Barrafina

[Matthew Grant]

Popped in to Barrafina last Thursday. When I say popped in I actually mean got there at 18:00 and left at 10:45 and when the cold air hit my head I suddenly realised how drunk I was Anyhow, I remember most of the food and on the whole it was disappointing.

A cold meat plate at £10.50 was poor. There's thin and then there's thin. This stuff verged on the thin end of the thinnest. Salchichon, chorizo, lomo and Iberico shoulder. The shoulder was decent enough but for me didn't reach the heights of something like Joselito. The Salcichon, chorizo and lomo were sliced so thinly I could barely discern which was which taste wise. Overall 4 slices of each type was very poor value. Somebody needs to teach them to serve it properly.

Bread with Olive oil was also poor value at £2 for some non-descript bread and a small bowl of olive oil. Jamon Croquettas were OK, certainly better than a lot I've had in Spain but the breadcrumbs were too thick, and the filling not seasoned enough. Chiperones were one of the days specials but came in a thick batter and were overcoked and a little chewy.

Padron peppers were a little better, gambas al ajillo were 4 large prawns in a drizzle of olive oil, garlic and pepper. Distinctly average.

Having said all that, I like the idea of the place, it had a suitably casual, friendly feel to it and could be a heap better if some minor adjustments were made to the food.

[nikkib]

Popped in to Barrafina last Thursday. When I say popped in I actually mean got there at 18:00 and left at 10:45 and when the cold air hit my head I suddenly realised how drunk I was    Anyhow, I remember most of the food and on the whole it was disappointing.

A cold meat plate at £10.50 was poor. There's thin and then there's thin. This stuff verged on the thin end of the thinnest. Salchichon, chorizo, lomo and Iberico shoulder. The shoulder was decent enough but for me didn't reach the heights of something like Joselito. The Salcichon, chorizo and lomo were sliced so thinly I could barely discern which was which taste wise. Overall 4 slices of each type was very poor value. Somebody needs to teach them to serve it properly.

Bread with Olive oil was also poor value at £2 for some non-descript bread and a small bowl of olive oil. Jamon Croquettas were OK, certainly better than a lot I've had in Spain but the breadcrumbs were too thick, and the filling not seasoned enough. Chiperones were one of the days specials but came in a thick batter and were overcoked and a little chewy.

Padron peppers were a little better, gambas al ajillo were 4 large prawns in a drizzle of olive oil, garlic and pepper. Distinctly average.

Having said all that, I like the idea of the place, it had a suitably casual, friendly feel to it and could be a heap better if some minor adjustments were made to the food.

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i agree about the gambas, i thought they were very disappointing however the pimientos were delicious if a little mild, The prawn tortilla was absolutely divine though, the best i've had by a long shot, the patatas bravas were also good and the cheese was delicious, choice of three with quince jelly. They also have to be forerunners for best coffee in town.

[Matthew Grant]

Coffee? Who drinks Coffee in a bar?

[Andy Lynes]

Matthew, were you really there for nearly 5 hours? Wasn't your arse killing you after sitting on those stools for that long?

[Matthew Grant]

I got there at 18:00, stood for around an hour drinking and then sat down, I really didn't notice the time particularly until I left. My arse was probably numb from the drink.

Edited February 27, 2007 by Matthew Grant (log)

[sunbeam]

.

Having said all that, I like the idea of the place,

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You like the idea of a tapas bar? I don't understand. Are you referring to some particular concept of Barrafina that's unique?

S

[Matthew Grant]

I like the idea that it's trying to be a proper Tapas bar in London.

[bakerestates]

My arse was probably numb from the drink.

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[nikkib]

I got there at 18:00, stood for around an hour drinking and then sat down, I really didn't notice the time particularly until I left. My arse was probably numb from the drink.

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The glasses of wine slip down deceptively quickly, the first time i went i was one of the last people to sit down at about 11ish and managed a glass of champagne, 4 glasses of white and a glass of red with cheese before i headed off within the hour to catch the tube so coffee was the "sensible" option - those chairs seemed awfully high off the ground....

[naebody]

Shut between 3 and 5 every day, and not even open on Sundays. They're taking the piss, right?

[nikkib]

Shut between 3 and 5 every day, and not even open on Sundays. They're taking the piss, right?

