Whenever you are asked to review food, you know that you have picked the right career path and this is all the more enhanced when it is a local business with fantastic homemade dishes.

I was lucky enough to be able to have a meal at the newly renovated Los Gatos tapas restaurant in Swindon on Saturday and it surpassed all of my expectations.

From arriving at the Old Town establishment to leaving, I felt like I had been given the true Spanish experience in every sense.

Los Gatos has been a well-known name in Swindon for quite some time but has recently improved with its Devizes Road property being renovated, expanding the seating area.

Swindon Advertiser: Los Gatos reopened earlier this year following a major renovation.Los Gatos reopened earlier this year following a major renovation. (Image: Newsquest)

A wide selection of drinks were on offer to kick things off with a variety of authentic wines begging to be tried, but I could not help but notice that Los Gatos had a particularly special beer on tap.

Mahou, dubbed the beer of Madrid, often proves to be a hard beer to source in England and this seems to be the case even more when it comes to finding the cerveza on tap.

To my delight, Swindon’s tapas hotspot had the beer on draught and having travelled to Madrid last summer to visit friends, the familiar presence of the drink brought a smile to my face.

The smile stayed for the rest of our evening as I was then treated to plates of stunning traditional Spanish food, with an array of bite-sized options available.

Swindon Advertiser: Los Gatos has Spanish beer Mahou on tap at the bar.Los Gatos has Spanish beer Mahou on tap at the bar. (Image: Newsquest)

It will come as no surprise to those who have read my food reviews before that I opted to avoid any of the fish dishes due to my dislike for seafood.

This aside, I did survey the wide meat options as well as vegetable dishes and opted to select three of the dishes which, it turned out, complimented each other wonderfully.

My first choice was the chorizo frito which consisted of fried slices of chorizo, basked in a red wine sauce that was swimming in flavour.

This was coupled with my other choice of albondigas en salsa tomate which was a selection of hand-rolled meatballs in paprika-spiced tomato sauce.

Swindon Advertiser: The main dishes of tapas were full of flavour and were all freshly prepared by the Swindon eatery.The main dishes of tapas were full of flavour and were all freshly prepared by the Swindon eatery. (Image: Newsquest)

Both of these dishes were rich in flavour and big on seasoning, which made for a perfect hat-trick as I also had the croquetas del dia which happened to be ham that evening.

After savouring the fantastic combination that I had the pleasure of eating, my attention then turned to the sweet treats on the menu.

Despite the allure of ice cream and brownies ever present, my focus lingered on the more authentic crema catalana.

A take on the popular crème brulée dessert, Los Gatos’ edition featured a light lemon flavoured creme which was the right strength, avoiding any overpowering sense.

Swindon Advertiser: The dessert had the perfect combination of zing and spice with the lemon and cinnamon working in unison.The dessert had the perfect combination of zing and spice with the lemon and cinnamon working in unison. (Image: Newsquest)

Above this softer level was a crispy thin top tier which had been carmelised via blow torch in the usual style of the classic dessert.

The difference in the Swindon eatery was that the sugar burnt was consisting of cinnamon and adding an extra degree of spice and heat to the pudding.

All in all, the cuisine throughout the entire evening was top-notch and one of the best I have tried since arriving in Wiltshire last year.

I never had the chance to visit Los Gatos prior to its renovations but I can say is that Saturday night was one of authenticity accompanied by great food and brilliant drinks which can sometimes be a rarity these days.