According to BigHospitality's sister publication MCA, Dacosta hopes to launch the first of a group of restaurants under the name InPaella in the capital by the end of this year/at the start of 2018, before looking to expand the concept to further major cities around the world.
The new venture is backed by former Carluccio’s chairman and current Iberica director Stephen Gee; Iberica founder Marcos Fernandez and the restaurant chain’s finance director Sarah Winter.
It is thought that Fernandez will help oversee the project. It is understood that the new venture is looking to initially raise £4m to aid the opening of six restaurants under the new concept over the next five years.
The new restaurant will feature 25 metres of stoves where people can sample traditional Spanish paella.
The project is supported by Paul Weldon Browne, who has worked with Zuma, Roka, La Petite Maison and The Arts Club, and is also a shareholder in the project.
Dacosta’s eponymous restaurant in Spain cames 49th in the latest World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Dacosta started at El Poblet – a family-run seafood restaurant in Denia, near Alicante – when he was just 17, working his way up to head chef, before taking over the business entirely.