Barrafina and my sister's birthday treat

Finally i made my way to Barrinfina, the tapas restaurant extraordinaire I have heard so much about from so many. There is almost as much buzz about this place, as Bucca di Lupo (although the latter is fresh and recent buzz).

It was my sister's birthday last week, so it was my treat for her. Laura was able to join us for an early evening dinner. We were at Barrafina slightly after 6pm and we still had to wait about 40 mins. While we were waiting, we had warm bread with spanish olive oil and about 30 slices of Chorizo Iberico with nice glasses of wine. I had a glass of Miralmonte Joven 2007 red, Laura had the Sonsierra 2007 white and my sister had the Etim rose (not sure what year). It was a very nice way to start the evening!

The place is counter top seating only - is it smart design or it is only what they can afford (as compared to Arbutus down the road). Whatever it is, it works. When we sat down, the queue was rather long and by the time we asked for the bill at 8pm, we could feel the heat rays from the eyes staring into the back of our heads.



The food was worth the wait - the razor clams was cooked on a hot-plate (similar to teppanyaki) - with minimal seasoning or herbs to bring out the natural juices and flavor. It was tender and perfectly cooked. The octopus was again cook sparingly - some of the most tender octopus I have had - topped off with capers - this dish reminded me of japanese cuisine without the fussiness. The first two dishes really hit home for us. Fresh seafood in London - unbelieveable!


The chick pea, spinach and ham salad came next - the color combination was right but it did not deliver on taste. We had super-high expectations for the tortilla. Since we were sat at "the pass" where the chef was working her magic, and right behind her, the tortillas were being cooked in a tiny round saucepan, we could see, smell and experience the tortillas flying out of the kitchen. The prawn tortilla was probably no. 25 in line - no kidding! It was slight under-cooked on the inside, and not overcooked on the outside. Personally, I like my tortilla slightly charred at the edges! It was tasty and well done. Poor tortilla maker - not much job satisfaction there!

The grilled quail and Iberian pork loins came next - the taste of each of the meats came through very clearly. The potatoes served with the pork was according to my dinner companion, over-salted. I thought it was tasty with the caramelized onions.

In the middle of service, the chef "at the pass" was talking to two ladies about 4 chairs to the left of us. I don't recognize who they were but clearly, they were being pandered to, since the chef gave them some fresh sea urchin to sample. Being the busybody that i was, i asked the chef in English if I could order the sea urchin. She pretended not to speak any English. My friend Laura who is conversant in Spanish asked the same question. She replied they are "familiars" implying they get special treatment.
I commented (in English) that the two ladies didn't seem to appreciated her gesture, and I would (since I am a big fan of sea urchin aka "uni" in japan). I have had live sea urchin in Vancouver, BC (Canada), Sydney Australia and Tokyo Japan. I am an expert for heavens sake! A few minutes later (or what seemed like hours), the chef offered me some sea urchin - see the lovely photo I took. It was fresh and tasted of the sea. I fully appreciated the gesture from the chef. The roe was not fleshly and the sea urchin was in my view, probably under-developed. It was more akin to the sea urchin used in a bouillabaisse (the famous fish soup found in Marseille, and one of the dishes i have yet to try in my food journey), not the version served in a Japanese sushi restaurant. Nevertheless, doesn't it take a marvellous photo. It made me sit up and take notice! Coincidentally, from the back of the kitchen, about 10 sea urchins appear and they are gently placed on the fresh seafood counter. There were many customers wondering whether to order or not. The British are colloquial when it comes to food, eh? (And the chef did not charge me for the sea urchin either - thank you!)

Overall, i rate Barrafinas for its superior quality and fresh seafood, for the pure entertainment of being able to watch the cooks grill, steam, gasp at new creatures on display, and the sheer audacity of the simple treatment of good food, cooked well. After all, this is the whole point of my blog. Good food done well. Well done Barrafina!