Parrillan Borough Yards

At Parrillan's original site, one of London's best Spanish restaurants, most of the menu comes uncooked, to be grilled by the diner at outdoor tables. Here, however, the DIY grilling is more of an optional sidequest. Another change is the addition of indoor seating, where diners can observe the chefs at work. On our visit, we happily left the cooking to the pros to fully immerse ourselves in the buzz created by the sociable dining vibe of the Parrillan brand.

A flawless negroni started the proceedings, enhanced by an earthy undercurrent of chestnut. The charismatic staff were happy to explain the menu, recommend wine pairings, and answer our many questions, including what manteca is. Manteca, it turns out, is a smokey pate of confit pork belly and liver, and one of the best things we’ve ever had on toast.

Sticking to the rustic theme, we were then introduced to the flambadou (a kind of metal funnel for pouring flaming hot fat). Here, this medieval-looking tool had been used to scorch an enormous Cornish scallop, to simple but delicious ends. When paired with a featherweight Verdejo, the humble mollusc whisked us from Borough to Bilbao in a heartbeat.

Soon, a Viking feast-style veal shank filled our table, surrounded by smouldering rosemary. With juices locked in by its stint in the sous-vide, the meat tumbled onto its bed of olive oil mash at the gentlest of nudges. When doused with bone marrow jus, the dish elicited truly visceral sounds from both sides of the table. An equally over-the-top crema Catalana, served in a pineapple, brought a theatrical finish to the hedonistic feast.

Parrillan’s one weakness, however, affects the pocket, not the palate. Yes, the manteca was a steal at under a tenner. And the veal was so large that £85 felt almost justified. But, as fresh as the scallop was, no amount of flambadou-ing could ever warrant its £17 price tag.

Following the success of Spanish, sociable dining-focused Parrillan Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross, the popular Harts Group restaurant has launched a second site in the swanky new Borough Yards development. Though the two sibling sites share a name they differ in one key way - whereas the Coal Drops Yard concept invites you to become part of the experience via bespoke tabletop grills, at Parrillan Borough Yards most of the menu is cooked to order over a wood-fired grill in the kitchen, although in the warmer months the outdoor terrace offers the opportunity to grill-it-yourself, too.

The restaurant itself is nestled under a lofty railway arch, but despite the industrial brick origins of this space, the inside is trendy and intimate. The slick, stylish interiors mix natural, earthy tones, organic textures and soft lighting, whilst a buzzy open kitchen runs along one side. Diners can settle into banquettes in the corners or soak up the atmosphere at a more central table. 

Diners can start things off with some elevated, albeit familiar, tapas dishes, such as Padron peppers, fresh, grated tomatoes on crunchy bread and Andalucian olives. Perhaps more unusual is the manteca, a rustic, smoked pate of pork rib served with grilled sourdough. For the main event, there is a choice between dishes from the grill or the wood-fired oven - the former include the likes of grilled squid with verdinas beans, milk fed lamb skewers, or fish of the day, whilst the latter includes dishes like a wild mushroom and leek tart, and a showstopping wood-roasted veal shank with olive oil mash. 

Dessert is no afterthought here, with rich, creamy delights to galore to choose from. For a lighter end to the meal, diners can opt for a creamy lemon meringue pie with lemon sorbet, while at the other end of the scale, there's a whole pina Catalana to share - a large pineapple Crema Catalana served in a hollowed-out pineapple. To drink, there's an extensive list of Spanish wines to sample, as well as various vermouths, sherries and cocktails.