A little bit of Spain has landed in Hamilton’s Bermudiana Road.

For the MEF/Little Venice Group of restaurants has repurposed what was once The Club as a tapas bar.

Now Tapas Club is serving tapas — traditional small snack-style dishes — and the new look and menu has already proven a hit with customers.

Danny Lim, executive chef at nearby Little Venice and its L’Oriental spin-offs, as well as the luxury yacht Venetian, said: “I believe people are looking for something different.

“Some places do tapas, but not the real Spanish tapas. We try to keep it simple, fresh and tasty.”

The premises, only yards away from Little Venice restaurant, has undergone a number of incarnations over the years.

But Mr Lim said: “This is the one — it’s been very good over the last few days. People have been coming in and there’s been a lot of compliments and we’ve tried to keep the prices as reasonable as possible.

“We want to bring people back to Bermudiana Road. This is becoming a busy area again and people are starting to come back to this part of the town.”

And he added that the transformation of the former HSBC building into accommodation for more than 100 Hamilton Princess employees was expected to make the street even livelier.

Mr Lim said: “They will all want somewhere to have coffee and to get something to eat.”

Emilio Barbieri, a director of MEF, added: “The simple, casual, affordable and practical menu is for people who just drop by and who don’t necessarily want to have a full meal but want to enjoy some food and maybe a cold drink.

“Nightlife has taken a different turn and we have to go with the flow.

“This is the financial district — a lot of people work late and we’re open until midnight. We have great chefs and they’re all excited.

“We have brought innovation, new dishes and this will bring a lot of people back to the area.”

Zadia Augustus, 20, who works in administration for the group, has also joined the staff in the new venture.

Ms Augustus, from Sandys, who has just graduated from Bermuda College, is due to leave for George Brown College in Toronto to study for a BSc in restaurant management on a Little Venice Group scholarship.

She said: “I’ve worked for the group for two years and the scholarship shows they have my best interests and my education at heart. When I finish, I’ll come back and work for them.

“In two years, I’ve had great experiences working in each location — I’m not just upstairs in an office.”

Zah-nae Stevens-Astwood, a psychology student at Manchester University in England, has worked all her vacations at the Little Venice Group and has also joined the staff at Tapas Club.

The 22-year-old from Sandys said: “It helps me with school and I love the hospitality industry — that’s why I’m still here. I love the people.”

Club Tapas has also brought in mixologist Matt Francis, a podiatrist by day and expert cocktail maker by night, to add new flavours to the bar area.

Dr Francis said he had worked his way through university in Scotland as a mixologist — and enjoyed it so much, he continued even after graduating.

He added: “You try to quit, but you get the bug and you’re hooked.”