Barrafina

On Sunday afternoon, T and I finally managed to make it out to Barrafina, a Spanish tapas restaurant that we've been wanting to try out since we basically moved here. The only reason we haven't gone any sooner is because it's a first come, first serve restaurant, so that pretty much deters us if we want a guaranteed seat for lunch/dinner. We also thought it would be a great way to end our days here in London.

When we first arrived, there was a decent size line but the wait was only 30 minutes so we toughed it out and ordered a couple appetizers.

We started with olives- green and kalamata (the green had much more flavor whereas the red was really bland!)

olive oil and tomato spread on a toasted baguette- it was juicy and delicious!

The wait went by really quickly and we were soon seated at the bar. There isn't any other seating, but I actually preferred this intimate setting where you face the cooks and wait staff. 

 

One look at the glorious raw bar and my mouth was already wet in anticipation! T and I agreed that Spanish tapas, especially seafood is by far my favorite cuisine. Nothing else gets me this excited to eat!

The clams tasted very fresh but something was a bit off about the flavor that I couldn’t put my finger on. A tad bit disappointing since the waitress raved that they were her favorite! Different strokes for different folks I guess!

 

All the Spanish cured meats were fantastic!

lil shrimpies! Actually, these were decent size and really yummy!

A classic Spanish tortilla- it was egg based with a potato cheesy gratin in the middle. Yum!

2 juicy and garlicy tiger prawns cooked from the raw bar.

I decided we needed some veggies in our life so we had the massaged kale in olive oil and slivered almonds.

 

Quail egg on top of a huge slab piece of chorizo. This was my least favorite dish since the chorizo was a bit overwhelming to eat with the delicate quail egg. 

 

We ended the meal with the perfect piece of grilled quail with aioli dipping sauce. All I can say is you must order this dish- it was muy delicioso!!!