Enjoy some Spanish flavors in Octapas’ comfy cafe in downtown Olympia

Although it’s a busy venue for music and other performances, Octapas Café is at its heart a kind of community living room — a funky, warm and sometimes loud place where people come to hang out.

“People stay for two or three hours here, and it’s because they feel at home,” said chef and co-owner Rick Mullins. “It’s a big space, and it works.”

“There’s enough space for a big group to linger,” agreed co-owner Jamie Brayshaw, “and having people here for so long, it draws more people in.”

That was the vision Brayshaw and Mullins had when they opened Octapas together in April 2018, and the menu reflects those priorities.

The focus is on tapas, small dishes that are meant to be shared, and chef Mullins was drawn to Spanish food because it reminds him of the food he ate growing up in Ohio, Tennessee and South Carolina.

“It’s slow food, and it’s seasonal,” he said. “It’s either very fresh, or it’s something that’s been preserved, and it actually gets better because it’s been preserved. Spanish food captures all of that.”

“Slow food” doesn’t mean it’s slow to arrive at the tables, even when Octapas is particularly crowded, as it can be before a big show in the back room.

“Our kitchen is small,” Mullins said. “We wanted to be able to serve food efficiently, so we cook many of the dishes, like our carnitas and our shepherd’s pie, ahead of time.”

Also prepared ahead is the sofrito, a mixture of onion, celery, bell pepper, olive oil, garlic and tomatoes that’s cooked slowly to create deep, caramelized flavors.

“In Spanish cooking, it’s integral to starting a lot of dishes,” Mullins said. “It has a big flavor punch.”

It’s part of the Chicken Chickpea Pimentón, a recent soup special that was hearty and warming, with complex flavors and just a bit of spice. The variation Mullins shared with The Olympian eliminates the need for a separate step while including the sofrito’s flavors.

Sofrito shows up at brunch in shakshuka, eggs baked in tomato sauce, and in the paella that will be a special during February and part of the regular menu beginning in March.

“It’s kind of like Spain’s version of risotto,” Mullins said.

Also among the culinary offerings: local shellfish, olives, a white-bean paté that is, the menu boasts, “what hummus always dreamed it could be,” and cured fish, including octopus and boquerones, flavorful Spanish anchovies.

“People have come in asking if they can buy them from us, because you can’t find them in the grocery store,” Brayshaw said.

The wine list, which leans toward European selections, sets Octapas apart from many of South Sound’s other late-night eateries.

“I love wine,” Brayshaw said. “I started out with a more extensive wine list and had to pare it down, but at this point, we have built a bit of a reputation around the wine. It’s exciting to see it be well received.”

Octapas Café

• What: The café, with a menu of tapas and other Spanish-inspired dishes, is part restaurant, part entertainment venue and part community gathering space.
• Where: 414 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia
• Hours: 3-5 p.m. Mondays, 3-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 3 p.m. Fridays-1 a.m. Saturdays, 9 a.m. Saturdays-1 a.m. Sundays, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Sundays
• More information: 360-878-9333, octapascafe.com

Chicken Chickpea Pimentón

This is a variation on a recent soup special, adapted so it can be more quickly prepared by home cooks. Pimentón is the Spanish word for paprika.

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 4 stalks celery, finely chopped and leaves reserved
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon good-quality paprika
• Salt
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1½ cups chopped roast chicken (thigh meat is best)

Garnishes:

• Chopped celery leaves
• Lemon juice
• Chopped cilantro
• Red pepper flakes or chili oil

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add onion, pepper and celery, and cook until soft.

Add garlic, paprika and salt to taste, then add broth and bring to a simmer.

Add tomatoes and chickpeas, and return to a simmer. Add salt to taste. Add chicken.

Serve topped with celery leaves, lemon juice, cilantro and red-pepper flakes or chili oil.

This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 5:45 AM.