On Bank Holiday Monday, 1st May, Brindisa Shoreditch will be opening their doors to celebrate their new weekend brunch menu of Arroces, authentic, regional rice dishes taken from the heart of Spanish cooking. Despite the new found love of brunch throughout Spain, weekend eating is still firmly focused on rice with Arroces one dish that will always have a place in the hearts, and mouths, of both the young and the old throughout Spain. Founder Monika Linton and Head Chef Josep Carbonell will be bringing the rice culture of Spain to East London for the Summer.
Josep has created five rice dishes that reflect and respect his culinary roots, celebrating recipes that take their inspiration from the coasts Catalonia he visited as a child, to the mountainous Castilla y León. Dishes will include Arroz de Costillas, a traditional recipe from Castilla, the heart of Spain, made with Pork Ribs and ‘morcilla’ Black Pudding; Caldoso de Bogavante, a broth based dish with lobster, taken from the shores of Valencia and the Paella Marinera with Prawns, Cuttlefish and Mussels inspired by Josep’s childhood. The brunch rice dishes will be enjoyed straight from the pan, in true Spanish style, the bigger the group, the bigger the pan. Brindisa has sourced single-estate Bomba rice for each dish, whose perfectly round grains swell up, absorbing the homemade stock and will be served with Pan de Coca, traditional Catalan bread, rubbed with tomato and garlic alongside a crisp green salad.
“Just as I always say tapas are not the only Spanish food, paella is not the only rice dish. Rice dishes are the food of the people and still play a big part in everyone’s life in Spain with families eating communally and straight from the pan,” says Monika Linton, Founder of Brindisa. “Arroces are the perfect sharing dish for a weekend brunch, ideal to gather friends and families together to and to be devoured with good booze and great company, we can’t wait to bring them East London,’ added Josep Carbonell.
Each Sunday, Brindisa will welcome weary wanderers from Columbia Road Flower Market into the restaurant, inviting them to leave their flowers at the restaurant’s door, in return for a glass of cava on the house. Guests can also enjoy the new dishes in the surroundings of Brindisa’s recently re-design courtyard terrace, away from the hustle and bustle of Shoreditch.
Leading the drinks menu, Adrian Castro has curated a cocktail list to pair with Josep’s dishes, such as the Paloma Primavera, made with 8 Blanco Tequila, Blood Orange and Thyme Agave and the Sherry Spritz, combining Manzanilla, Elderflower, Mint and Cava alongside the signature Brindisa Bloody Mary.