UNLESS you are centring your Spanish dining experience on a whole suckling pig from snout to tail or the kind of communal paella that encompasses rabbit chunks, a shoreful of shellfish and a paddy field’s worth of arroz rice it makes sense to stick to tapas and raciones. Lots.
Mindful that in a place with Iberica’s aspirations to upmarket authenticity the bill may mount up. As it did on our first restaurant experience encounter with temptations aplenty from the first glance at the carving hams sited enticingly next to the welcome desk.
All three signature hams feature in a plate called Trío of Ibéricos. At £22 a shot, best to share this showcase of jamons from three separate regions – Cordoba, Extremedura and, king of ‘em all Jabugo in Huelva – which all share the abundance of acorns requisite for creating the taste for this stupendous product. From pure bred free range porkers, cured for years, carved to order with what looks like a small sword, the streaks of sweet fat a melting world away from the flaccid lardy stuff in the packets.
Soon gone, mind. Next time, I said, savour the moment. The same applies to our sparkler, Raventos i Blanc L’hereu Reserva Brut 2011 at £8 a glass, among the most elegant Cavas around from a wine list lovingly assembled by Iberica. Many of the bottles are exclusive to this essentially London-based chain.
That was the case with the two glass of Sers Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, a savoury red from Somontano (£14 but worth it), which accompanied our concluding course of four magnificent Spanish cheeses, none of which came from her native Asturias, much to the chagrin of our attentive server Ana. As at that other posh recent London incomer, Hawksmoor, the level of service is terrific.
There was much to enjoy sandwiched between ham and cheese (sic). Gazpacho(£4 a shot glass) eschewed tomato pulp for a refreshing chilled combo of red berries, beetroot and blitzed anchovies – a sort of superior smoothie. Padron peppers (£6) were uniformly mild (I like the occasional lethal chilli surprise), while the Octopus a la Gallega (Galician style was creamy and comforting but again under-assertive.
The dame couldn;t be said for our fried chorizo lollipops, served with a pear alioli sauce (£5); they are are unusual and really quite wonderful. Our star dish, though, and also visually stunning, was a tranche of twice cooked lamb with marinated cherry tomatoes and red peppers from Bierzo. This I would have liked a s large main.
As it happened, our accompanying wine also hailed from Bierzo in Spain’s north west. Mencia really is becoming a cult red and our example, Bodegas Pittacum Mencia 2008 (£38), from hand-harvested organic indigenous Mencia grapes, seeing, some oak, was a persuasive advocate. Complex and elegant with chocolate and liquorice scents and soft tannic fruit on the palate, we had finished it before the cheese arrival.
Hence the Sers Reserve, which was attractive but still slight;y stern in its infancy. This is a wine list worth working through. Probably by the glass, with a plate of ham at you elbow at the bar. We were upstairs in the restaurant area – ground floor the space is more spectacular, like being abandoned in some wild Pedro Almodovar fantasy set. Be wary, heady Hispanophiles, the bill at Iberica can be equally spectacular. But you are getting rare quality for your dish.
Iberica, 14-15 The Avenue Spinningfields, Manchester M3 3HF. 0161 358 1350. http://www.ibericarestaurants.com
