For a foodie date
Donostia
10 Seymour Place, W1 (020 3620 1845; donostia.co.uk)
This new restaurant is all about bringing Basque cuisine from northeastern Spain to London. The tortilla bacalao, a classic onion and potato Spanish omelette with cod and spinach (£6.50), is as it should be — light and delicate, with just the right amount of wobble. The bar provides a vantage point to see the chefs at work.
For a business lunch
Eyre Brothers
70 Leonard Street, EC2 (020 7613 5346; eyrebrothers.co.uk)
Serving Iberian food with a few added influences, this restaurant is smart but unflashy — you could easily walk past it without realising it’s there. The tortilla (£7) is a gem, served with roasted piquillo peppers. Follow it with the cataplana (£40 for two), a pork and clam stew cooked with fried potatoes in a traditional copper pot.
For gaggles of friends
El Parador
245 Eversholt Street, NW1 (020 7387 2789; elparadorlondon.com)
Another unflashy venue, this simple restaurant is almost always busy — especially when the weather is good enough to enjoy the patio garden at the back. The tortilla (£4.70) forms part of the big vegetarian section of the menu, plus there’s a great range of meat and fish dishes, and a good-value, Spanish-focused wine list.
Photographs by Steven Joyce
