Rafael David Fernandez Tarifa, head chef

My previous job was in Marbella, so it wasn't the weather that brought me here. . . I was head hunted.

I am cooking authentic Spanish tapas at Salamanca. . . but I have had to adapt to the Irish palate.

Some ingredients are hard to source here. . . but I do have some Spanish supplier contacts who are good and reliable and we are working hard to source more.

Irish beef and lamb. . . is the best in the world to work with.

But I really miss. . . the prawns from the Mediterranean. And I am currently sourcing black cane sugar syrup, which is used mainly in the south of Spain and is delicious in aubergine dishes.

I think Irish people are getting more experimental. . . they really enjoy tasting a lot of different dishes in one serving.

My signature dish is. . . well, I have two which are really popular, the Paella di Carne and Chorizo al Vina. And ham and bechamel croquettes are starting to be really popular also.

I love Irish food. . . especially salmon dishes, and Angus rib-eye.

Marbella is full of Irish people. . . and they come in to Salamanca for tapas when they are back in Dublin.

I love living in Dublin. . . as there is so much to do and see.

I don't really have a favourite Dublin restaurant .. . I am new to this city and being a chef it is important to me to try new dishes.

I have wanted to be a chef since I was 11 years old. . . My Grandmother was an amazing chef and cooked in Bordeaux for 14 years.

My earliest food memory is. . . the Spanish stew my grandmother used to make.

The best thing I have ever eaten is. . . Cod Pil Pil, a traditional dish from the Basque country made with salt cod, garlic and olive oil.

My dream dinner party guest would be. . . the Spanish chef, Ferran Adrià, he is my hero.

I would cook him . .. really simple, good quality dishes as it would be hard to impress him with complicated stuff.

Five things I always have in my pantry are. . . extra virgin olive oil, Maldon sea salt, bread, tomatoes and Serrano ham

I wish I was better at .. . cooking; as a chef you always want to be better.

My biggest pleasure is. . . when someone else cooks for me for a change

In conversation with Marie-Claire Digby

Salamanca is one of the four restaurants that participants will visit during the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail, which runs in Dublin until August 19th. For further information see campoviejotapastrail.ie