Style: Spanish
Location: Gangnam, Seoul
Price: approx. w140,000 for two incl. wine 
Hours: 11:30-2:30 and 5:30-11:oo everyday 
Contact: 02 515 1118

Spain Club Seoul, opened just four weeks ago in Gangnam,  is a Japanese franchise that employs a Japanese and Korean staff. The kitchen is being overlooked by a Spanish chef for the first three months to train the cooks in the ways of Spanish cuisine. The menu at Spain Club is massive with tapas and entrees from across the region. The wine list is also a hefty tome, that feels in the hand like a small phone book. Much of the menu is built on expensive imports and the prices reflect it. The decor is also mostly imported, from the dishes to the tiles on the wall, and the result is a wonderful feeling of  other-worldliness that transports you from the streets of Seoul to place that feels something like Spain.  That or just a really posh restaurant.

The Boquerones  en Vinagre (w10 000) anchovies marinated in vinegar, is a beautiful balance of oily meat and tangy acidity and pairs well with the well balanced Tempranillo, Los Condes Tinto (w36000) one of the least expensive wines. At these prices you would expect the bread to be free but I am sad to say that just two pieces of their crispy warm baguette is another w1000.  In a country known for its abundant free side-dishes I wonder how this will play with the locals.

The Jamon Iberico, made from the Black Iberian pig, and one of the most sought-after bits of cured mead in the world, is imported directly from Spain and is w28000 for 70 grams (bread not included). Spain Club is not the place for a thrifty diner.  The Chorizo y Salchichon de Iberico (w15000), hard cured sausages similar to salami, a somewhat more affordable alternative, is rich and intense, the Chorizo having an earthy paprika kick and will certainly fit the bill if you don’t want to splurge on the Jambon Imberico, although I have had it and in my estimation, if you can afford it, it’s worth it.

The ubiquitous Paella is not surprisingly the most popular dish and is only w5000 with a coffee during the lunch service. The paella is creamy and loaded with flavour and they aren’t stingy with the fish. I recommend a Tinta del Pais to accompany, the Protos being another of less expensive wines on the menu.

Spain Club may be expensive but it is not a ripe-off by any means. With import tariffs as high as %80 on wine and the fact that things like olives and cheese are regularly ceased by customs for no good reason, a restaurant like Spain Club is forced to charge what they do to cover the costs. Where I normally would be outraged at prices like these in any other country, Korea is an exception. It’s not the owners gauging unwitting customers that makes the food so pricey, it’s the government attempting to protect the local economy from foreign competition. To what end, is any one’s guess.

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