Roys

who knew that tapas was indian/​italian /​Thai flavoured ?
certainly not me, or I would never have booked here.
booked a table for a group to celebrate a birthday (I had been to the restaurant around 2 years ago and enjoyed it then) things have definitely changed.
The booking was easy and the staff very hepful, they explained that we could have the banquet if we wanted even though normally you need to have 10 people to order this.
arrived with a group of seven for an early dinner at 6.45 (6.30) there was only one other couple in the resturant that left shortly after we arrived.
I remembered the restaurant as a busy exciting place — it still looked cool and the waitresses were so just lovely but it was very quiet (I guess Bondi is quiet at that time of night).
we ordered the banquet (minus two dishes because we only had 7 people. They also kindly catered to the two vegetarians in our party.
The banquet consisted of the following
Olives on the table — a small bowl, the olives were good quality and tasted nice– a great start (could maybe do with a few more for the table) .
selection of dips with breads. There were three different breads a crunchy white, a crispy pita and a grain fruit and nut bread. All were well presented and fresh.
The dips were an odd combination
tzazicki
lime pickles
chutney
and a black dip I couldn’t identify
none tasted at all spanish, but they were all edible .
This was brought out at the same time as the antipasto platter that had a selection of different meats, cheeses and sundried tomatoes.
we were a bit surprised about the flavours but we thought things would improve.
next we were presented with a tomato, mozzarella and pesto salad (I thought that was italian not spanish) this was nice,
next was the chilli prawns — I love spanish prawns — these were NOT spanish prawns — more thai than anything else. The prawns were drowned in a bath of sweet chiili sauce. so disappointed and not happy at all.
I can’t really remember what came next as the service was so fast that speedy gonzales would have trouble keeping up. No sooner had one plate been brought to the table than another dish was being crowded onto the table.
in no particular order we received mushrooms stuffed with spinach and ricotta
these were also OK — nothing to write home about.
beetroot salad with goats cheese mixed leaves, sundried tomatoes and strangely enough candied almonds — the salad with out the candied almonds was nice and if they made the salad with normal almonds it would have been a lot better. really odd combination.
haloumi cheese with tomato salso and freshly sliced tomatoes — nice, but the haloumi was not hot when I ate it because I was still trying to catch up on all the courses they had piled in front of me.
They brought arancini balls stuffed with mozzarella with a side of chutney and zucchini flowers for the vegetarians. The arancini balls were a hot and the zucchini flowers were ok.
next out were bowls of spicy lamb sausages which were also OK
some kind of weird fried potatoes that were greasy and soggy that tasted very indian
and then thick cut crispy chips/​fries with a side of garlic aoli. These were hot and crispy. Nothing to complain about here — just so full at this stage that I could only eat one.
I am giving this restaurant 1.5 stars because I expected a delicious spanish tapas and got a weird selection of food I would never order again.
The banquet was only $ 30 so it was cheap, but so was the food — it looked and tasted like they had no time to prepare a proper tapas and threw something together quickly at the last minute. The portion sizes were large enough so you wouldn’t go hungry if you enjoy this sort of food.
even though the waittresses were lovely (really kind and genuinely wanting to please) the kitchen rushed our food out and we felt overwhelmed — we were in no hurry and there was definitely noone waiting for our table. We finished the banquet within 40 minutes of starting it which was way too quick. AFter dinner we stayed for a while and enjoyed a few drinks, a few more people were arriving and it was a nice realaxed atmosphere.
I’m sure this would be a great place to have a drink and maybe just grab one or two items but it really needs to find its way back to spain or else it will continue to disappoint anyone expecting a traditional tapas.
NOTE: normally for the banquet they also have smoked salmon and also a fried calamari included

All restaurants in Bondi should be having a social initiative apart from their dinners, lunches and brunches. Roy’s previously experimented with Friday night dinners, a $ 20 feed included an all you could eat BBQ, 1 drink, and communal seating.
Walking through the corridor style bar mixed with 1950’s style artworks, the eclectic mix of paraphernalia from rock history, graffiti artists, and illustrators flock to the restaurant with a Tipi out back, for live art.
Regulars keep coming back, much like myself, for the relaxed Byron bay atmosphere, cool locals and large Tapas portions. No complications here, the cocktails add to the night, and although the service could be more attentive, if you’re after attentive service, you’re probably not the clientele they’re after attracting. No offence.