Hispania London

Combining the words “Spanish” and “bank” in recent years has been enough to leave a bad taste in the mouth. Yet despite the somewhat portentous association, a group of brave Asturians have taken on a chunk of Lombard Street right next to Bank station and named it Hispania.

Hispania’s imminent opening in the heart of the City has been trumpeted for months, but at last it’s flung open its rather grand doors.

I say restaurant, but Hispania is really more of a Spanish emporium, a vast space that includes a bar, a shop-cum-off-licence and an upstairs area that’s used for business events and talks.

Occupying a beautiful listed building a few yards from the Bank of England, Hispania is thinking big. The décor is reminiscent of a Spanish parador, with high ceilings and a huge sweeping central staircase that would have done Scarlett O’Hara proud. It’s e;egant and rustic with marble surfaces, bronze light fittings and an overall atmosphere that feels exclusive. The downstairs comprises a wine bar to one side and a dining area to the other; the latter with tasteful sideboards laid out picturesquely with fresh bread and preserved goods in jars.  Less coherently, antlers adorn the back walls and guests are treated to a soundtrack that veers erratically from C&W to R&B (we didn’t know whether to whinge or weep).

Despite my aforementioned prejudices, an hour at Hispania was enough to convince me that visitors may be better off dismissing any economic worries and aiming some fiscal stimulus towards both the excellent meat and cheese plates and the tapas list instead.

The kitchen is already garnering rave reviews for its authentic, exquisitely presented and ‘cliché-free’ take on the country’s native cuisine – ‘just like northern Spain’, notes one fan from the region. Top calls include superb patatas bravas with spicy tomato sauce and alioli, silky salmorejo (Andalusian cold tomato soup), ‘amazing’ black rice with squid ink, cuttlefish and prawns, and crunchy ham croquetas. These classics do the job nicely, but I’d recommend going for the tuna tartare, which comes with a superb mustard dressing. It’s a winning combination that’s worthy of a place on the menu of any top-end London restaurant.

Another nod towards culinary trendiness arrives with desserts such as apple ‘three ways’ (poached, sorbet and crisps) and a deconstructed passion fruit cheesecake – it’s certainly encouranged to leave space in your belly for!

Upstairs is an events space and sherry bar, with a dedicated fine-dining restaurant under the direction of executive chef Marcos Morán (of Michelin-starred Casa Gerardo in Asturias).

Just as Barcelona-supporting Catalans like to see their football team as “more than a club”, Hispania’s garrulous proprietor Javier Fernandez Hidalgo clearly envisages his new venture becoming more than just a restaurant.

He and co-owner Ignacio Lopez Alvarez are keen to stress that their labour of love is becoming a kind of social hub for Spaniards and Hispanophiles in London, hosting conversation classes run by the Instituto Cervantes and even being frequented by several Premier League-based Spanish footballers.

Whether you want a taste of the culture or just a taste of the food, Hispania is the new place to find both.