Barcelona-born Sergio Hidalgo, who goes under the alias of Sixeart, is a name that is already on the lips of London’s street art scene, with his work having made it on the external wall of the Tate Modern for their Street Art exhibition back in 2008. His series of repeated figures and animals combine a child-like innocence with psychedelic colours and a hallucinogenic style, which makes us go slightly trippy. Hidalgo himself describes his unique work as ‘sinister tragicomedy with notes of psychopathy and touches of acid.’ Sounds like our kind of guy.

BELIN

Belin, who hails from Southern Spain, uses a mix of realism, caricature and surrealism to bring texture and life to his creations. Think flawless photo-realistic  human faces- tacked onto robot arms, or elasticated into deformity. Belin’s character graffiti reflects his desire to deliver social and visual impact. This is apparent in his careful weaving of perspective, colour and personality of his graffiti – which delivers explosively good results.

http://www.belin.es/

For a relatively tame start, (or a great end), cafeterias in Madrid are bars which usually have the possibility of ordering sandwiches, tapas and ‘raciones’ (larger dishes.) Open until midnight, their busiest time is mid-morning, serving coffee with churros- perfect for banishing any hangover. Pubs, bars and terrazas (open air bars) are also popular- try out the Paseo de Castellana and Parque del Oeste areas for the best in outdoor bar entertainment. Disco-pubs are also open until 6 or 7 in the morning.

You also cannot go to Madrid and not go to a tablaos, or flamenco bar to those with less of a Spanish tongue. Corral de La Moreria, located on the Calle de Moreria, tops the charts for some of the best gastronomy and flamenco dancing in the capital, with a Michelin starred restaurant serving both carte and tapas menu. It has also been recommended in 1000 places to see before you die- no mean feat, as I’m sure you’ll agree.

For dancing until the small hours- and often beyond- try out some of Madrid’s discoteques. Kapital on Calle Atocha, which has seven floors and three different musical environments, often proves popular. Palacio Gaviria on Arenal Street, also combines nineteenth century architecture and fresco painting with music and cabaret. After-hours discoteques which open around 6am and go on until midday are also available for the hard-core clubber- try Joy Eslava, and Empire on the Paseo de Recoletos.

For somewhere to rest your weary head, try the Hotel Silken Puerta America Madrid- a five star luxury hotel that brings together nineteen of the top architecture and design studios in the world from thirteen different countries. Each floor showcases a different design concept to create a daring mesh of cultures- and perhaps more importantly, a damn good place to catch a few hours sleep before getting back out there again.

Catch new Spanish punk garage combo WAU Y LOS ARRRGHS at their eagerly anticipated UK debut this Easter Weekend in London at Le Beat Bespoke- one of the must-go festivals for all lovers of funky psychedelic beats.   Market stalls selling choice furniture, clothes, vinyl and artifacts, as well as performance artists and a cult cinema, this festival is tailor-made for all lovers of the 60s underground and beyond.

Something for families: Spanish dance company Aracaladanza are performing at the Family Weekend at Sadler’s Wells.  We suggest spoiling yourselves with some Churros before heading on to see their renowned ‘Clouds’ performance.

For those of you who prefer your chocolate a little more, say, hot and viscous, why not come and try our Churros and Chocolate. Otherwise known as a Spanish doughnut, these crunchy pastry treats dipped in chocolate are a popular snack all over Spain, Central and South America. We use authentic Spanish ingredients to ensure that our Churros are the real deal.

The Chocolate Festival is open from Friday 26 March – Sunday 28 March 2010, 11.00am – 18:00pm.

Come down any time for Churros and Chocolate @ PINCHITOtapas, although to remain true to Spanish custom, come along and try them for breakfast.

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. For some it’s a day of romance, bathed in hearts and roses of pink and red.  For another group it’s a day of general distaste for romantic slush.  At PINCHITOtapas we are lovers of all so will be offering a sharing San Valentin menu for two,  alongside our full tapas menu and tapas del dia (daily specials).  If you fancy feeding your lover from our special menu or would rather share your tapas with friends and family, please call or email  to book.  We are open for bookings in both PINCHITOtapas EC1 and WC1 from midday till 10.30pm on Sunday 14th February  2010.

As we Spanish are a hot blooded bunch and like to declare our desires with passion, we have been conducting research amongst our staff as to who has received the most unique valentines gift.  So far the most strange (and simply freaky) gift that anyone has been given (vegetarians may want to stop reading now) was a box containing a real pigs heart rigged with electrodes so the heart pulsed – a beating bloody heart in a box ! The message was: ‘You have my heart’…….Ahhhh beautiful!

If you can top that unique valentine please email claire@pintxopeople.co.uk. The person with the best answer will receive our complimentary San Valentin menu for two at the PINCHITOtapas of their choice.

So remember,
‘Love that is not madness is not love’ : Pedro Calderon de la Barca

El Amor Amigos,

PINCHITOtapas x

¡Feliz año nuevo! ¡Feliz año nuevo! ¡Feliz año nuevo! ¡Feliz año nuevo!

