Wallace Collection cafe celebrates Spanish Masterpieces with tapas

The Wallace Collection, a national museum in a historic town house at Manchester Square, Central London, has collaborated with County Durham’s Bowes Museum to present the El Greco to Goya – Spanish Masterpieces exhibition.

To enhance the Spanish flavour, its catering partner Peyton and Byrne has commissioned Chef Ben Tish (pictured) to create a tapas menu at The Wallace Restaurant specifically for the event.

Tish was most recently Chef Director and Partner for the Salt Yard Group – a group of five modern Spanish / Italian restaurants in Central London serving award-winning food.

On Friday and Saturday evenings up until November 25, the museum’s cafe will transform into a tapas bar, with a selection of tasty dishes to try.

Delicacies include crispy squid with green chilli and aioli, padron peppers with sea salt and romesco, warm octopus with smoked paprika and capers and roasted chorizo and piquillo skewers with marjoram and shallot dressing.

The exhibition, which will run until late November, has also inspired a Spanish-themed wine dinner on Friday 3 November.

Hosted by Ben Tish, it will incorporate a three-course menu paired with wines chosen by Phil Barnet, Peyton and Byrne’s wine expert from Les Caves de Pyrene.

Oliver Peyton, of Peyton and Byrne, said, “There has been an incredible amount of interest in the El Greco to Goya exhibition, and we felt this was the perfect opportunity to showcase some of the incredible food our talented chefs are creating.”

Ben Tish, who is currently working on his newest venture opening 2018, has come up with an innovative yet authentic menu to bring a taste of the Spanish sunshine to the cold, dark, winter weekends which we believe complements the exhibition perfectly.

Peyton and Byrne has several restaurants across London and is renowned for putting as strong an emphasis on the architecture and atmosphere of its venues as it does on its award-winning dishes.