Boqueria, Brixton
Authentic Spanish tapas.
Review
Itchy loves tapas - any excuse to share lots of little dishes and we're
there. So when we were invited to try out new tapas place Boqueria in
Brixton, we literally jumped at the chance (and nearly injured
ourselves in the process.)
We hopped on the tube, already salivating at the thought of our favourite tapas treats. Boqueria is located a fair way down Acre Lane, meaning that it is equally close to Brixton and Clapham Common tube stations. It was a fair walk, but we enjoyed a bit of early Springtime sunshine... just bear this in mind if it's tipping it down when you plan to visit, boys and girls!
It is sort of in the middle of nowhere, but this didn't put us off. We were greeted warmly, and greedily scoured the menu. They had a wide range of tapas plates, from patatas bravas to tortilla espanola, but we didn't feel too overwhelmed with choices. Itchy's eyes are bigger than our stomach and we often end up ordering enough for a small army... so we were careful with our choices at Boqueria. We needn't have worried, though, as the dishes are a perfect size for sharing a little taste between two, and the waiter was very helpful in advising us about how much or how little to order.
Our choices turned out to be perfect. The pimientos de padron (salted green peppers) were a fabulous start. The aubergine cannelloni with goats cheese and mushrooms was moreish (we sort of wish they did a big version) and we fought over the last piece of presa iberica (pork shoulder on a bed of sweet potato puree... yum!) before scoffing the last of the patatas bravas, which was perfectly accompanied by both salsa brava and aioli, pleasing everyone's tastes. The specials board was also rather tempting... we opted for king prawns in "pil pil" sauce sautéed with spinach leaves and we BLOODY LOVED IT.
We were really impressed with the drinks list - not only a wide range of Spanish wines, cavas and sherries but Spanish beers... including possibly our new favourite drink EVER the Damm Lemon Shandy. Not only does it sound rather debonair (saying Damm in public is always fun) but it is also pretty damn tasty. (Even girls like it. Fact.) It made us yearn for a little trip to Spain... sipping this by the pool would make a good moment great, trust.
Unusually, we didn't feel absolutely stuffed after our first course, so the dessert menu seemed highly tempting. It took about 0.3 seconds to decide on the Crema Catalana, and White and Dark Chocolate Mousses. It then look not that much longer for them to appear in front of us. We definitely made the right snap decision - the Crema Catalana was fresh and tasty, while the Mousses were light and the perfect amount of sweet to round off the meal. (Although we were quite amused to find them adorned with a mint flavour Matchmaker... retro. And not very Spanish.)
We can't wait to see how this place blossoms - we hope that in summer they can get some tables outside. (This really is food to be eaten in the early evening sun.) The prices are very reasonable, and there's even freshly cooked paella on offer for anyone who fancies something a bit more substantial. Hopefully people will be willing to make the short journey to experience the authentic taste of Spain - once they've made it for the first time we reckon they'll be back for more.
We hopped on the tube, already salivating at the thought of our favourite tapas treats. Boqueria is located a fair way down Acre Lane, meaning that it is equally close to Brixton and Clapham Common tube stations. It was a fair walk, but we enjoyed a bit of early Springtime sunshine... just bear this in mind if it's tipping it down when you plan to visit, boys and girls!
It is sort of in the middle of nowhere, but this didn't put us off. We were greeted warmly, and greedily scoured the menu. They had a wide range of tapas plates, from patatas bravas to tortilla espanola, but we didn't feel too overwhelmed with choices. Itchy's eyes are bigger than our stomach and we often end up ordering enough for a small army... so we were careful with our choices at Boqueria. We needn't have worried, though, as the dishes are a perfect size for sharing a little taste between two, and the waiter was very helpful in advising us about how much or how little to order.
Our choices turned out to be perfect. The pimientos de padron (salted green peppers) were a fabulous start. The aubergine cannelloni with goats cheese and mushrooms was moreish (we sort of wish they did a big version) and we fought over the last piece of presa iberica (pork shoulder on a bed of sweet potato puree... yum!) before scoffing the last of the patatas bravas, which was perfectly accompanied by both salsa brava and aioli, pleasing everyone's tastes. The specials board was also rather tempting... we opted for king prawns in "pil pil" sauce sautéed with spinach leaves and we BLOODY LOVED IT.
We were really impressed with the drinks list - not only a wide range of Spanish wines, cavas and sherries but Spanish beers... including possibly our new favourite drink EVER the Damm Lemon Shandy. Not only does it sound rather debonair (saying Damm in public is always fun) but it is also pretty damn tasty. (Even girls like it. Fact.) It made us yearn for a little trip to Spain... sipping this by the pool would make a good moment great, trust.
Unusually, we didn't feel absolutely stuffed after our first course, so the dessert menu seemed highly tempting. It took about 0.3 seconds to decide on the Crema Catalana, and White and Dark Chocolate Mousses. It then look not that much longer for them to appear in front of us. We definitely made the right snap decision - the Crema Catalana was fresh and tasty, while the Mousses were light and the perfect amount of sweet to round off the meal. (Although we were quite amused to find them adorned with a mint flavour Matchmaker... retro. And not very Spanish.)
We can't wait to see how this place blossoms - we hope that in summer they can get some tables outside. (This really is food to be eaten in the early evening sun.) The prices are very reasonable, and there's even freshly cooked paella on offer for anyone who fancies something a bit more substantial. Hopefully people will be willing to make the short journey to experience the authentic taste of Spain - once they've made it for the first time we reckon they'll be back for more.
