A cut above at El Coto

I was a little apprehensive about a girls' (sorry, girls and one token boy's) night out which included eats at El Coto. Tucked away behind Newcastle's Labour Club, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was merely a small bar, and a bit of a drab one at that, but the modest entrance leads to a corridor which leads to a world where the most wonderful things happen. We all opted for the same fixed price menu (there were four to choose from ranging in price from £14.95 to £23.95 a head). For a table of four that would mean one of each dish on that particular menu, for eight people, two of everything - odd numbers get a proportionate amount of dishes. The concern is that it's tapas, and if the portions are small, one might go hungry. I worried needlessly. There was plenty to go around, dishes like the obligatory cheese, tomato, chorizo, calamari, the tenderest beef, spicy chicken..., no-one felt as though they'd missed sampling any of the dishes and there was food left over. AND, with drinks for the table - couple of glasses of wine, pitcher of sangria etc, including tip, it came in at a very respectable 20 quid a head. (This was based on the £14.95 menu as it had the most vegetarian options on it!) Definitely one to go back to.