Barcelona tapas bar, 481 Lordship Lane

[Keef]

A friend of mine went to the restaurant side of Yilmaz last week, and he said he was really impressed with it, worlds apart from the take away stuff. I personally have only been there very late when very drunk, so don't feel qualified to comment ;-)

[JoeChuff]

Yilmaz takeaway is fantastic!!! the chicken anyway. I think it's basically the same kitchen. Everything tastes nice and fresh, i think they use good ingredients there. they are friendly guys and they stay open really, really late

[Keef]

Agreed, the chicken shish is really good actually.

[Fuschia]

The Barcelona is nice food, very friendly staff and good for kids. It's a bit pricey though.

[marigold]

Barcelona: has no one else noticed they have a mummified pigs leg on a fake spit right in the middle of the restaurant? not a good look for attracting non-meat eaters...

lacks atmosphere. pricey. food is nothing special at all.

the bar in Herne Hill (next door to the new Oxfam) does really good tapas and has good ambiance. a much better bet.

[Ant]

Just had some food delivered from Barcelona. Am pleased to report that it was delicious. :)

[TillieTrotter]

Sounds abit dumb, but what did you order?

[Ant]

Erm... we had about 10 or 12 things between four of us... as far as I can remember they included:

patatas bravas

samfaina

mejillos somethingorother (mussels in a tomatoey sauce)

paella huertana

cordero al limon

the fried whitebait (can't remember the spanish name... Mockers?)

gambas... erm... battered prawns...

tortilla espanola

a couple of chickeny things...

The table was totally covered in food, all of which disappeared very quickly indeed.

[TillieTrotter]

Quanta costa?

[Ant]

Think it came to around quarenta y ocho. So, not especially cheap, but after having eaten it I'd happily pay that again. (Just not too often.)

They delivered within 30 mins, too.

[mockney piers]

I think they're usually called boquerones fritos. Traditionally made from anchovies. In fact are whitebait and anchovy the same thing? Either way I think they tend to be made from whitebait here.

[Huguenot]

Well, apparently.....

Whitebait can be any small fish up to about 5cm in length, but in the UK this usually refers to young herring.

Sprats are also commonly herring, but can be sardines. Sardines can be described as pilchards.

Anchovy look like herring, but aren't. They can be whitebait, but as they grow to 9 inches they soon lose that option.

Fish eh? Funny fuggers.

[Ant]

Don't think these ones were boquerones...

[Huguenot]

Hmmm, similar to this recipe?

[Nero]

Hugue,

I need a venn diagram to illustrate the dove(fish?)tailing of all those different species and names. Get to it! Nero

[Asset]

marigold Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Barcelona: has no one else noticed they have a

> mummified pigs leg on a fake spit right in the

> middle of the restaurant? not a good look for

> attracting non-meat eaters...

>

Spain not known for its vegetarians! (I speak as one myself)

[mockney piers]

A spanish vegetarian? Wow, you must struggle.

[Asset]

I meant a veggie - not Spanish!

[mockney piers]

Aah, lo siento ;-)

[Ant]

Is that much the same as a French vegetarian then? (i.e. more or less extinct through starvation.)

[dandy]

Sorry to be dissenter, but my wife visted for lunch yesterday, the food was appalling!

We spend a good deal of time in Spain and know what good tapas are.

[PeteOverhill]

What with it being at the bottom of a footpath by my house, I eat there frequently, but I have to say that I have stopped doing that on account of the food not being up to much. In its favour it has a massive wine list, and the cheese and desserts are magnificent. But the seafood is abysmal, and that's not on for a tapas bar. There's a much better tapas place in Battersea, the name of which I have helpfully forgotten.

[Ladygooner]

Best 3 tapas bars in London in my opinion are:

1. El Pirata, Down St, Mayfair

2. Meson Don Felipe, The Cut, Waterloo

3. Meson Los Barriles, Spitalfields Market

I have only visited Barcelona Tapas bar once and was not impressed. Hope the owner looks at the EDF comments and make the necessary improvements soon!

[mockney piers]

Have said this before, but El Rincon Latino is a must for tapas fans

http://www.london-eating.co.uk/2747.htm

That said it's expanded since I first started going, longer ago than I care to think about, and I gather the food may be the victim of their success a tad, but atmosphere and service are absolutely the real thing and second to none.

[catgirl]

Well I think it's great. Agreed, the fish dishes aren't great but the meat and veg ones are always good. And while it isn't the best tapas I've ever eaten (also think Meson don Filipe is probably the best I've had in London), I think the friendly service and buzzy atmosphere along with the great wine list (and all available by the glass) makes it overall a very enjoyable evening out.