From Saint to Salvador

Style bars are by definition ephemeral beasts. Their life span is often short-lived as their role is to capture a brief moment in time and reflect what is happening in the urban jungle.

Remember Saint? It was the most glamorous place to be for a moment or two in the late Nineties, and I defy anyone who ever went there not to come over all misty-eyed at the memory.

The winds of time subsequently blew unfavourably for Saint, and London's fickle style icons moved on to the next bar of the moment. So the Breakfast Group - operators of Opium, Pop, Jerusalem and the Social - have now transformed Saint in to their own interpretation of a Spanish tapas y fiesta bar.

Salvador & Amanda - a reference to Salvador Dali and his senorita Amanda Lear - purports to bring a flavour of 'the real Spain' to the heart of the West End. And few would doubt that there is room for another quality operation in London that will appeal to Hispanophiles.

Descending into the basement that is home to Salvador & Amanda, my first thoughts were that I had arrived in a badly put together branch of Nando's in some awful American state such as Kentucky. But I was quickly cheered when I spotted Andres Masso taking charge behind the bar.

Masso has a history of making some sublime cocktails here in London, most famously with the Lab bar in Old Compton Street. Masso's bespoke cocktail list includes Spanish classics adapted for the London market, and they don't disappoint.

We started with a pitcher of El Diablo Sangria, a delightfully refreshing and potent mix of fruit, red wine, brandy, raspberry schnapps, raspberry purée, cranberry juice and a splash of lemonade. A Sangria Bianco is available as an alternative, and a large pitcher is ample for two people.

Other cocktails are quite challenging on the palate, but wellbalanced and constructed. The El Torito (Appleton VX rum, vanilla and pear schnapps, and apple juice) should appeal to those with a sweet tooth. The Miel (Jameson whiskey, honey liqueur and Chambourd) has the kick of a bull, and a mad bull at that. And the El Bulli is a fascinating (girlie-looking) cocktail of Buffalo Trace bourbon and passion fruit whisked up with egg white.

The tapas menu includes all the usual suspects you'd expect in a Spanish bar - spicy potatoes, Spanish omelette, chargrilled chorizo slices, Moorish (pork) kebabs, and a plate of three cheeses on toast. Our bill on a relatively frugal evening, which included all the above food and drink, ran in at under £50 for two people (not including service charge), making this place excellent value for money.

We only decided to leave because the music unnervingly strayed from Balearic beats to old people's holiday music. One whiff of bloomin' maracas or castanets in any venue and I'm out of there.