It took a puzzlingly long time for Japan to catch on to the pleasures of the taperia. It should be a perfect fit since, after all, the exquisite Iberian custom of slowly whiling away the evening with tapas and drinks, one dish and one glass at a time, is so close in spirit to the izakaya tradition.

These days, of course, the tapas ethos is finally becoming embedded — in Tokyo at least — and for that we must be eternally grateful to the Iberico pigs of Spain. For it is their delectable meat, especially when cured to produce the wonderful jamon serrano Iberico hams, that has opened the eyes of local gourmets to the true potential of Spanish cuisine. And it has only been since imports of these cured hams became legal five years back or so that taperia have really been able to take flight in the country.

Such were our musings as we made our way east across the Sumida River to Monzen-Nakacho. Popularly known as Mon-naka, this low-rise shitamachi (downtown) area has a long tradition of bars and izakaya. It is also a vibrant residential neighborhood, making it exactly the right setting for Spain Iberico Bar Mon-Naka, the latest in the growing stable of tapas bars operated by the excellent Spain Club group.