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Barrafina - review by sulin

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:14:26 +0000

Barrafina - review by sulin

Rating: 4.5

Location: 54 Frith St, W1D 4SL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7813 8010

Website: http://www.barrafina.co.uk/

Tags: lively, spanish, crowded, expensive

A good friend of mine happened to be in town last week and so we arranged to meet at Barrafina, one of his favourite restaurants in London and one that Iâ¬"d been meaning to try. We met there at noon on a Saturday and were the second and third people to grab seats at the bar. The place filled up within half an hour so it seems the best thing to do is to get there when it just opens (they donâ¬"t take bookings).

When I saw ham croquetas on the menu, I knew I had to have them! We ordered those while still perusing the menu. They were extremely creamy inside and crisp on the outside and exactly how I like my croquetas!

From the daily specials, we ordered the grilled razor clams with olive oil, garlic and parsley. These were probably cooked a la plancha and were not at all rubbery but tender and so flavourful. My friend recommended the grilled lamb cutlets from the regular menu and so they went into our order. Very soft and we got stuck in with our fingers here. Also from the specials was the cavolo nero, braised with olive oil and garlic. Beautiful! The cavolo nero still had a bite but was tender and had toasted patches that were wonderful. I just bought some cavolo nero at my farmersâ¬" market to try replicating it this week. Another special - this time it was grilled squid, stuffed with tomato and chorizo. Again, this dish was faultless.

We were starting to get full at this point and so focused our attention on desserts! I chose the chocolate tart while my friend ordered the fig salad with creme chantilly and toasted sliced almonds. Both were truly delicious. There was a bit of cream alongside my chocolate tart, which was rich and dense and a little of eating like eating dark chocolate ganache in a thin pastry shell. As for my friendâ¬"s fig salad, it was fresh ripe figs with a huge mound of creme chantilly (I originally mistook it for ice cream). I could have eaten a huge bowlful of this - the almonds and caramel sauce over top made it perfect.

It seems strange that we didnâ¬"t order any of their sliced jamon but though they had a leg prominently displayed on the counter, no one was having any. It was hot food all the way for everyone. Their tortillas looked fantastic too - little individual ones with soft innards - Iâ¬"ll definitely try one next time.

However, it wasnâ¬"t a cheap lunch. For all the food, one glass of wine and all the tap water we could drink, it was Â£50 for the two of us. However, even with the limited seating, we never once felt rushed and our waitress was happy for us to order one or two tapas at a time. Thereâ¬"s a small counter along the wall where you can wait with a drink and a small bite for a seat - but as I noticed above, itâ¬"s probably easiest if you show up when they just open. I canâ¬"t wait to return (after Iâ¬"ve saved up a bit)!

Photos at the blog: http://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/a-tapas-lunch-at-barrafina/

Jai Krishna - review by slickmasta

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:34:01 +0000

Jai Krishna - review by slickmasta

Rating: 4.5

Location: 161 Stroud Green Road, N4 3PZ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7272 1680

named after a popular hindu god jai krishna is one helluva place, from paneer dosa -(indian cottage cheese) to the rajma i had here is lush, brilliantm its mouthwatering, yes it seems like a shabby place on the surface but i'm not complaining as i love indian food, this is my 3rd review on indian foods and that is testimony to that, anyway jai krishna has lovely daals, if u wanna experiment pls go ahead with little over a fiver and you could order an indian meal fit for a size of a king, low price - high on tsate. also for starters i knw it sounds crazy but give indian sweets like gulab jamun or rasgoola a sure try - lovely dessert - but mind the cals. cheers.

The Providores - review by Niamheen

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:07:46 +0000

The Providores - review by Niamheen

Rating: 4.3

Location: 109 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4RX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7935 6175

Website: http://www.theprovidores.co.uk

Tags: lively, antipodean, great coffee, good value

I'd often seen a queue snaking out the door of the Providore's on Marylebone High St and was always curious, but I hate queues, I just can't do them, unless it's really worthwhile. I had heard good things, people I trust loved it, but could I do the queue? I just didn't know.

One bank holiday Sunday, an Antipodean friend and I were looking for somewhere to brunch and as luck would have it, there was no queue, save us, next in line for a table. She was a long time fan of the place, for me it was my first time. On offer is tapas style dining downstairs and fine dining upstairs. On this occasion we did the downstairs tapas.

On first impressions, it's a lovely room, high ceilings, counter seats and tables to the side. We got a table within a few minutes of waiting and ordered turkish eggs and sweetcorn and blueberry fritters with some coffees - a flat white & a latte.

