Lona's low-lit modern interior.Michael Clayton-JonesSpot quiz. Q1:Pintxos,what are they? Q2:How do you pronounce it? (Hispanophiles,skip ahead to paragraph three.)
A1:Pintxos,a speciality of the Basque Country,is tapas'cousin - they're top mates,partial to a sherry or seven. In Spanish,"pincho"means"spike",and each mini item is usually speared with a toothpick or bigger skewer. A2:Pronunciation?"Pint-ex-os"is incorrect."Pin-choss"is good,with a soft"ch"sound.
Dedicated pintxos bars are few in Melbourne. I only know of two (do tell if you know more):Naked for Satan in Fitzroy,a great late-night option with lengthy queues at weekends,and three-month-old Lona,a neat little Armadale watering hole run by brothers Charles and Edward Sedgley.
On the board:Moroccan-style beef meatballs.Michael Clayton-JonesThe Sedgleys also own Barca restaurant down the road. Put them together,"Barca"and"Lona"- and,geddit? Barcelona. Charles lived there for a couple of years and says the idea of starting a pintxos bar"kept coming back to haunt me".
At night,modern,split-level Lona is cast in a pink glow from the front-window sign. As all good bars should be,it's low-lit and you might need to shine your phone on the menu to read it.
Drinks?"Tommy looks after the sherry,"our switched-on waiter says - service is sharp here. Tommy pops over with three sherries to taste and has good banter about each one.
Pick up at the bar ... Crisp-shelled arancini.Michael Clayton-Jones In the kitchen is Tim Bell,an old hand at this snacky style of cooking,from time at St Kilda tapas bar Pelican,and his menu cuisine-hops from Spanish to Italian to American to Moroccan.
You acquire food three ways:$3 toothpick-spiked bites from the cold-larder at the bar;bigger $5 spikes that circulate hot from the kitchen;or order a board.
The cold larder had a couple of highlights - good jamon,and crisp-shelled arancini,bound by manchego cheese and laced with smoked paprika - but I found the display lacked a bit of that rustic,generous Spanish vibe.
More exciting were the hot $5 spikes:signature pork sliders (pulled shoulder braised for six hours with chilli,garlic,fennel and brown sugar,with crackling crunch and jalapeno heat in a sesame-seed sweetish bun);juicy frankfurter-sized chorizo (watch out,they're squirters);and maybe mini brioche buns stuffed with garlicky,cumin-rubbed braised lamb with fresh mint,pomegranate molasses and sumac.
The boards held gold,too,such as pliant Moroccan-style beef meatballs in a lovely cinnamonny sauce,with smoked almonds and house-made fennel and sumac flatbread.
If you're starving hungry,it's easy to rush headlong into a spike-a-thon,and prices can mount rapidly. If you're after a drink,a graze and a hang out,Lona's the place. Stay tuned for sherry and members nights down the track.
Twitter: @ninarousseau,oremail nrousseau@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Do …Become a Lona member and pay half price for pintxos from noon-4pm.
Don't … Throw away your spikes;they're tallied up at the end for the bill.
Dish …Moroccan meatballs