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Few Spanish dishes have travelled as successfully as paella. Few have been interpreted quite so liberally, either. In Valencia, rice is serious business: traditionally cooked in a broad, shallow pan over fire, with the heat carefully managed to cook the grains evenly and develop the caramelised layer underneath known as socarrat.
At Fitzrovia’s Arros QD, Valencian cooking and live fire sit at the heart of the restaurant. Rice is cooked over wood in view of the dining room, putting the process behind one of Spain’s most famous dishes centre stage. Here, paella stops being simply ‘Spanish rice’ and becomes something rooted in a particular landscape, history and method of cooking.
Paella at Arros QD
Fire matters elsewhere, too. Across Spain, grills and asadores are less about theatrical flames than precision: knowing when an ingredient needs smoke, when it needs fierce heat and when the best course is simply to leave it alone.
That sense of place runs through Spanish gastronomy. Olive oils change with landscape and variety. Jamón reflects breed, feed and region. Wines can alter dramatically over surprisingly short distances. Even a tin of seafood can tell you something about the coastline it came from.
Pinxtos moruno at Sabor
Chris Terry
At Sabor, Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s Heddon Street restaurant, the journey becomes broader. Its menu moves around Spain, with the downstairs Counter drawing inspiration from regions including the Basque Country and Catalonia, while upstairs El Asador looks towards Galicia and Castile. Atlantic seafood and Galician beef meet one of central Spain’s defining traditions: cooking over intense heat.
That is the idea behind Restaurants from Spain. The certification gives diners a way to identify restaurants committed to Spanish culinary culture, whether the experience takes the form of Valencian rice, Galician produce, Basque pintxos or something entirely different.
Grilled langoustines, pepper and asparagus at Parrillán
And the map extends considerably further. The certified London roster includes names such as Camino, Parrillán, Boqueria and Lobos, creating plenty of scope to build your own route through the country without boarding a plane.
Look for the Restaurants from Spain and Colmados from Spain seals, then explore the interactive map to find your next restaurant or specialist shop and plan your own journey through Spanish food. For a full list of accredited establishments, visit foodswinesfromspain.com
