Visiting the Boqueria Market in Barcelona exposes one to the best Mediterranean food experience ever . The market stretches forever , revealing section after section devoted to an utter feast for the senses of fruits , vegetables , fish , dried hams , olives , cheeses and more . Some of the stalls also serve their food on site and there are fantastic tapas bars . One of the ‘ must do ’ activities when you are in Barcelona .
In London we are lucky if we have two restaurants offering an equally great tapas experience . My friend , Cesar , and I visited Boqueria Tapas in Acre Lane between Brixton and
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Clapham . Of course we ordered and ate far too much during the evening . Tapas dishes arrive slowly as they are cooked , creating a relaxing informal experience ; captivating and tempting , each one driving us on to order yet one more portion until we could face no more . Constant Readers of The Constant Eater won ’ t be surprised to read that we never made it to pudding . Though I shall definitely visit again as next time I ’ d very much like to try Leche fitta – cubes of fried milk dusted with cinnamon and orange blossom water . Intriguing .
The tapas on offer are all familiar dishes so there are no new surprises and introductions
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however they were universally delicious . The Ali-oli sauce had just the right balance of sweet pungency of garlic to liven up soft fried squid . It ’ s a long time since I ’ ve been caught out by Pimientos de Padron – tonight they were all mild though deliciously salty . Octopus , yet again cooked to soft perfection , flavoured with paprika on a bed of potatoes . Two other tapas staples , and again resounding examples of the best , spicy patatas bravas and creamy fluffy croquetas with Iberian ham and chicken . We even ordered two portions of Langostinos a la parrilla con ajo y perejil . Boqueria Tapas must take a great deal of care to source all of their food , King Prawns included , so they tasted as succulent and fresh as seafood I ’ ve watched landed fresh from the sea and grilled before me . I don ’ t think we did |
In London we are lucky to have two restaurants offering an equally great tapas experience . My friend , Cesar , and I visited Boqueria Tapas in Acre Lane between Brixton and Clapham . Of course we ordered and ate far too much during the evening . Tapas dishes arrive slowly as they are cooked , creating a relaxing informal experience ; captivating and tempting … |
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justice to the plate of Lamb chops cooked with garlic and white wine . They smelt good but by this time my taste buds had begun to flag .
Striking the right balance of service by being both approachable and polite our waiter built my trust so I was happy to be guided to a bottle of Prior Scala Dei Priorat 2013
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based on both Cesar and my preference for deep full bodied wines . A heady blend of Garnacha Negra and Cabernet Sauvignon full of ripe fruit and light oak with a slight spice and mineral blend . Try this if you like something a little heavier .
£ 112 including service is not bad in London for a filling meal for two .
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