Spring is coming. Honest, I promise. Despite the weather of the last few weeks, pummelling us with cold, wind and rain, the crocuses and snowdrops I’ve spotted on the grass around work give me hope.
Because with Spring comes new produce, a new season, which means new menus. Slowly we lose the winter stodge, and through comes freshness, brighter colours, and lighter dishes.
And it might just be me, but I feel like I need it. I need sunshine and vegetables and a temperature just a little above freezing.
Iberica in Spinningfields must be planning ahead too, because Executive chef Nacho Manzano was on hand to launch their new spring menu which launches in March. One of Spain’s most renowned chefs, Nacho is not only behind the menu at Iberica, but also has a two Michelin-starred restaurant, Casa Marcial, and a tapas bar, Gloria, in Northern Spain, his home.
And yes, I was one lucky bunny to be able to go along, not only meet the man himself, but the fabulous staff on hand to take us through elements of the new menu, and some delicious wines to pair with them.
We began, as you’d expect, with classics.
Anyone who has read my waffle before knows I love tomato bread, and to whet our appetites, this was served alongside some Iberico ham, with a glass of young sherry to sip. Just enough of everything to wake our palates, though enough of the Tio Pepe En Rama to take us through the first set of courses.
Our second set of dishes are what Nacho refers to as ‘salads’ – but they’re as far removed as the standard cucumber/lettuce/tomato affair you’d associate with the word. Instead, the first is a brightly contrasting dish of fresh tomatoes, served with dried tomato, tart caper berries, creamy avocado, and seaweed, with a tomato water and basil oil emulsion.
The second salad, perhaps my favourite as I have a fondness for pickled things, features crisp vegetables – carrots, cucumber and tomatoes gently pickled, the acidity softened with diced mango. It screams freshness.
This menu is all about the veg.
Our next two dishes really did celebrate individual vegetables. Leeks, roasted til tender were dressed with a horseradish and almond emulsion, toasted almonds and a leek oil made using the intensely green tops of the vegetables.
And no, that’s not a steak, that’s a slice of aubergine, griddled til soft, served with ceps, walnuts and walnuts, and glazed with a vegetable stock made from 11 vegetables, that’s cooked for 8 hours.
Even the next dish, a signature dish from Casa Marcial, showcases the vegetables in it. Enoki mushrooms are sauteed before being served with cuttlefish and squid ink.
Contrast this with ‘the best’ meatballs, served with a cheese sauce and topped with a padron pepper – something rich and homely with something light and clean.
I loved both in very different ways. The former I’d have happily enjoyed as part of a tasting menu, the latter begged for a chunk of bread to mop the bowl of that lipsmacking sauce.
We weren’t quite done yet.
There was another showstopped from one of Nacho’s other venues. The cabraroca.
A whole cabra redfish (cousin of a scorpion fish) battered and deep fried. This was to share, and you dive in fingers first. Even the tail and fins are edible. Crisp and crunchy, the white flesh has a slightly meaty texture. As someone who loves eating with their fingers, this is my kind of food, finger bowls and all.
Finally, to pudding.
Served with a richer sherry – a 30 year old Olorosso – came textures of chocolate. Oh yes, chocolate lovers, this one’s for you.
Buttery rich chocolate ganache, bitter chocolate sponge, ice cream, chocolate meringue, served with peanut and apricot sauce. Sadly the ice cream had started to melt a little, but whilst it wasn’t pretty, it was delicious – that bitter chocolate sponge was a personal favourite.
Overall, the new menu really does make use of the best of the season’s produce, and blends well with elements of the menu that aren’t going anywhere – like the carbraroca.
I can’t wait to book in – a proper visit is overdue.
