Encasa, CBD (Town Hall - Central)

Now my group of friends... are an eclectic bunch. We're bright, talented, knowledgeable... AND ABSOLUTELY INDECISIVE! Three of us have their birthday around the same time, so it's been a recent habit to go out and eat and celebrate. Pretty easy... right?

Wrong.
Planning for this was slow and haphazard, taking over a month to get everyone to say yes...

Then picking a place to eat, then finding a place that's willing to take 11 people... that was a small nightmare in itself. We eventually settled on Spanish/tapas... but our first few choices (Bodega and its sister Porteno) wouldn't fit us easily, and also insisted on a banquet set for $65/pp... which was simply too much for a casual dining experience.

Out of luck, out of choices, we turned back to the tried and tested and true - Encasa, on Pitt St in Town Hall. This was a first time for me, never had tapas before, but for the few who had been before, they were happy with prior experiences.

We arrived for a 7.30pm reservation with the place at capacity - bodes well for me! So the three of us earlybirds sat, relaxed, perused through the menu whilst waiting for the rest to arrive.

Aside: when I do come back, I am curious to try one of their set menus - $34 or $39 for the costlier sets does look rather tempting!

Eventually everyone turned up, and placed our orders after some deliberation - those with prior experience recommended that we aim for individual selections, rather than a pre-set menu. For a novice like me... I'd rather try a bit of everything - but experience is there for a reason...

Patatas Bravas ($9.50) - crunchy bits of fried potato covering with a tangy mayo. Quite filling =)

Chicken skewers ($12.00) - 4 copies of yummy chicken fillet-on-a-stick!

These three I didn't try - no pork products for me, and a personal dislike to seafood of any form. Though my friends liked it, devouring the chorizo quickly...

Chorizo Plancha ($10.50)
Garlic Prawns ($23, Main-sized)
Albondigas a.k.a. meatballs ($22, Main-sized)

Now these two I did enjoy:

Torti Spinach - a.k.a. omelette with spinach ($13.50, Main-sized) - a rather large, quiche-like thing landed on our table. Felt more like a quiche than an omelette, but still rather tasty.

Champinones ($9.50) - a flavoursome bowl of mushrooms!

Last, but not the least by any measure, Pinchos Lamb ($14.00).
These lamb skewers were delicious - unfortunately, I had to share, only getting most of 1 skewer to myself. Yes, I was a bit greedy... =P

Verdict: definitely an experience, with deliciousness flowing from their kitchens. Worth my while to come back, but with a larger crowd - each tapas portion is easily shareable amongst 2 or 3 people, stretching a little to be shared amongst 4. Split over 11... either everyone got a small nibble, else we ordered multiple servings for more of a mouthful.

Considering our roughly half-male-half-female group, we didn't spend too much, with the final bill working out to be just under $18pp. Though I'm not certain if we ordered enough - each tapas is priced around $12-15... which makes out to be... oh, you do the math.

Desserts - was definitely considered, however we had heard about the recent opening of a new gelato place (N2 Extreme Gelato, reviewed ). So we paid the bill, and scooted off in search of this source of chemical entertainment.

Encasa
423 Pitt St
Town Hall, 2000

Location: along Pitt St, slightly further south/Central side of World Square and Goulburn Street.

Hours:
Lunch: noon to 2.30pm, Monday to Friday
Dinner: 5.30pm to late, Monday to Saturday

Cost:
$12-15 for most tapas selection, up to $20 for the meatier choices.