Shoreditch, Spanish Restaurant Guide

On the site of Red Rooster (RIP) within the The Curtain Hotel (RIP), comes this summer 2021 newcomer within the newly opened Mondrian Shoreditch. Whether the name chef, Andalusian Dani Garcia, will spend much time here we don’t know, but he already has Bibos in Madrid, Marbella, Cádiz, and Doha, so maybe not. Some of his signature dishes will be on the menu (for example oxtail ravioli) alongside international hotel staples.

A “good choice of drinks” helps fuel the “buzzy” style of this “good value” Hispanic group. Some reporters feel its tapas offering is rather “standard”, but most reports are of “good tapas at good prices”.

“Authentic and delicious tapas… if you can get a table” has made the bustling, original branch of this Hispanic food importer’s chain a well-known feature of Borough Market, and “at busy times, it feels rushed”. It has spawned a number of spin-offs over the years, which are generally high quality, if not as vibey as the original: most recently opening a ‘Brindisa Kitchen Bar’ at Jubilee Place.

“Totally living up to the hype!” – Tomos Parry’s “cool ex-pub, first-floor dining room” (above Smoking Goat) was Harden’s top newcomer two years ago, and “pulls off what so many Shoreditch restaurants aspire to” with “its phenomenal food from the open kitchen; its relaxed-but-highly-competent style; and its lack of expense”. “And the wood-panelled dining room is a welcome change from the usual warehouse-style in the area”. The Basque-influenced cuisine, much of it cooked over an open wood fire, majors in fish – “never overcooked, with a hint of smokiness after a roasting over hot embers” – in particular the “to-die-for”, signature turbot (for which the restaurant is named) which is “positively Mediterranean in its fresh deliciousness”. “The room is small and tables are close together” but no-one seems to care: “the buzz of the place simply tells you that here are a lot of folks really enjoying their dinner”. It helps that “the staff are almost as good as the food: enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and clear in their explanations of the menu”. All this, plus a “brilliant, wide-ranging and value-for-money wine list”. Until at least January 2021 Tomos has already taken up a Brat residency at Climpson's Arch in Hackney (374 Helmsley Place, E8 3SB) – a particular brunch mecca.

The vibrancy of the star Spanish chef’s tapas has always seemed slightly at odds with the glossy-but-corporate location of this outlet, in the midst of the City’s Broadgate Circle. Even those who don’t vibe with the place, though, acclaim its “friendly” style, and the cooking is rated from very good to exceptional.