Long before the Barcelona Olympics stirred a wider interest in Spanish food, Vicente Garcia was already well known as a living legend and resident epicurean master at his cozy Aoyama restaurant. To this day El Castellano is still the first and only Spanish restaurant owned and operated by a Spaniard, or, as the name
suggests, a Castilian. Vicente’s place has become very much a mecca for seekers of true Spanish cuisine. At El Castellano the diner will be served genuine home cooking, featuring a different main course every day, eight days a week — celebrating the variety and abundance of Spanish food originating from Spain’s
various provinces and diverse customs.
Visitors are most welcome to order a la carte, but will never regret to give Vicente carte blanche and let him design and
recommend a very individual and special dinner for you and your party. There is no sommelier plying his trade at El Castellano, but Vicente will match your food with the best possible wine
just as well.
On the night this reviewer had the pleasure of sampling the culinary delights from the kitchen, the restaurant had a good crowd of female customers, one dating couple, and one "regular" — the latter being regally treated by El Chefo himself at El Chefo's VIP table. "Japanese ladies are very apt at finding new and interesting places, and they also recognize good food when they taste it. So it’s usually the women who seek out my restaurant first, with the men following later," Vicente explains the makeup of his clientele. In other words, if you walk into a restaurant with a lot of guys in it, its main purpose will probably be filling stomachs. Seeing groups of women outnumbering men, on the other hand, is like an endorsement of good food.
And what about those foreign VIPs who are being treated by none other than El Chefo at his own VIP table? "My customers feel welcome at my place," says Vicente. "If you are a foreigner, you will not only appreciate the food, but also the fact that what you get at El Castellano is honest hospitality, not lip service from a trained part-time waiter. Every customer receives my personal attention. And over time I have won many friends among the foreign community."
Then who was the mysterious El VIPo receiving personal attention from El Chefo himself the night this reviewer got hooked on Spanish food? "I can’t really tell you," smiles Vicente. "His wife might get jealous that he enjoys all the good food and vino tinto without her, before coming home contento."
2-9-12 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku
Marusan Aoyama Building
Tel. 3407-7197
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