Simply Spanish

ON THE Storytellers album, Johnny Cash tells a yarn about taking a drive with June. ''It was one of those magic days, you know, where the sun was just right, the temperature was just right, the breeze was just right, an' she was just right.''

I had one of those the other week - and it included a lazy lunch at Simply Spanish. The tapas were just right, the vibe was just right and the ice-cubes tinkling in the Cointreau and brandy sangria were just right.

Under a bank of footpath umbrellas, next to the paella cart with giant trays of sizzling seafood and chicken, you kind of feel like you're on holiday in your own city. Kids, dogs, shopping jeeps loaded with fresh produce - all of it rumbles past creating a highly festive panorama. Friendly staff, some sporting fedoras set at smart angles, dodge the fray.

It's run by Venezuelan owner Leno Lattarulo, who grew up in restaurants run by his Spanish mother and Italian father. He has done stints at restaurants around town, including the former Costa Brava in Fitzroy.

As is the Spanish way, dishes here are simple, harnessing two- or three-star ingredients to maximum effect. Paella (10 types) is a speciality. There are meat- and seafood-laden soups and stews, two pages of tapas and churros for dessert.

Stubby cuts of pan-seared chorizo - handmade by ''an old Spanish butcher in Preston'', according to Lattarulo - are juicy and flavour-rich, with a garlicky white-wine sauce.

Whole button mushrooms, with pine nuts and Spanish sherry vinegar, are lovely and al dente, the crispness and light seasoning allowing the mushroom flavour to shine.

Parsley-scattered prawns are just how you want them, garlicky and oily (extra-virgin olive oil). And - I find this usually happens if you don't scoff them straightaway - the first one you eat is less cooked than the last. Good nonetheless, especially with a spritz of lemon.

The charry lamb skewers were still a bit pink in the centre, the meat itself on the tough side, with a garlicky chimichurri-style sauce.

The pastry-to-meat ratio in the (outsourced) mini beef empanadas is spot-on and the patatas bravas hold no surprises - deep-fried potatoes with a smoked paprika and garlic mayo.

It can be a dogfight for tables at peak times but they take bookings for evenings, when it's a moodier, red-walled affair.

The all-Spanish wine and beer includes Estrella Galicia on tap, there's flamenco music on Saturday nights and a wine bar is slated to soon open next door.

All up, it's hospitable, informal and something Lattarulo can be proud of.

 nrousseau@theage.com.au

It's Market Week at South Melbourne, Prahran and Queen Victoria markets. Events include chef cook-offs, kids' play (an animal farm, treasure hunts, face painting). Until Sunday.

Where 116 Cecil Street, South Melbourne Market, 9682 6100

Prices Tapas dishes, $6.50-$17.50; paella (minimum of two serves), $16.50-$36 (lunchtime paella, $12.50); zarzuela and cazuelas, $19.50-$25.50; desserts, $6.50-$15.50

Cards MC V AE Eftpos

Licensed

Open Wed and Sun, 8am-4pm; Thurs-Sat, 8am-late

Cuisine Spanish/tapas/paella