Spread over three tasty locations, Barrafina brings authentic tapas food to London. But is it any good? Time to find out...
Ideal for:
Seafood lovers
Dinner with date or mate
Spanish food aficionados
Barrafina’s authentic Spanish tapas bar opened to rave reviews. It was time to put Executive Head Chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s creations to the test.
Ambience & Décor
Barrafina operates an open kitchen with a marble-topped bar where diners can watch their orders come to fruition. Very efficient. The interior design, marble counter and chrome gadgets give a slick appeal.
A small restaurant packed with diners could be cacophonous, but I could converse normally. The décor and atmosphere here filled me with good vibes.
Service
The combination of a cosy restaurant and the inability to book, is a recipe for long queues, but even on a Friday night, the wait was bearable. The service was superlative. Despite being so busy, the staff, all native hispanophones, were incredibly friendly and attentive.
Food
Minced crab in batter sounds simplistic, but the Crab Croquetas (left) was beautifully flavoured and tasted fresh. The light batter was not oily, with the accompanying sauce divine.
Chipirones (right) is ubiquitous in the coastal regions of Spain. Battered squid served with lemon. The starchy batter did mask some of the natural flavours of the squid, which was well seasoned & cooked. Good but unspectacular.
Tortillas, unlike their Mexican namesake, are essentially stuffed Spanish omelettes. I was sceptical about the Morcilla and Piquillo Pepper stuffing, but this La Mancha delicacy was tasty. Sweet from the piquillo, spice from the gravy and the morcilla was delicious, despite not being a fan of the English variant (black pudding).
The Whole John Dory with Garlic & Lemon (left) had a beautifully crisp skin that packed the garlic & light seasoning, with delicate flavours from the au naturel cooking style. The fresh lemon adding all the kick needed. This dish is a beautiful reminder that keeping it simple is best sometimes.
The surprise dish was Braised Ox-Tongue, Crushed Potatoes. Having never eaten ox tongue, it had the taste, texture and fattiness of pork belly, but there is a hint of iron in the aftertaste. The rich red wine jus coupled with the robust meat, meant only small portions could be tolerated. The heaviness was tempered with the light & fluffy crushed potatoes. My favourite dish of the night and will serve as a benchmark for all my future ox-tongue endeavours.
Barrafina offers a great array of light and heavy dishes that leave diners content but not lethargic. The food, service and concept are a winning combination. Barrafina has delighted me and my guests since, hence earning an A+ rating for consistency, despite the Chipirones.
Photos of Barrafina and more can be found on Instagram here.
Final grade: A+
Final comment: Great tapas at reasonable prices.
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