My post today is about 2 restaurants/wine bars in London I re-discovered this month( November 2015) and thought they deserve a note from me.
Barrafina : http://www.barrafina.co.uk ( this is a review of the Charing Cross branch only )
Super smart concept of seating 32 people around a simple yet bistro-type bar , all eating tapas and drinking Spanish wines.
My experience was very positive for the following reasons:
Food is good and fresh; great variety of wines and excellent service.
Food to try :
-the Jamon Iberico – a classic to revisit here
-Special of the day Cuttlefish croquetas ( made of squid black ink ) : an alternative to the ham croquetas – oh-so-delicious
-Ortiguillas – very good alternative to oysters ( to taste the sea ..but i reality it has nothing to do with oyster)
-Pork ribs : not my favorite as the sweetness of the sauce was too pronounced I found and the vegetables that come with it overcooked
-Entrecote tapas was good –
Wines :
Start with this magnificent white Rioja : Hacienda del Ternero 2013 ( 8 pounds the glass and 42 pounds the bottle ) – this wine is worth it , it transforms in the palet being dry and gentle at the same time – it transforms with food too of course . It is a big win !
Then switch to red for your main dishes – I recommend the organic Granacha El Mago 2013 Terre Alta – very satisfactory and very good value for money ( 4.5 pounds the glass, and 24 the bottle ) . Exquisite.
Let’s move next door at the French Terroirs ( http://terroirswinebar.com)
This post is not to compare my two London picks of the month but let’s be clear : food at Barrafina is clearly better , taste better, better cooked and better mastered but wines at Terroirs – especially naturally wines – can’t be beaten here . And let’s put it this way : it is hard to find natural wines in London .
The Master of natural red wine is here : try the M La Pierre 2014 “Raisins Gaulois” – Beaujolais – 6.5 pounds the glass, 18 pounds the carafe and 26 pounds the bottle – A must have here .
Then in terms of white, I would recommend the 2013 Moscatel Viejas Tinajas from De Martino Single Vineyard in Chile – 7.25 pounds the glass, this is a great natural muscatel – fully bodied white full of texture and floral aromas while staying perfectly dry.
For food, I would advise you to try the Pork and Pistachio Terrine, it is to die for .
The rest is good but pretty standard ( shrimps. squids etc ) .
Enjoy 🙂
tongue&cheeks 