So, we all know fritters, but what are the turkish eggs? Itâ¬"s a dish that hails from Changa restaurant in Istanbul (which head chef Peter Gordon is also involved in) but served also in the Providores - two poached eggs with whipped yoghurt and hot chilli butter. It sounds like it shouldnâ¬"t work, but for that reason, I knew it must, and spectacularly so, otherwise, why would it be on the menu? My first taste of that dish, was just wonderful, I can still recall. Perfectly poached eggs, sitting on a pillow of whipped yoghurt and wrapped in hot chilli butter, itâ¬"s just superb. The fritters were good, as fritters should be, but paled in significance compared to the eggs in my opinion. The coffees were great, a pleasure given how difficult it can be to get a good coffee in London.

So, I loved it, and I would even brave the queue now. Heartily recommended.

Barrafina - review by bellaphon

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:44:26 +0000

Barrafina - review by bellaphon

Rating: 4.5

Location: 54 Frith St, W1D 4SL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7813 8010

Website: http://www.barrafina.co.uk/

Tags: lively, spanish, crowded, expensive

On the four occasions or so Iâ¬"ve been here, luck often prevails with me securing a seat within ten minutes of queuing. This place has to be one of the highlights for me this year. The food, service and ambience were all pretty much faultless. The catches of the day from the wet fish counter and the Jamon de Jabugo are well worth the expense and repeat visits. Other memorable dishes sampled included Grilled Quail with Allioli, Pork Chop with Cauliflower Puree, Ham Croquetas, Ariston and on and on. This place is good; so good that I feel totally spirited away and it sort of turns me into a happy shiny person. I would have given the perfect 10 for the food except that the acquired blandness of the Classic Tortlla renders the verdict otherwise.

Barrafina is expensive, but then again itâ¬"ll cost even more to go to Barcelona these days.

Barrafina - review by Alita

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 18:16:43 +0000

Barrafina - review by Alita

Rating: 4.5

Location: 54 Frith St, W1D 4SL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7813 8010

Website: http://www.barrafina.co.uk/

Tags: lively, spanish, crowded, expensive

Barrafina is a little tricky to find since it announces its presence with little more than a word on the front door, but you'll find it easily enough if you look for a small restaurant with a queue flowing down the street. In fact, the second time I visited I was initially turned away but remained steadfast in the queue, was joined by my friend and (eventually) sat down to a very nice meal.

The staff are attentive and serve drinks and small snacks while you're waiting. Be prepared for a long queue, especially on weekends.

The food itself is generally excellent and mouth-watering, though I found the Pan Con Tomate less flavoursome than I hoped. The prawn and pepper tortilla was cooked in front of us and was deliciously runny inside (a personal favourite) and I can recommend the Sardines la Plancha. Though I do have a thing for sardines. The Creme Catalana was nice, if a touch too sweet. Our chef was incredibly jovial and made some good suggestions.

I'm no wine drinker but I managed to imbibe two very nice glasses of red, one at the bar and one during.

Expect to pay over Â£60 for two with wine for a modest tapas meal and far more for a spanish feast.

Barrafina - review by chrisp

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:47:35 +0000

Barrafina - review by chrisp

Rating: 4.5

Location: 54 Frith St, W1D 4SL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7813 8010

Website: http://www.barrafina.co.uk/

Tags: expensive, spanish, crowded

There tends to be a pattern when new styles of cuisine are introduced to this country. The pioneer restaurants will be toned down, tame versions of the originals, designed to appeal to the masses; think Pizza Express in the 60s or Yo! Sushi in the 90s. Nothing too weird, nothing too offensive to the timid British palette, but due mainly to the novelty factor they are wild successes, at least for the first few years. Then once the novelty wears off, a new wave of more adventurous outlets open that offer something more closely approximating the "authentic" taste from abroad. So then you start noticing things like octopus or squid in your nigiri, or fresh basil and real buffalo mozzerella on your pizza. I'm generalising of course, but with passing time it seems diners, having gotten over the original shock factor and bragging rights of trying something new, will demand a more genuine experience. At least, snobs like me do.

There is sometimes a "Stage 3": Having mastered the said style of cuisine, some brave restauranteurs will take it one step further, and you end up with bizarre fusions like French-Japanese or Afghan-Ethopian. Most of these are hideous, so it's generally in the what I like to call "Stage 2" restaurants are you most likely to get a good meal. So where La Tasca bravely brought spanish tapas to an anonymous shopping mall near you, Barrafina in Soho ups the ante by actually trying to do it well.

However, this is London, and there are certain conditions. Tapas in Spain (at least outside the tourist areas of Catalonia) are little plates of bitesize morsels (chorizo, bread & tomato, croquettas, etc.) that are placed on your drink for free (yes, free!) whenever you order. In Barrafina, you pay Â£7 for a tiny plate of skewered quail and then have to cough up another Â£5 for a glass of Manzanilla sherry. Still, you'd think I'd be used to it by now.

