Cambio de Tercio: experiencing Spain in London

        Raw oysters, Lobster gazpacho, White asparagus with fried egg and Iberico ham, Hake with Catalonian baby squid, Grilled duck breast with foie gras, and desserts.

2 weeks ago, I went to London with a friend for a week-long vacation. The night before my flight, Dan sent me a restaurant recommendation that spiked my interest: Cambio de Tercio, a Spanish restaurant in London that happens to be Rafael Nadal's favorite. As a trusting fan, I immediately booked it as my first dinner on this trip.

Now, a note about getting a reservation. I called on a Monday afternoon and got a reservation pretty easily for the same night at 8pm. However, I also emailed the restaurant before I left New York but didn't hear back until 1 hour before my requested reservation time. So it looks like calling is the best way. Either way, make sure you get a reservation, because without one, you might be turned away at the door (I saw it happen).

We had the 7-course tasting dinner priced at £37 which was a great deal. The first course was the highlight for me: raw oysters with red shallots vinaigrette, covered with pink grapefruit foam. It was sooooo refreshing, a mouthful of delicious oysters with great citrus flavor. I felt like I could just keep on eating it! After that, we were served a lobster gazpacho with cherry ice cream which was my friend's favorite dish of the night. Our dinner continued with 3 more well-cooked dishes and 2 desserts, all had interesting flavor combinations and nice textures.

This turned out to be one of the best meals I've had in London. As we ate, the table next to us (they looked like regulars) had a roasted suckling pig that made us drool big time... and we swore right there and then that we'd be back for more next time.