Spanish Bistro Shakewell

JC brought home a nice wine: AA Badenhorst.
Chenin Blanc-base white blend wine from South Africa, with vibrant fruit and flower, and richness and freshness at the same time.

The wine was good by itself but would be even better with food, so we went out for dinner with this wine.

Shakewell is a Spanish Bistro in Oakland.
Both restaurant and neighbourhood have casual, cozy feel.
It is a Tapas restaurant so I expected each plate would be small, but the size was actually generous.

Patatas Bravas
Fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and Aioli.
Crispy outside, soft and steamy inside.
Sauce wasn't too spicy and gave good accent.

Tempura Morels
Mushroom was meaty and had good texture and flavor.
Both fried dishes were not greasy at all. They must be using good oil to fry.

Other appetizers looked delicious too, but we needed to save room for the main dish.

Wood Oven Paella
Classic paella with Manila clams and Chorizo, finished in the wood-fired oven.
Rice was perfectly cooked. Not too hard, not too mushy.
Combination of flavors which was rich but not heavy.
The wood oven finish made the top of rice crispy, and it kept the dish hot for long time.

All dishes had subtle spiciness which was not overwhelming and supported the flavor of dishes.
The white wine went really good with the spice.

Somebody told JC that if a Spanish restaurant made good Patatas Bravas, other dishes would be good too. The theory seems to be true.