Spanish deli and snack bar Enrique Tomas does mainly one thing, Iberico Jamón, and they do it pretty well. This is where you can get one of he best boccadillos - basically a ham sandwich - in London.
Enrique Tomas is a deli and restaurant or cafe specialising in Spanish Iberico Jamón - basically high-quality ham. The company is kind of big in Barcelona and Madrid and it seems like they are expanding across Spain. And they opened their first shop outside of Spain in Soho, by now they have added a second branch in Covent Garden.
On my first visit, I decided to sit down at the back. The restaurant bit in the back was dominated by red and black. A clean design, but I thought it perhaps comes across as a bit cheap. Maybe this is just my perception after being spoilt by the many beautiful London coffee shops.
Most of the menu is Iberico ham on bread, if you like with cheese. Simple, yet delicious. When eating in, I had a flat bread called "coca" with Iberico de Bellota and melted cheese. The ham tasted great and the dish was a delight - not too big and not too small. I was a bit disappointed that they do not serve tap water when you stay in. Guess it shows that it probably is more a take-away place and deli.
Next time I went there, I simply picked up a sandwich for take-away. By the time, I had visited Barcelona and there I was eating lovely bocadillos all the time. So after that experience, I looked at Enrique Tomas with different eyes and valued the quality even more. And I understood that really, there's no need to toast the bread, add cheese or heat up the ham. The thin slices taste just as delicious, if not better, without cheese and without warming them up.
While the eat-in end at Enrique Tomas might visually not be the most appealing room, the products are unquestionably delicious and better than almost anything you could get on a sandwich in London almost anywhere. As with everything, good quality has a price, but I am happy to pay a bit more if it tastes that good. And because you can choose between different qualities, you do not always have to go for the best and still have a great sandwich. read more