After the success of Barrafina and the reopening Marco Pierre White’s famed Quo Vadis, brothers Sam and Eddie Hart set their sites on Fino, their original restaurant.

The Venue
After about six years in business, the well established celebrity favourite Fino has recently reopened following a small refurbishment. It’s a basement venue, down a couple of sets of stairs, with a low ceiling and close-set tables. A large red leather banquette crosses one wall and several booths sit near the bar; you can also choose to eat at the bar (through which you can see the kitchen) although the high stools might put off anyone planning to indulge in a selection of Fino’s wine and sherry. To its credit, though, the restaurant tries to keep things bright and cheery, with bright modern art on the walls, including a long rainbow print and blotchy, abstract pieces, and light coloured woods used in the floors and furniture. Thanks to a mezzanine, the large bar area, and a few more sets of stairs within the restaurant, if you concentrate hard enough on your tapas you can almost forget you’re in a basement.

The Atmosphere
The clientele seem to be well off thirtysomethings, Soho locals and loyal Fino fans, dining in pairs or in small groups. Thanks to the closely packed tables, though, the noise level is a bit high. Staff are polite, knowledgeable and unobtrusive, but always within eyesight should you need anything.

The Food
Fino has developed a good reputation for its tapas dishes, and the daily changing menu, complete with several daily specials, looks impressive. It’s divided up into sections for meats, seafood, vegetables, potatoes and more. There’s a wide variety of prices on the menu, and although some of them look eye-wateringly expensive for tapas dishes (quite a few of them are over £10), once they arrive, they’re equal to the size of a main course. That said, though, as many times it’s just the one item on the plate, you might want to order a side dish to get some vegetables in your meal.

From the seafood portion of the menu, tuna tartar with guacamole (£9.50) is served as a large pile of small cubes of tuna, coated in sesame seeds, which give the fish a smoky flavour. A pale green scoop of guacamole sits on the other side of the plate, a nice colour contrast to the deep red of the tuna; it too is slightly smoky, with a smooth, light consistency. Clams, sherry and ham (£8.70) is nice, with a light briny taste, but not really remarkable – it’s a lot of work getting all those tiny clams out of their shell. Black rice with squid (£8.90) arrives in a small copper pot. Despite its small size, it’s very filling, and slightly wet, inky black rice and tender, salty squid are a good combination.

From the selection of meats, a cold meat platter (£12.50) comes attractively served on a wooden board with a small square dish of olives, gherkins and pickled onions. There are three types of savoury, robustly flavoured meats, sliced so thinly that they seem to dissolve in your mouth. Pork belly (£14.50) is also really nicely flavoured – you can really taste the slightly peppery seasoning that they’ve used on the meat. There’s a slight layer of fat and a thin, crisp layer of crackling. Milk fed lamb fillet (£14.80) is a large portion – equivalent to the size of a steak you’d get in a gastro pub – and good quality, well cooked meat, although depending on your preference you might find it slightly too fatty. Foie gras with chilli jam (£15.50) is plump but light and works surprisingly well with the slightly spicy, bright orange chilli jam. Arrocina beans with black pudding and chorizo (£7.80), served in a little iron pot, is a colourful mix of beans, diced carrots, greens and deep red slices of chorizo. The mixture is very aromatic, the black pudding very soft and the pieces of chorizo almost melt in your mouth.

A classic tortilla (£5.50) looks like a squat little sponge cake and tastes light and savoury, thanks to a generous amount of onions in the mixture, but it’s slightly dry. A side order of mushrooms are great – with a good texture and an earthy flavour, covered in a sharp lemony sauce. Desserts, which include flan and Crema Catalana, are slightly less adventurous than the tapas dishes; the Santiago tart (£6.50), made with crushed almonds, is moist and sugary, but a bit bland. Other desserts include a rhubarb crumble, served in a cocktail glass so you can see the bright pink rhubarb layered amongst the other ingredients, including a small layer of cream and a few crunchy pieces of crumble topping. The rhubarb itself is lightly tart with a slightly firm texture. A shot of chocolate (£3.50) is literally just that, white and dark chocolate layered in a shot glass and drunk through a straw. It’s ideal dessert if you’ve stretched yourself but still want something sweet at the end of the meal, but if you want something more substantial, go for a fondant instead.

The Drink
The drinks list boasts a vast array of well priced Spanish wines, starting at about £16 a bottle and £3.50 per glass. There’s an impressive choice of sherry as well, from £14 per half bottle and £35 per bottle. Sweet wines, cava and Champagne are also on offer. A glass of Sanfir Crianza (£6.50) is heavy but well rounded, good with red meat, whilst a glass of Pazo de Senorans (£6.70) is sweet, clear and floral, complementary to the delicate flavours of the seafood.

The Last Word
Don’t be put off by the price – instead of ordering a lot of cheaper options, order one or two of the slightly more expensive dishes. The portions are quite big and you’ll get more value for money. For a dinnertime treat or the chance to spot a celebrity, it’s clear that Fino still measures up.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (7)