Barrafina- London

Tapas are big in London, so we thought we should have a crack, especially since there is somewhat of a lack here in Chicago.
Barrafina kept coming up as a highly regarded recommendation from locals and friends who had visited in the past alike. I was sold when I learned that the tapas bar was modeled after Cal Pep, where I enjoyed my probably-favorite-restaurant-meal-ever four years ago. A scroll down in this post documents that meal.
The comparison probably set my sights too high for Barrafina, and while not reaching quite the same heights as Cal Pep, we had a most enjoyable meal. The room clearly reflects Cal Pep's clean, well-lit, bar seating only design:






Eye catching catches of the day.

For the most part, we stuck to the classics.

Marinated Olives


Pimientos Padron

I was a little sad that I didn't get a hot one. My girlfriend picked the only one, the smallest on the plate.

Cold Meat Platter

Clockwise from top: Jamon Iberico, Salchichon, Chorizo, Lomo. Can't go wrong with this lineup.

The good stuff.


Ham Croquetas

Our friend had raved hyperbolically about these, but they didn't quite take me to the same heights. They were pretty good, a nice smokiness in the ham, the cheese was really soft, almost PPCF style.

Chipirones

Very light and crisp breading yielding incredibly tender and fresh calamari. Fantastic, all it needed as a condiment was a squeeze of lemon. Would have been nice mixed with some fried gambas and fresh anchovies.

Sardines a la Plancha

Very fresh sardines, always a favorite fish of mine. Drizzled in high quality olive oil with a sprinkle of piquant chile. A nice dish, but not quite "a la plancha", unless you count a go on a hot griddle as the appropriate prep. I prefer a little char or at least some crisp to the skin of the sardine, which was missing here. The tails were not crispy enough to chomp on, unfortunately.

Black Breem with Jerusalem Artichoke Puree and Crispy Ham

I wanted to try out the chef's chops on one of the specials. This was the standout dish of the evening, immaculately pristine fish with just the right amount of crisp from the pan, lusciously creamy sunchoke puree, and a can't-go-wrong garnish of crisped jamon. Wonderful.

We had a decent chocolate tart for dessert, but I was pretty full at that point and let my girlfriend put in most of the work.

After about three or four drinks each, the preceding spread, dessert and coffee the bill was about 90 pounds before tip, which was about expected.

A Cal Pep replica? Not quite. Fantastic tapas in London? Indeed.

Barrafina
54 Frith St
London W1D 4SL, United Kingdom
020 7813 8016