Quique Dacosta to launch first international restaurant in London

Valencian chef Quique Dacosta is set to open his first restaurant outside of Spain in London’s Fitzrovia this June with a focus on rice-based dishes.

Quique Dacosta will open Arros QD on Fitzrovia’s Eastcastle Street with the collaborative project celebrating Dacosta’s unique style of cooking and his focus on rice dishes, alongside his dedication to premium, local and seasonal ingredients.

One of the most recognised experts in the field, Dacosta’s book and treaty on rice entitled Arroces Contemporáneos was published in 2005, and rice will be the focus at the chef’s London restaurant.

The menu is set to include dishes such as Paella Valenciana, a traditional take on the dish that includes rabbit chop, chicken and butter beans cooked over a wood fire using a variety of timbers to complement each dish alongside more contemporary rice dishes which will include “chapas” such as smoked Welsh duck breast, morel, black trompettes and porcini aioli, with each dish designed to be shared.

Starters and a choice of meat, vegetable and fish main dishes will also be available with larger pieces cooked over charcoal.

Arros QD’s wine list will pay homage to the organic producers located on the Mediterranean coast alongside premium wines from the traditional regions around the globe.

Continuing the Mediterranean theme, a cocktail menu available in the restaurant’s bar and lounge will offer modern twists on the classic cocktails from the Mediterranean coastline’s key cities.

Paired with unique spirits, a further selection will focus on seasonal and locally sourced botanicals and fruits.

Designed by renowned Barcelonian studio, Lázaro Rosa-Violán, the restaurant will be set across two floors totalling 9,000 square foot and holding 140 covers, with four separate areas including a lounge with bar seating, a chef’s paella counter, a chef’s table and an open kitchen offering guests views of an eight-metre flame grill where the rice dishes will be cooked.

Building a reputation for himself over the past thirty years, Quique Dacosta’s restaurant in Denia has held three Michelin stars since 2013, a position on the World’s 100 Best Restaurants List and has twice been awarded Best European Restaurant by Opinionated About Dining.

Dacosta’s portfolio also includes El Poblet, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Valencia city, MercatBar, Vuelve Carolina, and most recently Llisa Negra.

Dacosta said: “I am excited to bring part of our tradition and gastronomy to one of the most important capitals of the world. Paella is one of the best-known dishes around yet also one of the most mistreated. With this project I am materialising a passion I have been nurturing for decades: to reinstate the rice culture from the eastern coast of Spain to its rightful home.”

Arros QD opens on 7 June.