You know us: we always say uno más when there are new Spanish spots to try in town, and this autumn, we’ve spotted at least three. Italian carb-fests might have ruled the waves for the past few summers, but now we’re seeing a Catalan, Iberian and Galician takeover on the horizon.
Screwdriver has been on our radar for a while as the new Ridley Road cocktail bar with impressive credentials – but now that they’ve started to settle into the space, we’re hearing big things about the food, too. Galician-inspired and cooked entirely on a plancha grill, their super-concise menus are worth making your way through solo – think gambas, gildas pintxos and (of course) patatas bravas. Keep an eye out for the next Screwdriver Sunday (last week’s chistorra with caramelised shallots and a carafe of Galician bobal had us ready to trade in roasts for good).
Family-run Tapas Brindisa is a veritable London institution, and they’ve just announced that a sixth site at Battersea Power Station will open in November. Expect the usual Brindisa fare, but also look out for their first dedicated charcuterie and cheese bar for hand-cut Iberico jamon, an Iberian-focused wine list and the group’s first Home Kitchen where chefs will host supper clubs, monthly tastings and cook-offs.
And the one we’re already counting down for? Vermuteria Bar & Café. Anthony Demetre (Wild Honey, Arbutus, Les Deux Salons) will be opening the vermouth bar a few doors down from the new Barrafina at Coal Drops Yard in late October. By day, the café will be a casual space for drop-ins, with cocktails taking over at night, inspired by the classic bodegas and vermuterias of Catalan and stocking over 50 vermouths. We say switch out negronis for vermouth rosso this autumn and see us down there for the opening.
Resistance is futile – the Spanish have arrived.
