Mas Q Menos, Spanish tapas in London
Recently, I’ve had lunch with one of my best friends at MasQMenos in Holborn. I should’ve started with my addiction to Spanish food and tapas in particular. Whenever I go to a restaurant, I crave every dish in the menu. Obviously, I haven’t been born at the royal court, so I have to settle for just a few of the dishes. With tapas you can go crazy and order everything in the book, because that’s the idea: to indulge in as many aromas and cultures as possible. MasQMenos brings Spanish gastronomy to more than 30 restaurants across Europe and 3 in the UK, combining traditional flavours with the comfort and speed required today. 
In a really cosy and friendly setting, the restaurant in Holborn was buzzing at lunch time. All seats were taken and the unfortunates who got late, were ordering food to go. This is what I love about Latino culture, their unique way of making everything fun and familiar, food included. The name means “more than less”, talking about quality and value, and so expect well made everything.
This family-run restaurant is all about quality and authenticity of ingredients, priding themselves in leading the field in providing first class regional produce. We were served by Isabel, and we can’t recommend her enough. She knew every dish in the menu and she was extremely passionate of the culture of the Spanish food, taking us through the most exciting local ingredients. We’ve let her surprise us with six dishes, and we couldn’t have asked for more. They were all different, unique and delicious.
Galician Style Octopus
Spanish Meatballs
Patatas Bravas
We’ve started with a selection of tapas. The Galician style octopus was fabulously cooked, as we could still feel the sea in our mouth, taking us back to a warm sunny beach with no care in the world. The Spanish meatballs were surprisingly light, flavorful and delicious, while the velvety tomato sauce paired them to perfection. The famous patatas bravas were really crisp, complimenting the dishes as they supposed to. We continued our lunch with an asparagus, seasonal tomatoes and jamón bellota salad and the famous cocas with bresaola, rocket, seasonal tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and vinaigrette. Famed for its flagship product of jamón ibérico de bellota, an icon of Spanish gastronomy, this is the show stopper at Mas Q Menos. The acorn-fed, superior Iberian jamón is a real must for gourmands. It is accompanied by the classic bread dressed with tomato, or a coca flatbread made especially for Mas Q Menos using olive oil. We were really impressed with the freshness of the salad and the high quality of the ham. I am a Bresaola fan, and I must say, this was one of the best I’ve had, and trust me, I try it every time I have the opportunity. Make sure to order some, it is a must for every foodie. At the end, we’ve had the famous Manchego cheese, which we absolutely adored. It was my first and I will remember it forever.
Asparagus, seasonal tomatoes and jamón bellota salad
Cocas with bresaola, rocket, seasonal tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and vinaigrette 
Cured Manchego cheese
The prices are reasonable for the area and the portions are more than enough. The concept of using fresh ingredients, while keeping the dishes simple and focusing on the key elements is brilliant, this is why I love Spanish cuisine. Mas Q Menos offers a wide range of specially-made, quality Spanish foods and tapas; platters of cold cut Iberian jamón, cheeses from a variety of regions, cold smoked fish, generous salads, artisanal breads and fresh, healthy Mediterranean products all accompanied by carefully selected Spanish wines, excellent cocktails, draught beers, juices, smoothies and hot drinks. All products made available to clients are of the highest quality and can be enjoyed at any time of day: flavoursome pastries, delicious cakes, juices and cappuccinos for breakfast or as a snack, tinned delicacies and aperitifs before lunch or dinner, a good gin & tonic, cocktails. With two restaurants in London, one in Holborn and the other one in Soho, I am sure your taste for Spanish tapas will be satisfied.
