SPEECHLESS
How is it possible? The miracle is called barrafina and it defines itself with a frightening simplicity: “An authentic Spanish tapas bar”. Barrafina is the peculiar gastronomic project of Sam and Eddie Hart , in love with Spain (they worked in Madrid for years and spent their childhood in their parents' house in Mallorca), its gastronomy and its bars. They themselves do not deny that Cal Pep, in Barcelona, was the tavern that inspired Barrafina.
Proposal? A bar with twenty-three stools and no waiters, only chefs plating and cooking tapas to the sound of music and the run run of cutlery . No reservations, no phone, no tablecloths; fast and fun cuisine —and the noise of a bar where the most tavern experience (the smells, noise and flow of a Casa Manteca in “the city”) is complemented with quality dishes, good products, wines by the glass and prices very tight. It's easy to say, right?
Nieves Barragán: Talent behind Barrafina
But we want to know more, that's why we talk to Nieves Barragan , executive chef of the three restaurants (Frith Street in Soho and Adelaide Street and Drury Lane in Covent Garden) ; Nieves arrived in London from Bilbao and she has seen how she has changed the landscape of London gastronomy in these thirteen years — she landed in London in 2003 with Sam and Eddie. The first question is obvious, of course: did you expect the prize? “ No, we did not expect it. It is a happy moment and a great recognition with a great repercussion in the industry”, she assures.
One of the surprises that the menu hides, in addition to the classics that one can expect in a “Spanish restaurant” (padrón peppers, Iberian ham, croquettes, Moorish pintxos, baby squid or squid sandwiches) are the dishes dedicated to offal — brains, gizzards, trotters, kidneys or liver — perhaps not so common in London; Have you been surprised by the reception of the offal in Barrafina? (to me, a lot) “Yes, although it is a product that is commonly consumed in the north of the United Kingdom, the truth is that we did not expect the offal to penetrate so well. What surprises us most is that many of our clients come specifically to repeat these dishes”.
Some knives?
But apart from the offal, what works best? What does an English person expect from a menu based on typical Spanish dishes and what souvenir do you think they take home? “ What works best is fresh fish and shellfish , and the key to everything is the freshness of the product. An Englishman expects the same as a Spaniard: quality, freshness and elaboration . Here it is especially difficult, because the London public has a wide range of restaurants, difficult to see in other parts of the world”.
Nieves, by the way, is not new to this award thing. The Soho venue already has a Michelin Star and our clever colleagues from British GQ already awarded it the Best Chef Award in 2015; We talked to her (also) about trends and the gastronomy that is coming...
Barrafina: another tapas concept
Not so long ago, it seemed incredible that a restaurant without tables, without reservations and without tablecloths was the favorite of the gastronomic community... don't you think? “Of course, nobody would have thought that this model could work ten years ago. But in the end, people want to enjoy a different experience, and nothing better than being part of the show and witnessing everything that happens around them”.
As for what's to come... what do you think we'll see over the next few years...? “In London, South America; especially the Mexican Kitchen ”.
Experience, product, cuisine, binge, seasonality and market. A bar with no other intention than the pleasure of eating, drinking and sharing. Congratulations, Snow..
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Long live the bar!