Omar Allibhoy's mission to tackle tapas in Sheffield - but he'd just as soon have a chip butty

Mr Allibhoy is keen to introduce Yorkshire folk to authentic Spanish food with his latest Tapas Revolution bar and restaurant about to open at Meadowhall in Sheffield.

But he’s discovered an appetite for local tastes, too.

He said: “I love British food. I love Sunday roast and particularly, good fish and chips I have to say.

“And what I have just discovered is the chip butty.

“You know, a sandwich made out of chips. So I am bringing all my team to try it because I think it’s going to be memorable.”

Dubbed the ‘Antonio Banderas of cooking’ by Gordon Ramsay, he’s a man on a mission to bring the joy of genuine tapas food to the UK.

Madrid-born Mr Allibhoy has cooked for a whole host of celebrity diners including Penelope Cruz, Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks, Bill Nighy and Antonio Banderas.

Alongside his four critically acclaimed tapas bars, Mr Allibhoy also wrote the fastest selling Spanish cookbook of 2013 called Tapas Revolution and has made numerous TV appearances, including Masterchef, The One Show, Sunday Brunch and This Morning, all in aid of revolutionising the Spanish food scene in the UK.

Sheffield is his next stop.

His Tapas Revolution bar and restaurant opens at Meadowhall, in the upper Oasis dining quarter, tomorrow, Wednesday March 16.

He said: “I’ve been a chef all my life, so I am bringing all my grandma’s and my mother’s recipes, giving my professional twist on them. But this is a serious tapas bar with a lot of bars and a kitchen right at the heart of the restaurant, so that everyone can take a peek.

“Tapas are small dishes but in Spain it’s more than that. Tapas are meant to be shared. In Spain we share conversation, the weather is good outside, always sunny. “So we live our lives outside and share our stories. In the same way I think tapas is sort of the embodiment of that.

“Tapas for us, in the same way as in England people meet for a pint – in Spain we meet for tapas. So it’s kind of the same, public house element.

“It’s about building your own meal, whether you are a vegetarian or not, it’s about choosing three or four different things, the combinations are endless.

“There is no main course with us, it’s all tapas, whether you are on your own, or two or four of you – if it’s four, you order 12 different things and it’s so entertaining, nibbling on one and the another.

“It’s probably more affordable because you are going to be able to share the bill at the end.”