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Yeah i think its a shame to close between 3 and 5, thats a perfect time to enjot the tapas sized dishes they offer and i'm sure it would be financially worth it to open then.

[Matthew Grant]

I thought the initial plan was to open all day - staffing problems perhaps?

[nikkib]

I thought the initial plan was to open all day - staffing problems perhaps?

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I would imagine that this means you can get the staff to work straight shifts open -close and one day off (in addition to sunday) which would definitely help with keeping down the staffing costs...

Edited March 5, 2007 by nikkib (log)

[sunbeam]

I like the idea that it's trying to be a proper Tapas bar in London.

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Oh I see, but now I don't know what you mean by 'proper'. Tapas bars in Spain are all a bit different by region in what they serve and how they serve it aren't they?

That's the impression I get from my stays in Madrid, Barcelona etc. I haven't been to Barrafina despite working around the corner. I don't like the idea of having to wait. One thing about 'proper' tapas bars in Spain, be they hatches in the wall, or something more substantial, is that you can normally get seated and served fairly quickly.

Which I think at the end of the day is what most of us want from a bar, be it proper or improper.

S

[Matthew Grant]

Are you deliberately trying to be awkward?

What I mean is that it isn't a restaurant with menus and tables calling itself a tapas bar. It is a bar, with food, you can stand at the back or sit at the bar and watch the food being prepared.

They are after "proper" customers which means people that are prepared to wait a little while to be seated and are happy to have a drink while waiting so I guess that counts you out

[gnoos]

Are you deliberately trying to be awkward?

What I mean is that it isn't a restaurant with menus and tables calling itself a tapas bar.  It is a bar, with food, you can stand at the back or sit at the bar and watch the food being prepared.

They are after "proper" customers which means people that are prepared to wait a little while to be seated and are happy to have a drink while waiting so I guess that counts you out

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Have you eaten at Moro - how does it compare to that?

I've eaten at Fino a few times and was impressed though hated the west end dining room. I think Barrafino is by the Harts too?

[nikkib]

Are you deliberately trying to be awkward?

What I mean is that it isn't a restaurant with menus and tables calling itself a tapas bar.  It is a bar, with food, you can stand at the back or sit at the bar and watch the food being prepared.

They are after "proper" customers which means people that are prepared to wait a little while to be seated and are happy to have a drink while waiting so I guess that counts you out

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Have you eaten at Moro - how does it compare to that?

I've eaten at Fino a few times and was impressed though hated the west end dining room. I think Barrafino is by the Harts too?

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Yes fino and barrafina are both by the harts, Eddie (i think thats right?) is b ehind the counter at barrafina most nights - or at least every time i've been in, i much prefer it to fino though - as matthew says its a "proper" tapas bar where as fino is most definitely a restaurant serving tapas.

[RDB]

Popped into Barrafina before going to Arbutus, just for a quick bite! We were first in (12PM) but it did not take long to fill up. To be honest it reminded me more of an 'amercan diner', all metallic and bright. I suppose the best tapas bars I have been to have quite a dark cavernous feel. The two owners were in and everyone else seemed to know one another. In that respect it was quite good, it created quite a local neighbourhood feel, what one would expect of a tapas bar.

Only had two dishes, deep fried anchoives which very fresh and coated well, and the ham croquetas, which I thought were a little more cheesy than porky, were ok. Considering we were first in, it took about half an hour for these two dishes to arrive, whilst everyone else seemed to have received at least two dishes. Far too slow.

Not as good as El Rincon de rafa(Manchester) in my opinion.

[Matthew Grant]

Went for another try, I really like the feel of the place but the food really isn't doing it for me, I much prefer Brindisa.

Better bread and olive oil this time. Jamon de Jabugo was disappointingly lean and didn't carry the nutty flavour you would expect. Ham Croquetas were good, if a little freshly cooked. Padron peppers were, well, Padron peppers with thre or 4 hot ones. I've had afew plates lately and found some hot ones in all of them, is it seasonal? Gambas al ajillo were overcooked, grilled chorizo came on top of the bread but just didn't have the flavour of a good chorizo, I'd be interested to know where they were getting their charcuterie. Lamb Cutlets were good, small and plump, nicely cooked. The grilled quail was also good with a reasonable Alioil. I didn't bother with any of the specials, I sort of gave up listening when I asked how much the Langoustines were. "£14.50"

"How many do you get for that?"

"They're £14.50 each"