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Note: It has been announced that Fino will cease trading on June 11, 2015.
The Time Out Eating and Drinking Editors
Fino led a new wave of quality-focused modern Spanish restaurants in the capital and remains at the top of its game, even if London’s scenesters have moved on to trendier tapas-grazing grounds such as sister restaurant Barrafina. The basement room is a bit business-like, but none the worse for it. Brothers Sam and Eddie Hart, who run both establishments, have a love of Spanish food that comes across clearly in the ingredients and the care taken in putting them together.
Classic dishes, such as croquetas, jamón and fish cooked on the plancha grill, form the backbone of the short, seasonal menu. A simple tortilla, cooked to soft-hearted squidginess, was potato perfection, while crunchy, deep-fried baby artichokes tasted just as they do in Spain. Battered pollock, served hot and crisp, with a gutsy saffron allioli sauce, and deeply flavoured home-style chickpeas cooked with spinach and smoked pancetta, couldn’t be faulted. Professional service is part of the well-oiled package.
The all-Spanish wine list zones in on the country’s top producers and regions (Ribera del Duero and Rioja are strong points) and there are 25 sherries by the glass. A class act.