The
driving forces behind Barrafina's success, Chef Nieves Barragan and José Etura
have brought their culinary expertise to Heddon Street in the form of Sabor, an
authentic Spanish restaurant. Expect an open kitchen experience like the tapas
bars of Andalucía, with Nieves’ take on regional dishes from across Spain,
including Basque country and Catalonia. As well as a bar serving traditional
sips, upstairs, there is a focus on the seafood cuisine of Galicia and Castile -
with octopus and suckling pig set to be a speciality.
Sabor (aka
‘flavour’ in Spanish) focuses on encapsulating the flavours of the
culinary duo’s native Spain, taking diners on a journey across the regions. To
facilitate this journey, Sabor will have three distinct areas – a restaurant,
bar, and upstairs asador.
Nieves and José met at
London’s acclaimed Barrafina restaurants, where Nieves began at the group’s
Fino restaurant in 2003 going on to become the executive chef for Barrafina and
Fino, a position she held for ten years. José spent ten years with Barrafina,
eventually becoming the group’s general manager.Both had a very clear vision
for the design of the restaurant and working with designer Michaelis-Boyd, took
their inspiration from traditional Spanish tapas bars.
The design retains some of the
original character of the high ceilinged building, including the worn timber
floors and and existing brick walls, with Spanish design accents focused on the
bar and kitchens. Distinct Andalucían tiles sourced from Southern Spain are
used throughout, covering the downstairs bar and both kitchens.
A sweeping
helical staircase connects the ground floor bar and restaurant to the first
floor asador, where the menu will focus on specialities from the Galicia
and Castile regions of Spain with Pulpo a Feira and Suckling Pig being
mainstays. The Pulpo a Feira will see octopus cooked in the traditional
Galician way; in copper pans with olive oil and paprika, while the suckling pig
will be cooked in the traditional Castilian asador oven.
The menu will also
feature other dishes from the Galician and Castilian regions including Empanada
Gallega and Txistorra, Butifarra and cabbage. There will also be daily changing
dishes, including a daily whole fish on the bone.
Link: Sabor Restaurant