As a foodie PR and blogger living in London I'm constantly amazed at the amount of tapas bars we have. I'm probably more aware of this than most as two of my wine clients (Wines from Rioja and Tio Pepe) match particularly well with tapas so this food stuff is a constant source for generating ideas. My agency recently teamed up one of my clients, Wines from Rioja, with the London Restaurant Festival to bring Londoners the 'Tapas Tour', designed to recreate traditional Spanish style bar hopping that's typical to Logroño, the capital of Rioja. This got me thinking about just how many tapas bars we have in London, in particular, Soho, and why we just can't seem to get enough of the Spanish cuisine.
The premise of the 'Tapas Tour' was that you 'bar hop' around five of Soho's best tapas restaurants tasting the speciality tapas dish of each bar matched with a glass of Rioja. Soho really is the new 'Spanish Quarter' as tucked away in its little back streets you can find tapas bars such as Fernandez and Wells, Brindisa Soho, Pix, Copita and Barrica, with Iberico a tad further up north, astonishing if you think about the fact that these are basically within a square mile of one another.
Why is there such an appetite for so many tapas bars so close to one another, and why do we love tapas so much? Personally, I love the relaxed atmosphere and the fact that each bar has its own feel and identity.
You can either pop in for a quick drink and some habas fritas on your way to somewhere, or alternatively you can dig your heels in for the night and slowly work your way down the wine and sherry list, ordering copious plates of tapas alongside.
I love the intensity of flavours and the fact that it's not just acceptable, rather, encouraged, to pick as many dishes as you like. I'm such an indecisive orderer and I feel now, more than ever, we live in a world where we want everything. One of my main struggles when going out to eat is settling on just one dish to order and I find myself a victim of food envy on a daily basis. Go out to dinner with me and you'll be met by the dreaded 'why don't we order these two dishes and we can share' or 'can I have a few bites of yours' or 'are you going to finish that?' On the other side, can you imagine the indecisive me rocking up to my local pub and saying "please can I order, just for myself, the fish and chips, the steak and kidney pie, the roast, the meat platter and a burger as I just fancy a bit of everything?" I'd imagine I'd be met with looks of disbelief and also a question asking if I'd like to be rolled out of the place. But in a tapas bar this is acceptable. You can say, "yes please, I would like the padrón peppers, the whitebait, the chorizo, the veal cheeks, the patatas bravas and the ibérico pork" and the waiter will look at you with approval rather than as if you were a massive fatty. You are not being greedy, rather, you have an appreciation for great food.
The premise of tapas is that, yes, you get small portions, but the dishes are freshly made with the best ingredients, and actually now, we're prepared to pay for the best and relish doing so. On paper you pay £20 for a plate of ham. But in a tapas bar you pay £20 for a plate of the finest Jamón ibérico from acorn fed pigs, where the saltiness of the ham cuts through the fat to create a taste explosion in your mouth. We all know you can't do great tapas cheaply (have you ever been to La Tasca?) so the point is that we get quality food for the money we do spend, and we opt to pay for it. I particularly find it interesting that in spite of the recession tapas bars are continuing to open all over the place, rather than close. In a recession we like to treat ourselves but it really interests me that there is more of an appetite for eating out in tapas bars - is it because there's always the option of spending under a tenner on a small sharing dish rather than having to fork out for a whole meal? I slightly disprove my own theory however this as when I go to a tapas bar intending to just have a little nibble I then get swayed by the smell and sight of other people's dishes so end up spending a small fortune.
And if I were to recommend one tapas bar to go to? Copita (opened Saturday 8th October) wins hands down for me at the moment, even though I know José is very en-vogue with all the food bloggers/ food industry (indeed, just as an FYI, when I visited recently I spotted Angela Hartnett). For me, Copita is roomier than José but still manages that authentic Spanish feel to perfection with beautiful tiles and wooden benches. I highly recommend going there if alone for the amazing goat's cheese and pea croquettes and a beautiful melt in your mouth pork dish that the Chef brought out to us (compliments of course - the PR card works every time). I'm already planning my next visit (and not forgetting my PR hat, washed down with a glass of Rioja).