We had a slightly dicey start at Barrafina - we were seated at a bar so noisy that we could hardly hear our waitress muddle through the specials, and after receiving that information we waited about 15 minutes and three sets of meaningful eye-contact to have our order taken. Everything felt quite chaotic, and we worried that this would characterise the meal as a whole, but we were thankfully mistaken: after a tricky kick-off, service was speedy and smiley, and we were very well looked after.
First out the gate was a generous portion of pimientos de padrón (£9.80) which, when done right, are an unbeatable start to a meal. These were exemplary - hot, well-salted, and piled up high enough to last us through the evening. At nearly £10, it’s a pretty expensive amuse-bouche, but you did at least get plenty of bang for your buck.
Next to arrive was the tuna tartare (£26), which won top spot in my boyfriend-slash-dining-companion’s estimation. Big enough for two people to share and built up of succulent tuna pieces on a bed of creamy avocado and herbs, this dish was fresh and delicious. It contrasted beautifully with the goat’s cheese croquetas (£8.50) from the specials list, deserved recipients of the title of my personal favourite dish of the night. Rich but not heavy, and again an ample amount, these were so tasty that I considered going for another round.
We then each enjoyed a courgette flower (£14), one of my tapas top picks which I was delighted to find on the specials list. The asparagus could have been a little sharper, but the fried goat’s cheese and honey was a perfect sensory combination with a blend of gooey sweetness and savoury crunchiness. Around this point we began our wine of choice, El Mago (£46/bottle), a light and fruity Tinto which went down a treat.
As is often the way for me, I enjoyed the smaller, less substantial dishes greatly and then found the second half of the meal - as we moved into somewhat heavier, more “main”-like options - a bit less exciting. The classic tortilla (£12.30) looked small on the plate, but was in fact more than enough and, served alongside the patatas bravas (£9.40), our plates became a little overwhelming beige. The dishes were perhaps diluted by the pairing, as we lost some of the variation of flavours and textures that had made the beginning of the meal so exciting.
Things picked up again with the torreznos (£9), which, as compared to the rest of the menu which provides strong evidence to the notion that good food and expensive food often go hand in hand, strike me as pretty fairly priced. The slices were tough to cut but tender to eat, and went beautifully with the Mago wine. We rounded off with the pan con tomate (£7.80), a dish which brought our main meal to a neat cyclical finish: salty, generous and moreish like our opening pimientos.
Despite being contented with our meal, we couldn’t leave without venturing into the desert menu, from which we chose one scoop of chocolate and hazelnut ice cream (£10) along with one scoop of the mango sorbet (£10). Served with a chocolate cookie and some chocolate crumb, this was a wonderful sweet contrast which left us immensely satisfied.
Overall we enjoyed an outstanding meal at Barrafina, Borough Yards. Treating ourselves to a selection of dishes encompassing the specials and the main menu, we were never disappointed, and will undoubtedly come back for more.
