Barrafina, London

feedsforthree

Oct 3

The next stop in London was to try a Michelin star rated tapas chain, Barrafina. Having heard very good reviews, we decided to head there when it opened at 5:00pm to avoid a wait given they do not take reservations. Barrafina has a nice bustling atmosphere, with bar seating only and the option to stand and dine (whilst waiting for a table). We were seated at a nice vantage point where we could observe the chefs cooking and the organised chaos of a busy kitchen.

Location: 26-27 Dean St, London W1D 3LL, United Kingdom
Price: £71 (~$136 AUD), 2 people including drinks
Social:https://www.instagram.com/barrafinalondon/?hl=en

One of the dishes coming up often on Instagram location tag was the tortilla. This was not the flour tortilla I was accustomed to but rather an egg one. We chose the classic option, it was filled with onions and oozing with a rich jus. Really delicious and well balanced, with the salt on top just adding the right level to counterbalance the sweet onion flavours. Masterfully done, albeit ridiculously expensive (it does have 1 Michelin star I remind myself).

The highlight dish of the night by far was the pan con tomate. It seems difficult to comprehend how tomato on bread could be the shining dish, but it exceeded our expectations the most that night. The bread was thick, crunchy and well buttered, enough to withstand the healthy drizzling of olive oil. The tomato was blended and mixed with olive oil, salt and green onion. It honestly could give avocado toast a run for its money.

The ham croquettes were a fairly average fare, it is hard to praise when the remainder of the dishes were such standouts. The inside was oozing with a light cheese and bacon but honestly a very skippable dish.

Another well crafted dish was the chipirones, or baby squid. These crunchy bites were well seasoned with an almost XO like flavour. They tasted like the fried crab dish you can order at Chinese seafood restaurants. There was a depth of flavour on the squid that was more than I've seen on regular fried squid/seafood. Highly addictive, once we ate a piece we couldn't stop ourselves until it was all gone.

Finally, the piece de resistance of the night and the only 'main' we ordered (the rest of the dishes were from the smalls menu), the octopus. Rich, succulent, perfectly cooked tentacles. A nice capsicum and paprika flavoured oil accompanied it. A lovely dish but definitely not one that would fill the stomach up.

Melissa – 4/5, you can see why they have a Michelin star but not all the dishes will be up there

I enjoyed Barrafina thoroughly despite the high price point. It had a great lively atmosphere and delicious food. We stuck exclusively to seafood here and they all delivered for us. There are some dishes that are simply not worth the money (the tortilla and croquettes), so I would primarily focus on the seafood dishes or any specials they might be serving that day (there was a mussel dish that sadly sold out when we were there). Definitely a very pricey restaurant for the quantity of the food you receive, but a nice restaurant and well deserving of its existing accolades.

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