Arbina, Taste of Spain in London

Tapas and Pintxos at Arbina

Central London has a myriad of places to eat. In fact, the concentration of good places to eat is staggering.  Arbina arrived quietly about two years ago in Fitzrovia bringing delicious Spanish fare to be good people of London.
Arbina is owned by Javier Lopez de Arbina, an incredibly passionate food and wine lover from Ribera del Duero and family roots in the Basque Country.  The restaurant menu is a reflexion of his heritage.
The list is well put together with highlights of the main Spanish dishes from all over the country but with focus on Basque fare, arroces (rice dishes) and paella.

Other dishes on offer are Spanish stews, ideal for this time of the year in London;  roast suckling pig and lamb made to order – that is a brilliant suggestion for large groups and annual festive gatherings. They have a beautiful downstairs room for private dining and chef’s table events.

The wine
This time the wine of choice was  Inurrieta  Quatrocientos, a red from the Navarra region, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Graciano, Garnacha and Merlot grapes. A dark red color,  elegant to the nose with keys of sweet and fruity aromas. It delivers a refined fragrant wine as a result of its barrel ageing. In the mouth, this wine is vibrant and well balanced, highlighting the excellent quality of its tannins.

The wine list is short and concise, with some good choices for all types of budgets.

Lunch at Arbina

Croquetas de Jamón at Arbina

Deep fried Padrón pepper, as expected delicious and Ham croquettes – one of my favourites Spanish nibbles – this one was crisp outside and creamy inside – appetising!

Gourmet Pintxo at Arbina

Huevos rotos

Huevos rotos – another delicious dish – Broken eggs with fried potatoes and Ibérico ham, a super simple everyday dish that just hit the spot

Mixed mushrooms with grilled honey Alioli – the wood and hearty meat and umami taste of the mushrooms just paired superbly with the sweet honey and light garlic mayo.

Deep fried Monte Enebro

Deep fried Monte Enebro goat cheese with green “mojo”, a sauce made with coriander, parsley,  garlic, green pepper, good quality extra virgin olive oil and seasoning – this dish was so good! I liked all the contrasting flavours of the sweet ‘chutney’, the green sauce with the snow white crumbly goat cheese encased in breadcrumbs

Seafood Paella – I love rice and seafood, and this dish was all about the rice cooked to perfection on a delightful sofrito it has a slightly brown on the bottom of the paella dish – perfect! , and the serving of seafood was quite generous. There was also a pot of Aioli, which is not traditional but I added a dollop to my plate – divine!
The seafood selection was langoustines, squid, mussels and vegetables.

Leche Frita  (fried milk)

Leche Frita  (fried milk)  above

This dessert was very sweet, but I like overly sweet things, so It was absolutely fine by me. Creamy eggless custard fried and dusted with sugar and cinnamon

Churros con chocolate
Fried pastry sprinkled with sugar served with very thick and hot chocolate sauce. A delightful as usual!

Serves lunch, dinner and drinks from Monday to Saturday- recommended.

Arbina
110 Whitfield St, Kings Cross, London W1T 5ED
Menu: arbina.co.uk

Disclosure: I was a guest of Arbina for review purposes. All views are my own.

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