West Brompton, Spanish Restaurant Guide

“You leave feeling everything is good in the world” according to fans of Abel Lusa’s accomplished stalwart (est. 1995) on the borders of South Ken and Earl’s Court: one of London’s original Spanish restaurants of quality and still at the cutting edge, with its “luxurious tapas”, “excellent Iberian wines” and “wonderfully fun and atmospheric” style. A slip in ratings, though, accompanies one or two concerns that “it should offer better value”; or that “it risks slipping from a smart and exciting place to being lower-energy”. But that didn’t stop Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz from eating here with his family five times during the Championships this year – and on the days he didn’t go, he ordered deliveries to be sent to his accommodation. Apparently, his favourite dish is the crispy salmon nigiri (a Spanish version of sushi with sweet soy sauce, Spanish vinegar and chipotle mayonnaise).

“Every dish is good” at this long-running tapas bar in South Kensington. Regulars, though, reckon it’s “not quite up to the experience” of its sibling opposite, Cambio de Tercio, with which it shares a list of “excellent” Spanish wines (“it’s clearly tapas from a chef more familiar with fine dining, leaning towards the elegant rather than a solid punch of flavour”).