In Spanish tradition we will be gobbling 12 grapes at 11pm (to correlate with Spain’s NYE) in PINCHITOtapas WC1. The aim is to pop a grape into your mouth at each chime of the clock.  If you manage to eat and swallow the 12 grapes  by the stroke of midnight then the universe will reward you with 12 months good luck!  As it is nearly impossible to eat a grape in a second, everyone starts the New Year with their mouth full……Guess that’s one way to stop you kissing someone you shouldn’t!

Wherever you are and whatever your up to we hope that you see the New Year in with love, mayhem and joy!

See you all in 2010!

PINCHITOtapas xx

Hola PINCHITO Amigos!

We wish all a very  FELIZ NAVIDAD!

If you are dashing about in a last minute gift frenzy, in either EC1 or WC1, pop in for a churros con chocolate pick me up (or something stronger)! …we don’t  close our doors at either site  until at 5pm on 24th Dec.

PINCHITOtapas WC1 will be open for New Years Eve, serving our full tapas menu and scrumptious cocktails with PINCHITO love… and the whole gang is ready to fiesta with you!  If you fancy a quick bite before moving on or want to spend the night with us, drop us an email at wc1@pintxopeople.co.uk or call (020) 7637 3977

We hope you have a good one!

PINCHITOtapas x

DECEMBER Closing times:
EC1 & WC1 close at 5pm on 24th December &  reopen at 10am on 28th Decmber
EC1 will be closed from 31st and reopens at 10am 4th January 2010
WC1 will be closed from 1st January and reopens at 10am 4th January 2010.

For amigos looking for the perfect west end experience we have teamed up with Abbey Leisure to offer the following package. For £55 per person, you will eat the best tapas in town and receive a top price seat at We Will Rock You!

Please contact Abbey Leisure on 020 7798 9200 or email info@abbey-leisure.co.uk and advise if you have any dietary requests or allergies.  Valid December 2009 – March 2010 (subject to availability)

We are not only are going to be exhibiting at Taste of London but Tobias will be demonstrating his world class cocktails every day at 4pm at The Chocolate Theatre.  We have 2 pairs of tickets to give away to you lovely lot!  The first two people who e-mail Claire@pintxopeople.co.uk with the subject header ‘It’s all about me’ will win them and get some lovely tapas and cocktails at our stand (A22) Please remember to also include your postal address.  If gambling simply isn’t your thing then click on the great deal we have secured for tickets.  Ticket offer – 2 standard tickets for £32 – Get 2 standard tickets for £32, to book these tickets simply quote TCEXH1 when booking ticket online at www.tasteofchristmas.com

Bag yourself a PINCHITOtapas New Year’s Eve Bargain via eBay

PINCHITOtapas, EC1 are preparing to throw a New Year’s Eve party to remember and you can win the whole package on eBay!  Anyone can bid for this tailor-made Spanish fiesta for you and up to 100 friends.  The bespoke package which includes taking over the entire restaurant and bar, food and drink, DJ and late license could end up being a steal on one of the most important nights of the year. Fancy a dabble? Know anyone wo does? Spread the word!

Our Christmas Menu is on-line take a look!  Still amazing value at £20 per person (min 4) – Feliz Navidad – Prepare to Share xx

Do you feel it? Do you sense it? It’s all around …  Christmas is coming! We love London Christmas time – the lights go up, the stores show off, roasted chestnut sellers appear on every corner, everyone wraps up only to strip off in overheated indoors! Seriously – there is no place in the world which provides you with this much freedom to be your self and celebrate how or if you want! If your looking for a NON traditional (English) Christmas, come and join us and prepare to share! ….We have a  Christmas set menu for 4 or more and both EC1 and WC1 will be offering Christmas tapas del dia for the month of December, alongside our full tapas menu…. and scrumptious cocktails, of course….

Christmas time is about giving and we are very pleased to be apart of Street Smart this year - StreetSmart raises thousands for homeless charities in your city every year during November and December. It is an innovative, easy fundraising scheme) which works during the holiday months when people begin to think about those less fortunate than themselves. For more information go to:

http://www.streetsmart.org.uk/

Enjoy the coming months, amigos & esperamos verte pronto!

Whoah, we were expecting a few friends to turn up to the WC1 preview last week but not 250 of you!!!  What a night, thank you all for coming down, supporting us and well and truly christening our new babies head!  We are very happy to be located in WC1 just off Tottenham Court Road.  For those who haven’t come in and said hello to Bruce and the gang – we are  ready for you!

We have a busy time at both WC1 and EC1 preparing for London Restaurant Festival, which runs from Thurs 8^th – Tues 13^th October.  Special menus will be available during that time plus on Monday 12^th it is LUCKY DICE DAY!!!  What is Lucky Dice Day? Well let me tell you – eat from our set menu and throw the dice.  If you roll a perfect six then if is completely FREE, however we do encourage responsible gambling.

http://bit.ly/3xVgZ

For those foodies looking to indulge from 14th October, guests at PINCHITOtapas WC1 will be able to experience the ‘Viva el Vino’ unique concept.  Choose a wine from our special Campo Viejo menu and our chef will create tapas dishes that perfectly enhance the flavours and notes of each wine.  The two menus include Red, Red Wine and a Degustation style menu – what a  delicioso  idea!

See you soon amigo’s  – it’s all about the ‘six’ & pincho’s  & rock & roll!