for dessert when eating out. 

The creme catalana, a Spanish creme brulee, was velvety smooth, beautifully set with a gold sugar crust, possibly the best creme brulee I’ve ever tasted. 

One day I would love for the blood orange sorbet to be sold in tubs, to enjoy on Sunday evening for a movie night at home, it was heavenly. Despite Glenda not being happy with the sorbet not being fully set, it was still very tasty.

Bocodillo pop-up will only operate from Wednesday to Saturday, from 4pm to 8pm until 17 December. Bookings are essential, contact 011 268 6369.