El Tirol came highly recommended by the Burgalesa as well as our friend, Nacho, who is a veritable connosieur of the local pinchos scene. Off the back of a slightly underwhelming Tigre elsewhere, we decided to stop in at El Tirol on the way home to compare and contrast.

The bar itself is small and was extremely crowded when we arrived. Always a good sign. Service was fast, and we soon worked our way to the counter and placed the familiar order for tigres and cañas, which was relayed loudly to the kitchen. Our food arrived smartly.

At first glance, the tigres of El Tirol are less impressive than those of many other bars. They are appear to have less substance and are not as full looking as some others. The crispy outer coating is split in some areas revealing the white of the béchamel beneath. There was no batter on bottom of shell to peel off. Accompanying sherry is provided in a plastic porrón.

Digging in, though, we found that these were worthy of the praise heaped on them by Nacho. Very hot, crispy, not greasy, bucketloads of clean bechamel, a little meaty, but overall an impression of a deep-fried, mussel lasagne. Solid sherry, too! I could eat six of these, with gusto!

Barriada Juan XXIII, 16, 09007 Burgos