Know Thine Enemy – Spain

It’s semi-final time and the Germans have made it through to face Spain. The winners of this match will be facing The Netherlands in the final on Sunday. So it is the Dutch who will be the last country profiled as part of our guide to different nations’ cuisine and where to find the places offering it in London.

Onto Spain, and this country offers a wealth of culinary excellence. In addition, now seems the right time to take a closer look at Spanish food given how the standard has increased in recent years. No more dodgy bowls of paella served up alongside two day old salami. A more sophisticated form of Spanish cooking has hit the capital with a distinct improvement in tapas bars. One of the best of these is Tapas Brindisa near Borough Market. Start with some toasted Marcona almonds before moving onto the charcuterie or taking a few of the tapa plates.

These showcase the variety you can find in Spanish cuisine with grilled lamb cutlets, ham croquettes and cured beef with goat’s cheese from Garrotxa. For dessert, you should try the crema catalana, a dish similar to crème brûlée. So similar in fact that many Catalans will insist that it was stolen from them. Also recommended is the turrón mousse, which has an intense almond flavour.

Another place to head to if you’re looking for traditional cuisine is Cigala. This restaurant provides great examples of the dishes that are familiar to those with cosmopolitan tastes. Items to look out for are Huevos a la flamenco, which is baked eggs with peppers, onions, green beans and peas and Parrillada de pescado, literally meaning a fish grill which features grilled John Dory, squid, prawns and scallops.

However, the place that probably strips both of these places in terms of excellent cuisine is El Faro in the Docklands. Long celebrated as the best Spanish restaurant in London, this restaurant not only offers a riverside view but the best of Spaniards’ obsession with meat and fish. Particular highlights are the Andalusian squid with romesco and the roast sucking pig served with mango tatin. Grab a reservation and settle down to the finest of what Spain can offer.

Tapas Brindisa
18-20 Southwark St
Borough
SE1 1TJ

Tel: 020 7357 8880

Cigala
54 Lamb’s Conduit Street
Bloomsbury
WC1N 3LW

Tel: 020 7405 1717

El Faro
3 Turnberry Quay
Docklands
E14 9RD

Tel: 020 7987 5511