ALL BAR ONE, HIGH ST, OXFORD 01865 791696.

PAUL STAMMERS gets all genetic.

FRUIT flies are plain daft. They’ve got 13,601 genes, but all they seem capable of doing is swooping, kamikaze-like, into your drink.

Hence (it’s said) the tradition of tapas emerging in southern Spain.

Folk would plonk a slice of bread or ham over their glass of sweet sherry to keep the blighters from taking a dunk in the oloroso, although I wonder why anyone would be happy to let Drosophila Melanogaster alight on a tasty sliver of serrano ham.

Anyway, tapas have moved on a long way since then, evolving from bar snacks into a full-blown platter of multi-cultural mini-meals. This is evident at All Bar One, which offers ‘World Tapas’.

No flies were buzzing around to give the place an authentic touch when my friend and I visited on a Monday lunchtime, but I noticed, to my surprise – given ABO’s reputation as a place for leggy young females – the nearest customers to us were all blokes who would never see 50 again.

ABO has offered tapas for yonks, but has tweaked the selection lately for the benefit of customers too lazy to pick a selection in detail. The menu now features three ‘bundles’ of tapas, the first of which seemed appetising enough for my friend and I to order as we sipped draught Aspall Suffolk cider – a welcome alternative to Strongbow or Magner’s.

Bundle one, costing £21.50, was listed as meatballs, lamb koftas, chorizo, tiger prawns, ciabatta and hummus, though the grub arrived with pitta bread, salsa, and a salad garnish too. The juicy meatballs in a tangy tomato sauce stole the show, although the chargrilled prawns in lemon and garlic vied with the rich chunks of chorizo for second place.

We were glad of the tzatziki dip with the koftas, as they were too dry, but the hummus, pitta and ciabatta bread hit the spot.

While the selection was enough for two hungry diners, we did opt for what limited puds were available – fondant cake and mini waffles (£3.90 each). Both desserts were rather sweet, and came with heart attack-sized dollops of clotted cream.

l All Bar One is offering two tapas (choose from chorizo, chicken quesadilla, calamari, hummus, organic goat’s cheese bruschetta) plus a bottle of Pinot Grigio or Malbec, for a tenner until April 17.

See allbarone.co.uk/offer/tapasandwinefortenpounds/