Moaning aside, Barrafina was actually a reasonably enjoyable way to spend an evening. Looking less inside like an authentic tapas bar than a 1950s American diner, there were a dozen or so red leather stools alongside a gleaming chrome bar. The food (at least most of it) was cooked on a hot plate just behind the bar in full view of the diners, which was great fun to watch. Serving staff and kitchen staff all wore the same white outfits and moved around in the same space so you actually felt quite involved in the whole process. We randomly picked a few things from the menu and sat back and watched as they were cooked in front of us.

First to arrive was Pan amb Tomate (tomato bread), which was actually as good as I've had in Spain. Tomato flesh on crunchy bread spiced with raw garlic, it is admittedly a difficult thing to get wrong but even so was very nice. A board of sliced chorizo appeared next, which were only OK but swiftly followed with sweet and succulent whole prawns cooked in salt, the best of all the dishes we tried. The special tomato salad was full of flavour but hugely overseasoned - it was crunchy with salt. I saw the chef loading it with the stuff as I was sat about 3 foot away whilst the dish was being prepared, and I probably should have said something at the time, but never mind. Next, a couple of roast quail were tasty and succulent but with quite a layer of fat and again overseasoned. The accompanying aioli was delicious however, and we kept it back to dip our pimientos in. Finally, a dish of lamb cutlets was well cooked and presented, although I'm not sure how closely this fits the "tapas" brief.

The bill, with a couple of glasses of sherry and some nice Catalan red wine, came to Â£70 for two. This is a lot for tapas (I can only imagine the amount of food you'd have if you spent Â£70 in a tapas bar in Madrid), but not a lot for London to be honest. And we did have plenty to eat and drink. So I can recommend Barrafina - they're doing the best they can providing food such as this in one of the most expensive cities in the world, and they do it with a certain amount of style.

Barrafina - review by gastro1

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:54:04 +0000

Barrafina - review by gastro1

Rating: 4.5

Location: 54 Frith St, W1D 4SL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7813 8010

Website: http://www.barrafina.co.uk/

Tags: lively, good value, spanish, crowded

Superb tapas made with excellent ingredients - just like Fino the sister restaurant.

This establishment shows the many Spanish owned establishment in the UK how it should be done i.e no tinned Russian Salad :-)

Comparable to the best tapas bars in Barcelona, Seville , Madrid and San Sebastian.

The Providores - review by sue

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:18:09 +0000

The Providores - review by sue

Rating: 4.3

Location: 109 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4RX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7935 6175

Website: http://www.theprovidores.co.uk

Tags: tapas, antipodean, new zealand, average brew, international, brunch, breakfast

I don't go out for brunch often these days, but when a brunch was on the agenda I knew where I wanted to go - The Providores. This antipodean owned restaurant had been on the to-do list for a long while so we trekked into Marylebone High Street one Wednesday mid-morning, hoping we wouldn't have to wait long for a table as my pregnant companion had a need to eat frequently, at short notice.

We nabbed the last available table for 4 and were excited by the tasty sounding menu. Coffees arrived looking good - any place that serves a 'flat white' is ok by me.

We ordered the Bacon Fry-up; the Paprika roast potato, caramelised onion, feta & edamame tortilla with tomato and piquillo pepper salsa, Greek yoghurt and rocket; and the French toast stuffed with banana and pecans with grilled smoked streaky bacon and vanilla verjus syrup.

The food was good quality, and the Bacon Fry-up and the Tortilla got the thumbs up, though the boys were disappointed with their French toast which they found way too sweet.

Loved the look and feel of the place and am keen to come back one evening to sample some of their tapas accompanied by some always enjoyable New Zealand wine.

The Providores - review by mazphd

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:49:29 +0000

The Providores - review by mazphd

Rating: 4.3

Location: 109 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4RX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7935 6175

Website: http://www.theprovidores.co.uk

Tags: lively, good value, crowded

Ok so i've been beaten to it by other TP reviewers, but we all share in our enthusiasm for wonder of The Providores.

Sharp and sophisticated the bar area is ideal for a late sup. Sit on high benches without table cloths, amid low level lights and revel in the quality of the 'wine of the moment': On this occasion a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand (well where better?!).

The best tapas i've been treated to in AGES, elegantly laden plates with sun dries, anti-pasta and more than pleasing cheeses! I have it on good authority from my dining companion that the chef is a connoisier of fine wine and unique flavours and this was not lost on us! I remember the aroma of the cheeses and how our tomatoes were de-seeded and seasoned to perfection.

Too full for dessert I feel i missed out as the passionfruit ripple with hokey Pokey ice cream, umeshu vanilla rhubarb and nut biscotti was a radient plate of decadence.

Will i go back?... You bet! And on an empty stomach this time!

