Tapas — those delicious mouthfuls served on bread or skewered for ease of eating, which the Spanish have so thoughtfully donated to the world — are now widely available in bars and restaurants across Europe. But while the quality of the ingredients everywhere is now much higher than it used to be, there are several subtle differences between even the best tapas throughout Europe.
The biggest single distinction lies not in the flavour but in how the tapas are enjoyed. The original meaning of tapa is ‘cover’, a piece of food, initially probably just a slice of ham, that covers the top of a small wine or sherry glass, but Spanish enthusiasm for enjoying tapas before a meal has given rise to a more philosophical concept known within Spain as tapeo.
Tapeo involves meeting up with friends and then ambling in a gentle fashion from one bar to another until it is time to go home or to a restaurant. It is not an entirely aimless exercise. Often a conscious decision is taken at the outset to call in at tapas bars that have chosen to specialise in certain dishes: the very best ham; seafood, particularly in Galicia or Andalucia; slices of pork sausage cooked on a griddle; or wonderfully gooey cheese croquetas.
Moving from bar to bar is a vital factor because it stimulates the appetite and those Spaniards fortunate enough to live close to a sufficient number of tapas bars have the very special distinction of earning the title of tapeador.
TAPAS BRINDISA, LONDON
18-20 Southwark St, London SE1, 020 7357 8880, brindisa.com
Monika Linton, whose wholesale Brindisa company has specialised in Spanish produce for the past 20 years, teamed up with chef José Pizarro to open this authentic tapas bar by London Bridge six years ago. It has proved so successful that they have now opened two other branches, Tierra Brindisa in Soho and Casa Brindisa in South Kensington.
Their first tapas bar still remains the busiest and, with its no-booking policy, the most authentic, appealing to the many who work nearby and, at the weekend, to the crowds of enthusiastic food shoppers who descend on Borough Market just round the corner.
BARRAFINA, LONDON
54 Frith Street, London W1, 020 7813 8016, barrafina.co.uk
Brothers Sam and Eddie Hart already had the Spanish restaurant, Fino, under their belts when they opened Barrafina in homage to the hugely successful Cal Pep tapas bar in Barcelona.
Such has been its popularity, thanks to a combination of great food and a great location that attracts the media crowd who work nearby, the pre-theatre crowd and those who like to eat and drink late, that Barrafina’s 27 seats have welcomed over 900 customers in one week. Expect to wait before a seat becomes available but a glass of fino passes the time.
CASA LABRA, MADRID
Calle Tetuán 12, Madrid, +34 91 531 0081, casalabra.es
This incredibly popular tapas bar and restaurant, located close to the El Corte Inglés department store, has been delighting discerning Madrileños since it opened its doors in 1860. And it certainly plays to this long history with a sepia-tinted website that cleverly evokes the atmosphere of that era long ago.
But Casa Labra’s continuing renown is based on one particular tapas ingredient, the salt cod, or bacalao, which has been a staple of Spanish cooking for centuries. Here it comes in two different forms: bacalao de la casa, its speciality of fried pieces of salt cod, or as croquettes, where the salt cod is coated in breadcrumbs before deep frying. These salt cod tapas are moreish, addictive and stimulate an immediate desire for a glass of crisp, white Spanish wine.
BAR INOPIA, BARCELONA
Tamarit 104, Barcelona, +34 93 424 52 31, barinopia.com
Owned by Albert Adrià, brother of Ferran Adrià of El Bulli, this hugely popular tapas bar is located close to the Mercato Sant Antonin, not one of Barcelona’s most salubrious areas. But scores head here for the food and the fun. The highlights of the former on my last visit were: pinchos, or skewers, of extremely tender lamb; deep-fried anchovies; prawns, sautéed in sea salt; and squares of tuna in a sauce of tomato, spicy pepper and vinegar.
The walls are covered in photos of families at the beach; the menu depicts a matador with his arm on the shoulder of a man in a wheelchair. Where else could one be but Spain?
Nicholas Lander is restaurant critic of the Financial Times
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