RESTAURANTS • First Word
The Skinny: Everything that Nieves Barragán Mohacho touches turns to gold, from Barrafina, which grew from a single Spanish tapas bar to a much-loved group during her decade as executive chef, to her debut solo spot, Sabor (a hit since 2018). Legado, which opened last week, takes the best bits from Sabor – like a dedicated oven for suckling pig, and a counter for chef-watching – and supersizes it, adding a highly original cocktail concept and delving outside the usual tapas box.
The Vibe: Sabor, but bigger and better. An unsuspecting entrance under a concrete overpass leads to a huge, lively, colourful room kitted out with thoughtful Spanish touches, like tomato-red tiles and terracotta dishes. On the left is the Taberna, a walk-in-only tapas and pintxo bar with its own menu of gildas, croquetas and an ox tongue burger. Further in, on the right is the long open kitchen and counter, featuring some of the best seats for sussing out what to order. It all opens out into an expansive main dining room with exposed brick walls, comfy banquettes and plenty of options for intimate tables or larger groups. Finally, there’s a mezzanine level for the loos and views (over the main dining room).
The Food: As vast as the room itself, the ambitious menu is far too broad to experience in one go. It’s split into seven sections, and a dish from each is ideal between two. Start with the vikini, a take on Spain’s bikini sandwich – a decadent cheese and ham toastie with lashings of truffle. Next, a dessert-like brioche topped with smoked ricotta and an enormous Cantabrian anchovy. From the lamb section, the lamb neck empanadilla is evocative of a steak and ale pie, with slow-cooked meat and a rich verjus for dipping.
Arroz de cangrejo is a highlight from the rice, pulses and pasta section: crab-laced risotto topped with a generous portion of crunchy, meaty soft-shell crab. From the fish and seafood, three mackerel meatballs come in a bowlful of luxurious jamón dashi broth. Pork and lamb each have their own section, and the main event is the quarter Segovian suckling pig, cooked in a custom oven and sliced with a plate at the table, with perfect crème-brûlée skin and soft, tender flesh. It’s served with a broth made from the pig’s cooking juice, lemon and mint – a stellar dish in its own right. We ate it with chargrilled red pepper draped in lardo.
For dessert, there are too many options to choose from, not least the thin, crispy churros with dulce de leche. Go off-piste for traditional Segovian ponche, a layered cake with marzipan and cream, or arroz con leche, a cold rice pudding with a hidden layer of orange jam and thin slivers of bitter orange.
The Drink: It’s worth visiting Legado for the drinks alone, the main draw being the ‘3-sip serve’ fruit- and veg-based mini-cocktails served in ceramic bowls. Tomato and gin is tangy, light and refreshing. On the main menu, there are 150 wine labels celebrating traditional and emerging regions and styles, as well as sherry. As for cocktails, there’s an excellent Romesco martini with gin, roasted red pepper vermouth, manzanilla and olive brine.
The Verdict: Come for a cheese toastie and a glass of cava or go the whole hog (literally) with a banquet of suckling pig and all the trimmings. Legado feels like several restaurants in one, and I’m already planning my next visit. –Laura Price
→ Legado (Shoreditch) • 1C Montacute Yards • Tue-Sat 12-330p & 530-1030p • Book.