Anyone who’s ever been to Spain will know what good quality tapas should taste like. There are few places in London that are able to live up to the same level of quality that you get in Spain. Barrafina in my books has been a great example of good tapas and recently I came across Boqueria. Boqueria, unlike Barrafina, does take reservations and I was seriously blown away during my visit! This is rare for me when it comes to restaurants because the more I eat, the pickier I become.
Firstly, the layout of the restaurant is great. When you first walk in you step into a diner style area with bar stools, a more casual space if you’re dropping by quickly without a reservation. Walking further into the restaurant you’ll reach a beautiful and bright dining area with windows on one side of the roof. It’s modern but so warm and cosy at the same time.
As we sat down we were immediately greeted by lovely staff. They generally recommend 5 tapas to share amongst two people but we were quite hungry so we ordered 3 each. The dishes are not light though.
First up we had Red tuna carpaccio with garlic, almond, soy sauce and fresh tomato (£6.80). This dish was insanely good! The combination just worked so well and it was actually mouthwatering. We also ordered Iberian ham (£11) and chorizo with cider (£4.90). The ham had a perfect amount of fat and great flavour. The chorizo tasted just how it should, although I do think there is a grilled option which I would have preferred. With the meal we ordered some smooth Raimat wine.
Next up were the grilled king prawns with garlic and parsley (£8.60), croquetas with Iberian ham and chicken (£5.20), salted peppers from Padrón, Galicia (£4.80). The king prawns were the nicest I’ve ever had. They were so juicy and you could really taste the garlic. The croquetas were spot on but the peppers needed a bit more salt. That was an easy fix though as the actual peppers were great.
Despite being stuffed we wanted to try some dessert so we chose one to share, the Cubes of fried milk dusted with cinnamon and orange blossom (£4.40). They were almost like cream filled mini donuts but much lighter and certainly a nice way to finish off an amazing meal. My only complaint is that I wish the location was more central!
SUMMARY
This place gets a solid 5/5. I can not fault the food or the restaurant at all. Its definitely worth the trip to Brixton!
Boqueria
192 Acre Lane, London SW2 5UL
Phone:020 7733 4408
