La Rumbla owners Penelope ‘PJ’ Johnson and Sam Gruar were last week presented with their Restaurants from Spain Certification, an international quality seal launched in 2020 by ICEX Spain Trade and Investment.
It is just the third restaurant in the country to achieve the honour — the others are in Waiheke Island and Christchurch.
The couple, who both have Spanish lineage, opened their restaurant in 2012 after spending two years living in Spain and realising Arrowtown’s culinary scene was missing out on the "shared plates concept".
Since then, La Rumbla has gone from strength to strength, while Johnson and Gruar have continued to refine the experience for diners.
That led them to explore applying for the certification a couple of years ago, but they initially contemplated putting it in the ‘too-hard basket’.
"We started it ... and we were like, ‘this is way too hard, this is way too much information to provide’," she says.
"And then we were like, ‘no, this is something we’re really passionate about’."
To qualify, Spanish wines have to make up at least 30% of La Rumbla’s wine list, and all staff have to be able to explain them.
They also had to have years of invoices and receipts proving they’re supporting Spanish suppliers, photos of all their dishes, and explain their techniques, along with their menu changes.
Gruar says they were also grilled on different Spanish regions, wines and food matches.
"They really got stuck into us ... it was pretty cool," he says.
La Rumbla was also mystery shopped before being given the official tick.
While it was a huge effort, the couple say the process was hugely rewarding.
"It’s really helped us ... almost rebuild the drive," Johnson says.
"We love Arrowtown and just feel super-grateful we live our day-to-day doing what we do, sharing our love for food and wine with such an incredible audience.
"Long may this continue."
