Topa

For a few nights each week, Provisions sheds its daytime persona as a purveyor of artisan goods, cheese, and unusual wines. Led by ex-Leroy chef Simon Shand, it becomes its sultry alter ego, Topa, an intimate wine and small plates spot inspired by the pintxo bars of San Sebastian.

It’s small, seating a fortunate few around a central table while others perch at window-front counters and barrels that flicker by candlelight. Bottles and tins hoard the shelves, dried chillies hang from the ceiling, and the scent of whatever’s cooking wafts through from the back. It may be located on Holloway Road, but Topa channels the character of the Basque Country with uncanny finesse.

Things kick off with a quintessential Basque pairing - gildas and a glass of Txakoli, where the latter’s effervescence is a playful companion to the briny olive, anchovy, and guindilla pepper. What follows is a pintxos parade on rounds of crusty white bread: Ossau Iraty and roasted pickled onions play a simple duet of sharp and sweet, and rich, velvety morcilla blood sausage is awakened by a sharp slice of apple. Accompanied by powerful wafer-thin chorizo, these do well against an intense skin-contact Carricante.

But Topa doesn’t just put things on bread and call it a day. Dishes under the ‘plates’ section bear the hallmarks of Shand’s experience at Leroy and Wild Honey: classically refined but streaked with old-school honesty. A skewer of fennel, chicken, and smoked raw scallop becomes a buttery, spice-infused revelation, and we spot envious eyes as we dip into a fragrant Basque stew with melting hunks of pork cheek and pomme puree.

There’s no stuffiness here. Staff at Topa are more like wine whisperers than servers, guides to lead you on a Camino of small plates, pairings, and pintxos. Their motivation seems to be enduring interest, rather than a desire to sell. That’s not to say Topa is cheap, (pintxos range between £2.50 and £5), but hunting out a filling dinner would defeat the purpose. We’d happily pilgrimage to Topa for an hour every Friday night leaning into the sipping and snacking spirit of San Sebastian.

Topa is a wine and pintxos bar, serving slices of San Sebastian in Holloway Road. Designed by the team behind the much loved Provisions, the Spanish wine and cheese deli, Topa takes over their Holloway Road site during the evening every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Meaning cheers in Basque, Topa is all about a relaxed approach to life, winding down with a glass of wine and a snack at the end of the day while enjoying the sun-soaked produce of the Basque region.

In the spirit of Spanish informality and sociability, Topa’s seating consists of a long, candle-lit communal table running through the shop, where diners rub shoulders with one another and with the deli and wine provisions. There is also outdoor terrace seating for those who want to chance it with a walk-in.

Topa’s kitchen is led by chef Simon Shand, the former head chef of Michelin-starred Leroy in Shoreditch. Chef Shand’s menu is a love letter to the Basque region, built around a mix of Basque plates and pintxos. In terms of bigger plates, there’s a choice of wild mushrooms and raw egg yolk, crushed coco de paimpol beans with tomatoes and garlic, and hake with orzo, saffron and courgettes.

For the uninitiated, pinxtos are sharing bites, slightly smaller and more snack-like than tapas. These range from slow-cooked crab, leek and cognac Txangurro tarts, chorizo cooked in cider, and a cheese platter to celebrate the quality of Provisions’ artisanal produce. To round things off, a sample dessert choice involves a fig, almond and brown butter sponge.

Wine doesn’t play a supporting role here, but rather, is part of the main event. The wine list is curated by Provisions owner Hugo Meyer Esquerre, and includes a number of wines he has collected over the years. There’s also a number of wines available by the carafe.