Solis is a restaurant that just gets it

Solis is Battersea Power Station’s answer to the place to eat at when you want simple, good food for a very good price. It describes itself as a chicken and steak grill that takes its influences from Spain, Portugal, Uruguay and Argentina. So we were expecting a bit of paprika and a lot of meat. The space itself is really clever because, although it’s located right in the heart of the Power Station, it feels like it is its own entity. The decor reflects the menu in its simplicity; wooden chairs, blue and white checked table cloths, tiled walls and an open kitchen that generates the kind of buzz that is hard to find in a commercial space.

Something we really like about Solis was how straightforward it is. The menu is short: they do grilled chicken and they do grilled steak with a couple of starters/sides/puddings. And that’s it. There’s no over-promising, under-delivering here. They do what they do and what they do they do well. If you get what we mean. Even though it was midday on a weekday and the restaurant had literally just opened, it was already busy when we took our seats and, having chatted to the servers, we quickly made a few selections and got ready for a real feast.

Before the main event we tried three out of four of their snacks which alone are enough of a reason to visit. We can imagine the Gilda would be overlooked, and honestly we were glad that our server pointed this one out to us. You get two big cocktail sticks which have boquerones, peppers, fat olives, pickled garlic threaded on to them. That combination, along with a generous slosh of chimichurri over the top is the umami bomb that every meal should start with. Next up were the (very popular) beef croquetas. We totally get why they are ordered so often. Soft meat, caramelised onions and a little touch of mustard is a recipe made to charm. Finally were the huevos rellenos; a sort of deviled egg which was stuffed with a tuna mayo instead of the usual yolky mix. The sauce that hid the eggs was a real delight; a touch of sweetness and viscous in its consistency which made for a very satisfying mouthful. A lovely trio of bites to set the tone for the rest of the meal.

They’re unapologetically not a restaurant for vegetarians but they’re ok with that and so are we- especially after we’d taken our first few bites of the main course. We got both the grilled chicken and the grilled steak meals; both come with an asador salad (a refreshing jumble of tomato and onion) and a hefty portion of fries. The fries were particularly fantastic- they put a heck of a lot of seasoning on them and there’s a touch of lime in it that makes them a little zingy and incredibly moorish. The chicken and the steak were perfection. Juicy, well cooked, packed with the right amount of extra flavour whilst still being able to taste the actual meat… As we said, this is a restaurant that gets it.

To finish up we had the torta de queso which any Spanish speakers will know is a cheesecake. What a way to finish the meal. This one was baseless and certainly a close sibling to a burnt Basque, and though it was incredibly rich it also had a good hit of salt in it which gave it an almost savoury note. If you’re the kind of person who can’t choose between a cheese board and a pudding, this is the one for you. But whichever way you sway on the final course you must not leave without eating the cheesecake.

We were seriously impressed leaving Solis. A visit to this rocket of a restaurant is a schooling in the concept of ‘all killer, no filler’. Tasty, satisfying and top quality service to boot? Of course we will be back! Do the same- leave your vegetarian friends at home and go to Solis.