A little bit of Spain in London

Despite their unenviable reputation for insularity, Britons have enthusiastically embraced the cuisine of other countries over the past few decades. These days every British town, however small and insignificant, can boast at least one Chinese, Indian and Italian restaurant. However the latest culinary craze to find favour is the Spanish tapas bar.

London-based José Pizarro originally trained as a chef in Cáceres, Extremadura, before moving to Madrid and the award-winning Meson de Doña Filo. After relocating to London, Pizarro became the Chef Partner at the popular Tapas Brindisa in the city’s Borough Market for five years and in 2008 opened the highly praised Tierra Brindisa in Soho and Casa Brindisa in South Kensington.

Now this ambitious chef, who has become a regular guest on UK cookery programmes such as the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and UKTVFood’s Market Kitchen, has opened José in London’s Bermondsey Street. This modestly proportioned tribute to the joy of the traditional tapa can accommodate a maximum of 30 covers and it has been reported that hungry punters are already queuing up to experience the unique Pizarro take on some Spanish classics.

The menu is naturally dedicated to the promotion of Spanish produce; classic tapas dishes including Iberian ham, black olives, crab and basil croquettes, boquerones (anchovies) in Cava vinegar and albondigas (meatballs) in spicy tomato sauce. Diners are also encouraged to sample some of the many Spanish sherries on the menu.

Already 2012 looks as though it will be Pizarro’s year; his latest book, Seasonal Spanish Food, is selling well and he plans to open a much larger restaurant just down the road from José’s very soon.

Visit www.josepizarro.com for more information.

 

New post on at Friday, 13 January, 2012, 8:55 am and is archived in Food and drink, Places of Interest, Travel. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.