Derby Hotels Collection presents its spanish restaurant in the Hotel Banke, Paris 28.10.09 Spain

The Derby Hotels Collection makes it possible to taste tapas, a Catalan empedrat or fried eggs with acorn-fed ham in the heart of Paris.

DERBY HOTELS COLLECTION PRESENTS ITS SPANISH RESTAURANT IN THE HOTEL BANKE, PARIS

The Josefin restaurant and the LolaBar cocktail bar are located in the Hotel Banke, the Derby Hotels Collection’s new hotel (4* Superior) in the centre of Paris.

Derby Hotels Collection, the hotel company headed by Jordi Clos , presents an extensive menu of fine food at the Hotel Banke . Located in the centre of Paris, near the Opéra, two new eating and drinking establishments have opened at the recently inaugurated Banke: the Josefin restaurant and the LolaBar cocktail bar.

Served in an intimate and relaxed atmosphere where quality is the keynote, chef George Pierre brings the flavours of Spain to Paris in the Josefin restaurant, with a mouth-watering selection of the country’s greatest dishes. The restaurant opens from 12.00 to 15.00 and 19.30 to 23.30 . The first courses on offer are most original in this Paris setting. They include empedrat , a Catalan cod and bean salad, fried eggs with acorn-fed ham and white truffle oil, coca (Catalan flat-bread) with grilled vegetables and goat’s cheese, arroz a banda (rice with seafood), and Montserrat tomato salad.

Meat and fish feature in the main courses at the Josefin, with highlights such as monkfish suquet, caramelised cod with purée of arbequina olives, roast shoulder of baby goat with ganxet beans, free-range chicken with sanfaina (ratatouille) or sautéed Catalan sausage with wild mushrooms. And for the sweet-toothed, the Josefin offers classic Spanish desserts such as a light crème brûlée with a crispy cinnamon topping and almond tart steeped in Tío Pepe sherry.

Open every day from 11.00 am to midnight, the LolaBar ’s tapas and cocktails menu is infused with unexpected hints of Spain, with dishes based on great Iberian specialities such as bread spread with tomato, Spanish omelette, toasted cheese and Majorcan paprika pork sausage sandwiches, traditional patatas bravas, Andalusian fried squid, anchovies from Cantabria, acorn-fed ham and fried baby squid. These dishes may be accompanied by classic cocktails or original creations such as u’love , the lychee martini or the pepino colada.

The Mediterranean origins of the Derby Hotels Collection and its insistence on using the finest ingredients can be seen in both the chef’s preparation of the dishes on offer and in the original combination of furnishings and décor. The furnishings of the Josefin and the LolaBar, include Philippe Starck’s transparent “ghost” stools and smoke blackened wooden seats designed by Marteen Baas, while a unique piece of sculpture, the 275-centimetre tall RINO, designed exclusively for the Derby Hotels Collection by international sculptor dEmo, stands in the lobby of the Hotel Banke. The décor mixes styles to produce a truly incomparable setting.

There are now twelve hotels in the Derby Hotels Collection: Suites Avenue (Luxe), Claris 5* GL, Granados 83 4* S, Gran Derby 4* S, Derby 4*, Balmes 3*; Balmes Residence (Luxe) and Astoria 3* in Barcelona; Urban 5* GL and Villa Real 5* in Madrid; The Caesar 4* in London; and Banke 4* S in Paris, with a capacity of over 1,000 rooms. The hotels in the Derby Hotels Collection are characterised by their unique and original spaces, where antique art pieces come together with those of the avant-garde, and also offer the client outstanding cuisine of great international renown.