If you were to take a casual glance at many Spanish restaurants in the UK, you could be forgiven for thinking that Spanish cuisine meant tapas staples such as prawns in chilli and garlic, meatballs and calamari.

Now, the 5pm Dining blog won’t hear a word against any of them but they are hardly representative of the diverse glories of Spanish cooking.

For a rather more informative taste of Spain, you might want to set a course for Rioja on Argyle Street.

Next week, from Wednesday 19th October until Friday 21st October, the Valencian chef Modesto Fabregat will be rocking the kitchens at Rioja.

Seasonal produce

Known for showcasing seasonal produce, Modesto is bringing his kitchen skills into the Finnieston-based venue for a gastronomic collaboration with Rioja head chef, Luis Urrutiabeaskoa.

Diners can look forward to an eight-course tasting menu with matched wines from specialist wine importer Bruno Murciano (formerly head sommelier of the Ritz London).

The menu promises ‘organic, seasonal, and unexpected combinations’ that draw ‘inspiration from all four corners of Spain, with beautifully presented tapas dishes representative of autumnal Iberian cuisine, cooked with imagination and passion’.

That’s quite some sell but Chef Fabregat has a rather stellar CV which suggests that his Rioja residency will be very memorable.

He established the restaurant Arbequina in Castellon in 2000. Before that, the chef did stints in numerous high end restaurants including Restaurant Taillevent in Paris and Restaurant l’Oustau de Baumanière in Provence.

Both have been blessed with multiple stars from the Michelin inspectors.

Speaking of the popup, Eduardo Fernandez Blanco, general manager of Rioja said:

‘There has been a lot of changes in Finnieston over the last few years. When we first started out as a pop-up, way back at the beginning of 2012, we had the ambition to establish ourselves in the hearts and minds of our customers for authentic, delicious Spanish tapas. This event marks a further evolution of our menu.

Modern Iberian

‘Some of the most famous chefs in the world hail from Spain and our dedicated head chef, Luis Urrutiabeaskoa, has helped cement our reputation as a top quality dining destination, bringing his innovative, modern and classic Iberian cooking style into Rioja.

Speaking of the menu, Eduardo explained:

‘Modesto and Luis have already been in touch crafting to create our eight-course extravaganza over the last month. They have planned to go foraging and will be visiting markets across Scotland to select the best ingredients and produce for our menu. Like our head chef, Luis, Modesto is known for carefully selected ingredients, and we’re looking forward to treating Glasgow to our exciting culinary collaboration.’

The eight-course tasting menu is priced at £59pp.

If you can’t wait that long, you could always book in via 5pm on Monday and enjoy three tapas from the pre-theatre menu plus a glass of wine for £13.