Hispania London

You can't go wrong :) I used to eat here regularly, pre-CoViD, and have always loved the food, wines, staff and ambiance. This was my first visit in years ... I was very pleased to see that the company, menu, execution, service and ambience have all survived the ravages of COVID lockdown - although the front of house staff have pretty much all changed (my best wishes to my old friends, wherever you are!). I notice they are hiring for a CdC - I hope that goes well; meantime, the kitchen seemed to be delivering perfectly for my visit! Although I'm not sure they mention it anywhere, the menu, though diverse, has an Asturian bent; the executive chef is Asturian, and well accoladed - Sr. Marcos Morán. The building is ideal (from the diners' perspective) - high-ceiling, spacious, cool stone decor - and the ambiance perfect - just as I remembered it. The food is gorgeous and authentic - I found nothing to question here. Pimientos de Padrón, unusually for the UK - both in my experience, and that of a Gallician friend - included a representative number of picante examples; from one plate, I had two moderately hot and one real scorcher - as hot as I ever recall having. Everything from here-on-down, I think, is Asturian in origin, style or variance (or maybe regionally undifferentiated for the croquettas?) Sr. Móran's (Casa Gerardo, q.v.) bocadillos crujientes de quesos - very light filo pastry sandwiches of slightly sweet creamed cheeses - I think, best interleaved with other dishes, but also a great relevé or finalé - were exactly as I recall; this is not a belly-filler, but a dainty palate-pleaser. Hmm... they may pair well with a Manzanilla as an aperativo. Croquetas de setas - inch-cubed fried cubes of wild-mushroom-béchamel awesomeness, in a fragile crust, are both delightful, and filling. The calamares were about as good as I've found in the UK - I am very picky with this simple dish, but I would still come back here for them. There too are cold tapas and main dishes - and I don't recall ever trying anything here that didn't impress. There are a number of vegetarian-friendly dishes - but this is not primarily vegetarian cuisine. I'm not sure how much is vegan-friendly, but I imagine the kitchen is used to accommodating most needs. One word of caution; I found my selection marginally on the salty side by the time I was done - this is exactly as I would expect it, from an authenticity perspective - I ate only tapas, and plenty of it; if you tend to steer clear of salt, talk to your waiter first before digging into a whole table of tapas (in any restaurant!). The rice pudding (arroz con leche) was perfect - not overly-sweet in the body, with the correct smooth texture and hydration, and a beautiful creme-brulée-style caramel cap. This house has fantastic wines at decent prices; if you know what you want, you won't be disappointed; if not, ask for advice, and ... you still won't be disappointed. The classic Bodegas Muga special reserve Rioja by the glass was more than satisfying for me, today, and a beautiful G.B. Palo Cortado was the perfect foil to the rice pudding. Unlike most bars and restaurants, Hispania has a well chosen range of sherries - for starters, mains and desserts. This is not a cheap restaurant, but neither is it expensive for what it is nor for it's location. I trust you will enjoy it as much as I do! In case they read this - for last night, my thanks to the front-of-house staff, notably Sres. Luis, Tony, who were appropriately friendly, professional, informative, and attentive (notwithstanding my late arrival, pre-whetted whistle, and my occasional non-deliberate confused attempts to speak some mix of Castilian and South-American Spanish, with maybe some Galego and Italian thrown in for good measure, I suspect!). And my thanks - and apologies for presenting unannounced barely before end-of-service - to the kitchen! I look forward to seeing you again!

I should have taken more photos of our food! It was all so good, I didn't make time to stop for pictures. Anthony was our server and he was excellent! Totally made our entire experience. His recommendations were amazing. Sangria cava, croquetas Jamon, ensaladillla rusa, gamba aljillo and the pork chimichurri all knocked it out of the park. We love tapas. We will talk about this meal and our amazing server for decades!