‘La Boqueria’ is a famous food market on the bustling Las Ramblas in the heart of Barcelona, surrounded by street performers,
artists, and grand Gaudi architecture. Its namesake ‘Boqueria’ is a tapas bar
on Acre Lane in the Brixton/Clapham borderlands, surrounded by budget supermarkets, chicken shops
and a Grand Union.
Although different in terms of
location, Boqueria restaurant styles itself as an authentic Barcelona-style tapas bar, and
since opening in 2012 has garnered a number of good reviews, commendations and
awards. So it was well overdue a visit when the gf and I rocked up.
My only experience of tapas in Barcelona was in a proper
spit-n-sawdust style local joint, hidden in the gothic quarter (Bar Celta
Pulperia, if you’re interested. Check it out, it is increïble). That
was a very different vibe to Boqueria. Now, we are sat in the back dining room, which is bright and buzzy with (authentic) pictures of Barcelona on the walls.
You can also dine at the bar for what I assume must be an even more authentic
experience. The staff are all authentically Spanish (I didn’t ask if they were
Catalan), and the whole vibe is friendly and relaxed. Much like I’ve found
Barcelona to be. Authentic, then…
But what of the food? Despite it’s ‘Cheap Eats’ Time Out
Award, the prices are definitely at the upper end of the tapas scale, with most
dishes being in the £7-£10 range. For that price, I expect something
exceptional. And in parts, Boqueria delivered.
The best dish was one of the specials – Oxtail stuffed with
foie gras and served with Mediterranean vegetables. The meat was
so insanely tender just touching it with a fork caused it to fall to pieces,
making the presentation of the two perfect rolls some kind of sorcery. The best part was
the sauce – rich and packed full of meaty flavour. It was so good we didn't let the waitress clear away the plate until it was licked clean. Beautiful. But meagre. For £10 you'd want one more meat, and the Med veggies consisted of two thin slices of courgette and half a mushroom - less 'accompaniment', more 'garnish'.
We also enjoyed the seabass, served on a wheat risotto with scallop & parmesan cream. The fish was perfectly cooked, lovely firm flesh topped by crispy skin. The risotto was creamy, with a strong taste of the sea but with the smallest scallops in the history of things. They were served with the coral attached, which divides opinions at times, but I saw it as a good thing. If only because I wouldn't have seen where the scallops were at all otherwise... The strawberry garnish was an unusual addition. I'm not always convinced by sweet & savoury in the same dish, but here it was made an interesting counterpoint to the saltiness of the shellfish and cheese. A nicely constructed dish.
We also had some croquettas, which were croquettas. Crispy, packed with cheese and ham. Nice, but no different to any other tapas place I've eaten at.
The cheese board (slate) was a bit of a non-event... While perfectly fine, the cheeses were very samey, and the single morsel of the creamy blue cheese looked a bit sad and lonely.
Plus there was no bread or biscuits with it. Which while annoying, did mean we ordered the pan con ali-oli, which answered that eternal mystery "why are there no vampires on Acre Lane?" Garlic-y goodness.
And finally we had Santiago almond cake. Which was cakey. And almondy. And moist. (It was delicious, but I can't remember more than that - the wine and sherries by this point were probably taking their toll...)
So in conclusion, this is a fair example of the tapas genre. The dishes that are a little off-piste from the usual fare were a real delight, so I would recommend a visit. But maybe for a special occasion, because it wasn't cheap. And for that reason I'll probably stick with Gremio (also featuring authentic Spaniards) for a quick tapas fix in the Brix.
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