Saturday lunch with old friends

C&L sadly can’t join us, so there’s just the 5 of us meeting up for a get-together lunch.  T has suggested Barrica in Goodge Street, and as he’s a man who knows his food we’re happy to go along with that. It’s just a couple of doors down from Salt Yard, where we went for a Xmas do last year.  In between is the One Tun, so we meet there for drinks first, sitting outside on a balmy October day – not least because the Liverpool-Man U match was on inside!  

We’ve seen a number of old people (!!) going in, and true enough when we get there all the nice tables at the back have been taken by a group. So we’re given a high table with stools by the door. Not ideal, but we manage.  The style is classic tapas bar – hams hanging from hooks, marble bar-tops, tiles, but the service is friendly and fairly attentive, so it’s not too clichéd.

The menu distinguishes between bar snacks (La Barra), cured meats and tapas (La Cocina).   So as our wine arrives (Tempranillo and Verdejo), we order some tomato bread, aubergine-marinated olives (B reckoned the best ever), boquerones and corteza (puffy pork scratchings) to keep us going.  Unfortunately the guindillas  (stuffed chillies) weren’t available.

To follow we have a ham selection plate (good Serrano, some odd black salami), padron peppers (B gets the hot one first up), duck egg and asparagus (just try dividing that between 5!), two portions of garlic prawns (H is not sharing!), calamares with garlic and romesco, chorizo with sweet potatoes, lamb and mushroom skewers and ham croquettes.  The prawns were voted a great success, as were the croquettes, but I found the lamb skewer a little tough.

We suffered from the typical tapas problem – everything came in a rush, we stuffed ourselves, and are finished within an hour.  No problem – more wine! 

They come round to ask if want dessert – instead we go for more croquettes, boquerones, and escalivada (a sort of vegetable lasagne) with goat’s cheese.

The jovial patronne comes around towards the end, livening the place up. We end up with 2 red and 3 white wines. The bill is a very reasonable £33 a head, so very good value.