Chow down, Spanish Style

13 June 2011

Food for the Spanish is a way of life, a glorious ritual around which everything else naturally revolves. Eating and the sharing of a meal is a loud and generous affair, filled with family and friends, sharing platters of unique regional dishes, influenced by the flavours brought by the Moorish and Arab settlers.

The sharing of food has very much shaped the Spanish menu. Tapas comes from the word ‘cover, and harks back to an old Spanish custom of placing a piece of bread on the top of drinks to keep away flies and dirt. The definition has considerably evolved since such humble beginnings and now refers to hundreds of snacks or canapés that are eaten at the bar, with a glass of cerviche or vinos.

From gazpacho to jamon, paella to pimentos pardon, the nation’s most beloved dishes have found favour all over the globe. Here’s some of our favourite Spanish restaurants, and providores around Australia to whet your Spanish appetite and sink your teeth into:

MELBOURNE

Movida, voted Australia’s best tapas by Gourmet Traveller, has 3 incarnations:

  • Movida Bar de Tapas – 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne
  • Movida Next Door – 164 Finders St, Melbourne
  • Movida Aqui & Terraza – 500 Bourke St, Melbourne

Bar Lourinha – 37 Little Collins St, Melbourne
Añada – Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Naked For Satan – 285 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

Shop

  • Casa Iberica – 25 Johnston Street, Fitzroy

Read

  • Movida by Frank Camorra – chef and owner of Movida restaurants in Melbourne
  • 1080 Recipes by Simone & Inez Ortega – the bible of authentic Spanish cookery.
  • Ham by Hugo Kliczkowski – A delicious guide to Spain’s gastronomic delight.
SYDNEY

Bodega Tapas Bar – 216 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills NSW 2010 (Best tapas Sydney Food Awards 2009)
Porteño – Cleveland St, Surry Hills

Shop

  • Nomad –8/52 Sydenham Rd, Brookvale NSW
  • Mojo Picón stall at the Victoria Avenue markets in Chatswood every Thursday
  • Delicado Foods – 134 Blues Point Rd, McMahons Point, NSW, 2060 – Spanish providore, wine bar & restaurant
PERTH

The Pony Club – 620 Beaufort St, Mount Lawley
Pata Negra – 26 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands
Duende – 662 Newcastle St, Leederville
Fuche – 418 Murray St, Perth

Shop

  • Spanish Flavours Shop – 17/350 Cambridge Street Wembley