Almost Madrid
A recent business trip took me to Madrid, a city I have always loved visiting for many reasons. One of the exciting things about Spain’s capital (and indeed the country in general) is its food scene, from high-end to the more humble street-side café. The Spaniards love eating, and if they can do it outdoors, then all the better. It is often lamented that London lacks both the weather and, arguably, the mentality to replicate the continental European model. Nonetheless, it is pleasing to see Ibérica La Terraza make a pretty good go of things. I had previously enjoyed visits to other Ibérica outlets, but my trip to their outdoor outpost in Canary Wharf on a recent sunny spring lunchtime made a positive impression on all four of us. Diners are largely secluded from the ugly office blocks and passing bustle of people and traffic, seated outdoors in a leafy corner of Cabot Square. One can sit back, enjoy the peaceful sound of the nearby waterfalls and also the music choice selected by the restaurant. The menu itself is pretty basic, but ticks all the obvious boxes – and pretty successfully. The ‘pan con tomate’ (bread smothered with tomatoes, garlic and oil) was among the best I have outside of Spain and our other dishes (a ham platter, cheese platter and a range of smaller tapas such as tortilla and garlic prawns) generally pleased, even if portion size erred slightly towards the small. Service was a relative weak point, slightly haphazard and an inordinately long wait for the bill, but somehow it didn’t matter that much: pricing is very reasonable (£110 for four, admittedly with no alcohol consumed), and when you can sit outdoors, it always seems worth it to me.