Olive, anchovy, pickled chilli: an iconic trio. Those are the essential ingredients of a gilda, perhaps the most classic of the bite-sized pintxos served on the streets of San Sebastián. But, you’re almost as likely to run into them in Finsbury Park, Dalston and Covent Garden this summer. Tollington’s, Bar Vallette and Oriole are just some of the London restaurants serving this Basque classic. But a handful of other chefs across the city are concocting increasingly playful iterations, subverting tradition with mackerel, potatoes and blue cheese.
Josh Dallaway, co-founder of Tasca, is one of them. “The gilda is such a lovely way to wake up your mouth, especially if you’re having it with an ice-cold beer or a glass of vermouth,” he tells Broadsheet. “It has everything you want: a bit of spice from the chilli and a little bit of creaminess from the olive, with a really nice bright brininess."
There’s also a surprising economic argument. “You don’t make a huge amount of money on them because all of the produce has to be really high-quality. But because they are such a good vehicle for waking the palate, it encourages people to spend a bit more on other dishes.” Plus, Dallaway adds, “They’re just delicious.”
Here are four London restaurants putting their own stamp on the gilda this summer – plus an elegant take on tradition.
Town, Covent Garden
Stevie Parle (ex-Ballymaloe and River Cafe) knows a thing or two about excellent produce. “We spent a lot of time talking about what makes a gilda a gilda,” he tells Broadsheet. “One bite: tangy, punchy, umami, heat.” At Town – Parle’s smart, space-age-style brasserie on Drury Lane – his take on the pintxo swaps out anchovy and olive for a sliver of salted, pickled day-boat mackerel and cucumber-wrapped shiso leaf paired with traditional guindilla chilli. The shiso is the star, according to Parle. “It’s such a delicate flavour that still manages to hold its own against flavour bombs of salted fish and pickles.”
26-29 Drury Lane, WC2B 5RL
town.restaurant
@town.restaurant
Rita’s, Soho
Gabriel Pryce, Missy Flynn and their tiny restaurant in Soho have been setting trends since opening in 2021. Inspired by Tayer & Elementary’s one-sip Martini, their two-to-three-sip mini Martini has spawned copycats across the capital – not least because it arrives topped with a gilda, which the duo defines as “built different”. Featuring a rich blue cheese-stuffed Gordal olive, chunky Cantabrian anchovy and a sliver of seeds-in raw jalapeño doused in house-made chilli oil, it’s not for the faint hearted. How to eat it? “All in one is the only way,” according to the pair.
49 Lexington Street, W1F 9AP
ritasdining.com
@ritasdining
Quality Wines, Clerkenwell
Since opening in 2018, this wine bar from the team behind the 155-year-old institution The Quality Chop House has become a landmark destination in its own right and is known for championing contemporary, low-intervention producers. Head chef Nick Bramham says his menu wouldn’t be complete without a gilda. “My goal with Quality Wines was to design the dream Mediterranean wine bar menu” he tells Broadsheet. “Having enjoyed gildas in bars in several Spanish cities it just seemed like a no brainer.” Although a more traditional rendition, the produce here is key: a big silken Cantabrian anchovy fillet, juicy Gordal olive and two slivers of pickled guindilla chilli drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. For Bramham, proportions are everything. “Ours have less chilli than most. I find that a lot of gildas, especially in Spain, get the balance wrong. And balance is so incredibly important here. There’s a trend for making them with two olives, one tiny anchovy, and upwards of three chillies, all on the same skewer. While visually impressive, that balance is definitely off.”
88 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3EA
qualitywinesfarringdon.com
qualitywinesfarringdon
Sune, London Fields
The brainchild of Charlie Sims and Honey Spencer, a power couple with a serious combined CV (think Noma, Akoko, Evelyn’s Table, The Mulwray), this Broadway Market restaurant is the perfect balance of creative European cooking, sublime wine and serene vibes. Dreamt up by former head chef Michael Robins, Sune’s crispy gilda potato cake bite, stacked with olives, anchovies and guindilla chillies, is perhaps the most tenuous take on the Basque bite in town – but it is certainly one of the most delicious. It’s designed to pair with dry sherry and tonic. “The addition of crispy fried potato and aioli adds to the fatty element of the pintxos and really acts as a delicious vessel to carry the flavours and textures,” says Sims. “The briny pickled olives and guindillas cut through the oiliness of the fried potato perfectly, and the intense heat of the chilis and saltiness of the anchovies is also mellowed slightly by the aioli.”
129A Pritchard's Road, London E2 9AP
sune.restaurant
@restosune
Tasca, Bethnal Green
Based within Câv – a listening bar from the team behind Half Cut Market and Dram – Tasca is a year-long residency by chef Josh Dallaway and sommelier Sinéad Murdoch. They use it as a vehicle to get creative with seasonal produce and to showcase lesser-known wines. Here, you’ll find a rotation of different gildas. According to Dallaway, the jamon beurre is the fan favourite. Based on the classic French sandwich, it features wisps of bayonne ham, smoky espelette pepper-spiked-butter, pickled cucumber, a giant caperberry and pickled guindilla chilli. Meanwhile, the classic Gordal olive and pickled guindilla combination is made vegetarian friendly with charred confit artichoke marinated in lemon zest, bay leaves, white wine and olive oil. Keep an eye out for a red mullet iteration, arriving on the menu soon.
