The Hispanist
Hull, East Yorkshire
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Hull's lovely Victorian Paragon Arcade is home to a scattering of independent shops, bars and restaurants, among them the Hispanist – so unassuming it would be easy to dismiss as just another bar. But don't walk past. The barrel tables outside offer punters a well-chosen, exclusively Spanish wine list and decent cocktail menu, while hungry locals climb the steep, narrow staircase to the simply furnished (almost scruffy) dining room. 'It makes such a big difference having this high-end Spanish tapas restaurant in Hull,' observed one regular. We agree – the line-up of pintxos, 'para picar' snacks and tapas is a delight. The former, served on a slice of bread could be as simple as grated heritage tomato, garlic and virgin olive oil or a salt-cod fritter with lemon allioli, rocket and piquillo pepper, but it’s the tapas that takes the Hispanist to another level. A squid ink-black sub filled with the sweetest white crabmeat is combined with lemon allioli, while a remarkable prawn Kyiv comprises the minced crustaceans and garlic butter rolled in crisp vermicelli (like a prickly Scotch egg) and served with a salsa of mango and chilli. As for veggie ideas, if you never imagined that carrot could be your dish of the day, then you haven’t tasted Nick Hill’s charred baby carrots with curry-spiced butter and soothing labneh on peanut and coriander flatbread. There’s just one dessert – a lovely chocolate and olive-oil tart with sea salt and rosemary ice cream when we visited. Service is charming and helpful.
