Let’s talk Croquettes…
‘It’s a dinner party every day.’ That’s our motto. We never need an excuse to practice, but great results from our pubs this year have meant we had a good reason, and some extra pennies to take it to Barcelona, with nearly 50 of the best people in the pub industry – all our general managers, head chefs, partners and founders.
So our big question of the day was how do we translate Spanish tapas to English small plate options?…
Catalunya certainly has more than Estrella to offer, it’s the gastronomical centre of Spain. Peach had the perfect idea of bringing a bunch of rowdy managers and head chefs to sample its delights. We set off to experience Spain in all its glory, and were fascinated to discover a group consensus that sharing food was the way to build relationships.
In our time wandering the picturesque streets of Barcelona, we all agreed that sharing a food plate meant sharing an experience.
Our first stop of the day was Divinus, potentially the most ‘jolly nice’ place (Chris Stagg talk for cool), was full of magnums and wine cellars which became obsolete when we spotted the tapas counter. There was some disagreement about whether self-service was the way forward to improve business although there could be no denying the exquisite nature of the food and the fun of picking from each other’s choices.
Trevor went straight into all our good books by taking us next to Tapas 24. We waited for a table but it was worth it, being the least pretentious, most authentic tapas bar any of us have ever been to. This incredible wonder filled us with Gambas, Bravas and McFoie Burger all washed down with a glug of Predicador 2013 Rioja that we chose without any advice. In This restaurant we think we’ve solved the croquettes question. Well actually it’s more extensive than that – should Peach consider small plates? The answer is a resounding… YES!!!!
The next questions is how do we translate the authentic Spanish tapas into delectable small plate quintessentially British food? After all, we always serve the good stuff. How do we break down the idea of small plates across 17 pubs and keep our unique individual pub identity? This is where we to handover to the Food Team for a discussion – how do we fight the ever growing casual dining boom?
Please make it tapas.. we love us some spicy sauce!
By Terri Dell – General Manager
