We have a list of restaurants in London we want to try, and, despite our best efforts, the list seems to expand faster than we can go to them. Because of this, we tend to try out new restaurants when we go out, however Barrafina is one of those restaurants we just keep coming back to. The Soho one (Dean Street) is a particular favourite. Despite all branches following the same template, there's something intangible that makes the Soho one that little bit better - and Michelin seem to agree, awarding it a Michelin star. So what makes it so good? We think there are three main things:
1. The staff
It takes talent to make food this tasty, so of course the chefs deserve a lot of credit. Barrafina's unique seating arrangements mean the customers are seated around an open kitchen, and the staff somehow cook and work so elegantly and respectfully in such a small space. The servers work calmly in this non-stop environment, talking through each dish with a huge amount of passion and knowledge. With their help, you are guaranteed to order an excellent meal.
2. The freshness and quality of the ingredients
Whilst we have some classic dishes we love, the specials tend to take up about half our order. When you arrive at Barrafina, they'll show you their specials of the day (also on their Instagram page each day), and you can see the array of fresh seafood and vegetables in the kitchen. They'll make dishes based on the best ingredients of the morning, and it comes through in the flavours. For example, one of their most common specials is the carabinero prawns — whilst far from cheap, these fresh, giant red prawns are delicious simply cooked (don't forget to suck the heads!). They cook seafood expertly, and we usually order a fish special — the execution of the cooking is always fantastic, and often served with an aioli and some wonderfully cooked vegetables.
3. The sherry
Since Anika took a trip to Jerez a few years ago, she's been obsessed with sherry alongside her tapas. She speaks so passionately about it that Fleurie has also succumbed to its wonders (read: Anika kept going on about it until Fleurie complied). Whilst there are wonderful sherry bars in London, few do tapas this good. There are also some great tapas bars in London, but few do great sherry (if at all). Barrafina does both incredibly well. Anika's 'go to' is their Hart Bros Manzanilla to go with the full range of tapas, but a dry fino is wonderful with the salty, fried tapas.
When they have their turrón selection special for dessert, it goes incredibly well with they sweet nuttiness of their Alameda Oloroso Cream sherry. And of course a thick, syrupy Pedro Ximénez is heavenly with a sweeter dessert (like these caramelised bananas, pictured) or a dessert in itself! That said, it should be noted that their Spanish wine selection is full of treasures too.
What to order
As mentioned, the specials should take up about half of your order, but some of our favourite regular orders are below:
Pan con tomate — bread, oil, tomato, garlic. Simple but divine.
House croquetas (for Soho these are ham) — thin crispy coating, salty ham, creamy béchamel. Just writing this makes us drool. Wash it down with a glass of dry, yeasty fino sherry.
Stuffed courgette flowers — light cheesy filling, thin crispy batter, drizzled with honey. A highlight.
Classic tortilla — if you don't like runny egg yolks, this is not for you. If you love them, this is pure indulgence.
Stay salty af (with a glass of fino)!
Anika & Fleurie