Barrafina - review by fabiodebe

Sat, 10 May 2008 16:03:30 +0000

Barrafina - review by fabiodebe

Rating: 4.5

Location: 54 Frith St, W1D 4SL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7813 8010

Website: http://www.barrafina.co.uk/

Tags: lively, spanish, crowded, expensive

Barrafina is a nice place. It was too busy to eat when I went so I just had some good red wine and a few starters... stuffed olives and ham (the famous jamÃ²n serrano).
The bill said Â£31 for the 2 of us... I wouldn't call it cheap but you can't demand too much if you go in a pretty trendy place in the heart of Soho, can you?

Barrafina - review by spacexyz

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:18:28 +0000

Barrafina - review by spacexyz

Rating: 4.5

Location: 54 Frith St, W1D 4SL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7813 8010

Website: http://www.barrafina.co.uk/

Tags: expensive, spanish, pretentious, crowded

Not that the food is bad, in fact is is quite decent although not exceptional, but the whole thing is the biggest rip-off in London, period.

The quality and the preparation are good, the sizes are tiny and the tapas come and go being pushed to you so you move on for the next one, so the service, although friendly is clearly trying to get you moving and the overall experience is that you have been analy raped by a gang of huge russian bearded men.

I must say i prefer to call it Barracara (expensive bar) rather than Barrafina.

I forgot something.. Salt Yard is much better and i believe i can judge it based on the fact i am Spanish.

Jai Krishna - review by andymyers

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:11:35 +0000

Jai Krishna - review by andymyers

Rating: 4.5

Location: 161 Stroud Green Road, N4 3PZ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7272 1680

Tags: indian, cheap eat

Jai Krishna is a total dive and I love it. There's nothing better than an amazing restaurant that simply focuses on the food and nothing else. Jai Krishna is a BYOB vegetarian and I will miss it now that I've moved to East London. I went last week with my wife and a friend and we ordered tons of food like the moong daal (sp.), chili panner, saag paneer and various other dishes I can't remember. Everything tastes great and it is dirt cheap. Well worth going with some friends and plenty of beers.

Jai Krishna - review by stml

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:04:12 +0000

Jai Krishna - review by stml

Rating: 4.5

Location: 161 Stroud Green Road, N4 3PZ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7272 1680

Tags: lively, vegan, family & home feel, cheap eat, good value, curry, crowded, vegetarian, indian

Jai Krishna is a little disconcerting to the first-time visitor - BYO, vegetarian, pretty shabby looking and utterly disinterested staff - but hold on, this place is amazing, as attested to by the fact that it's packed out by locals every weekend.

Yes, you have to write your own order down on a piece of paper and take it up to the counter, but when that food comes, man is it worth it. These guys know how to cook.

Try the exqusite yoghurt and rice starters, my personal favourite the chilli paneer, or the much admired dosas. And the puddings are great too, if you can fit them in.

Oh, did I mention it's mind-bogglingly cheap?

For booze, Jack's offie is directly opposite, and very friendly (if sometimes a little whiffy).

Non-veggies: I once took a cordon bleu carnivore chef who hates vegetarians here: he loved it, and insists we go there whenever he visits since.

Favourite restaurant in the world. No doubt.

National Portrait Gallery Restaurant - review by bombaybeauty

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:34:11 +0000

National Portrait Gallery Restaurant - review by bombaybeauty

Rating: 4.2

Location: National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, WC2H 0HE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7312 2490

Website: http://www.searcys.co.uk

Tags: posh, romantic

It's a tiny space, which you have to traverse the gallery to reach. But exactly because it's a bit compressed inside the view outside seems all the more spectacular.

This is an excellent spot for: (a) any meal or snack whilst visiting the gallery, (b) an after work drink if you're in this part of town, or (c) indeed a romantic evening.

Food and wine do well by the spot.

The Providores - review by bombaybeauty

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 06:39:13 +0000

The Providores - review by bombaybeauty

Rating: 4.3

Location: 109 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4RX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7935 6175

Website: http://www.theprovidores.co.uk

Tags: posh, New World, good value, quick bite

Perhaps this place is a victim of its own success. Outstanding food. The restaurant (upstairs) is expensive. I'm told it's good but haven't tried it. The tapas, bar area is at ground level. The menu consists of a dishes ranging from small bites, to soups, salads, to small mains. The ingredients are fresh, the choice of flavors unconventional but delightful. There's something of a new world/ fusion orientation to the menu and an emphasis on New Zealand wines.

The downside to all this joy is the service and the space. Unless you reach early, it gets crowded. And they have always been unfriendly, always. Granted some of this has to do with the tight space, but even then being coldly asked to wait outdoors till a table opens up could be done with more humour, charm, or good grace. It's enough of an issue for me that I tend to avoid the place unless I there's no choice, which happens from time to time when I'm looking for a place that services really good small bites, as this place does.