NOBU MATSUHISA’S REVIEW OF OUR MAYFAIR MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT
Internationally famous chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa recently praised El Pirata, telling The Glossary style magazine: “When I want a taste of Spain, El Pirata is my top choice”.
A Passion for Fresh Mediterranean Ingredients
Nobu – as he is better known – is founder of a global chain of 50 restaurants and 27 hotels, so you can imagine how pleased we were.
AUTHENTIC SPANISH MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE NEAR THE JAPANESE EMBASSY
We weren’t that surprised, though, because our tapas restaurant is very popular with Japanese people, and we often have guests from the Japanese Embassy just around the corner on Piccadilly.
Sharing Plates: The Heart of the Mediterranean Diet
Tapas – small plates of food – is a style of cooking popular all over the world, and the Japanese have their own version, Izakaya. An Izakaya is an informal bar serving alcoholic drinks and snacks and unlike in other Japanese styles of eating, plates of food are shared by everyone at the table. And the food is ordered slowly over several courses – just like tapas.
HOW MEDITERRANEAN TAPAS MIRRORS JAPANESE IZAKAYA CULTURE
Izakaya bars encourage social interaction and a casual dining atmosphere that suits group dining among friends or co-workers after work. Japanese people also have a curiosity and appreciation for high-quality foreign food, especially when it’s thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented.
Why the Izakaya Style Perfectly Matches Mediterranean Dining
So, don’t be surprised if next time you visit El Pirata you find a group of Japanese people happily working their way through our tapas menu. For many of them, it’s a home from home.
