Applebee brothers to launch Southbank tapas restaurant

Situated on the Queen’s Walk at the front of the Royal Festival Hall, La Gamba will largely showcase recipes and cooking techniques from the north-western Galician region of Spain.

The Applebee brothers have run a number of pop ups in partnership with the Southbank Centre in the past, but La Gamba will be the trio's first permanent concept to launch there.

The menu will feature a selection of contemporary Spanish dishes with a focus on seafood. 

Dishes will include St Austell Mussels cooked in an albariño and chorizo sauce; Cornish crab and fennel tostada; Iberico pork cheek empanadas; and Galician picanha steak with truffle and San Simón cheese.

Desserts will showcase the classic burnt Basque cheesecake; as well as Torrijas, a Spanish twist on French toast.

Drinks, meanwhile, will include an in-house vermouth concocted by La Gamba’s team of mixologists, alongside a variety of sherry, sangria, and Spanish gins. A selection of cocktails and Spanish wines will also be available.

The interiors have been created by Basque architect Cristina Lanz Azcarate from Atelier EURA, and will feature natural undertones of terracotta, stone and oak.