Black Pig With White Pearls

Gorgeous shabby chic, vintage industrial with some wood; so homely and wonderfully welcoming with the hosts (also the chef) serving you, talking to you about the food, themselves and their experiences; Black Pig with White Pearls was such a great find yesterday that while I don’t like revisiting restaurants, I will be sure to go back to this one another couple of times. The best part was free street parking right outside the restaurant after 7pm. :)
We started the meal with a generous serving of the mixed platter which had jamon, lomo, salchicon and chorizo. The portion came with little dried breadsticks, so we ordered the Pa Amb tomaquet (sourdough rubbed with tomatoes and olive oil). Washed it down with a bottle of the 2008 Navarra. I’ll try the iberico plate the next time around.
The ham croquettes were adequately bechamel-​ised with the right amount of crustiness. The squid ink rice came with fresh squid, and a large portion for the price filled us up. Squid ink besides being a difficult ingredient to handle, is bemusingly flavourful and not fishy at all. The rice was slow cooked, creamy and rich and the squid ink well proportioned. Every effort made to tickle all the taste buds.
The pulpo a la gallega came looking like a glistening piece of gold. The cooked octopus, and cooked just right, came lightly sprinkled with salt, paprika and olive oil. The pulpo goes very well with the Navarra. The pulpo would be my pick at Black Pig.
We finished the meal with a large portion of pork belly alongside a modified (apple) sauce with a sliver of crackling. A bite of the crackling along with the fruit relish will go a long way in embellishing the experience that the tender layers of fat and meat create when they explode in your mouth. Full marks to the pork belly.
Crème catalana for dessert.
Coming back soon.

The Black Pig With White Pearls is a real local gem. The candle lit dining room is cozy and intimate, the perfect setting for a glass of wine and tapas. We had the recommended 3 dishes each and were pleasantly full. All the dishes we ordered were lovely. The special morcilla lollipops were delicious!

Two-​year-​old BP & WP is a funky, little resto offering up Spanish cuisine. Not being too well-​versed in the food of Spain, I couldn’t exactly tell you from which region (s) the food hails. Tapas, side dishes and larger shared plates make up the menu. Vegetarians and Pescatarians will not go hungry here. And, of course, meat eaters will be pleased with the selection. I was angling for the leg of lamb (meant for 2 – 3 persons), but my dining companions were not keen.
The space is narrow, candle-​lit and, on the night we dined, filled with patrons. There are two 2-​tops out front and a short bar accommodating approx. four diners. 2-​tops, four-​tops and, at least, one larger table fill the floor. Behind the bar I spied beer, wine, port, and some spirits.
Our fare was tasty & attractively arranged. We had anchovies (warning: the vinegar hit the back of our throats and made our eyes water), black rice with squid, tortilla with a ramekin of aioli, broad beans with ham and a sauteed spinach side. The last two dishes were garnished with roasted garlic clove.
The service was friendly, informative and, considering how busy the resto was, not terribly slow. My tiny quibble would have been the shape of the wine glasses. They resembled a, sort of, wide-​mouthed, stout cylinder, if that makes sense. It made for a bit of an awkward grip-​n-​sip when one drank.
Raucous music reminiscent of Les Negres Vertes played over the loud speakers and made for a peppy, upbeat dining experience that I much enjoyed.

Stoke Newington has Turkish cafes, great Indian food, sushi, hot salt beef bagels, fish and chips, and a bunch of pubs. Now, thanks to Black Pig with White Pearls it also has Spanish tapas.
I was a regular patron of the restaurant which used to inhabit the space so I was curious to see what the new owners had done with it. The décor is what you could call Spanish hipster; black walls and simple tables are embellished with candelabras and cardboard bull heads wearing pearls. It manages to be spare, striking, and yet homey at the same time. The people who run it are relaxed and friendly so the whole atmosphere is really pleasant.
Yeah yeah, but how was the food? Delicious! We shared five plates and a dessert, all of which were tasty. The padron peppers with sea salt were perfectly done, the lamb dish was tender and flavourful, and the croquetas were light and rich at the same time.
If you’re interested in going, make a reservation! They were able to seat us at the bar, but you might not be so lucky. It’s pricy enough so that I won’t be going very often, but the next time I want to have a slightly more special meal, I’ll be sure to call ahead. I might even wear pearls.