Not being the hugest fan of Spanish cuisine, I found myself at a Spanish restaurant for the second time in one day. Fortunately, it was my lucky day as these were probably the best Spanish restaurants I have been to.

Barrafina is set out in a similar way to Tapas bars in Spain, having a L-shaped counter at which you sit  and just order dishes as you want them. My dining partner and I had heard that queues quickly build at this popular place in Soho, so arrived before 7pm to prevent a long wait. Our foresight was rewarded, as we were seated immediately and actually had spaces either side of us, although this didn’t last long.

An aspect os Spanish cuisine I have not quite come to terms with is the sherry drinking. I’ve tried dry sherries before and I’ve just not been impressed. Acquired tastes are not ever likely to stand in my way, so I tried a Manzanilla Oloroso (described as complex), with my partner going for the very dry Fino. The Manzanilla didn’t blow my mind, although it wasn’t bad at all. A taste of the Fino revealed a very clean tasting sherry, which in fact I think I initially preferred.

Onto the food and we were impressed by the number of specials, which were predominantly some form of fresh fish or shellfish. To start things off we chose the toast with al-i-oli, which was very more-ish (as opposed to moor-ish!). Of the specials, we went for the whole mackerel served with new potatoes in a caper and mustard dressing, the fried baby red mullet and the asparagus with a balsamic reduction and manchego cheese. The mackerel was meaty and delicious, the mullet subtle and tasty and the asparagus delectable.

Cured pork is another dish a lot of people rave about in regards to Spanish cuisine but for me, it’s another aspect I’ve never been that excited by. Maybe I just haven’t eaten the right ham, although the Lomo (cured belly pork) was good, it didn’t change my opinion. The Spanish tortilla was a different matter, being the best I have ever had. Light, tasty potato with a soft eggy centre, it was absolutely delicious.

My partner finished off with the Santiago Tart (delicate,  almondy  flavour) and we both had another glass of sherry (another Fino for her and a very nice semi-sweet Oloroso for me).

I would highly recommend Barrafino as the food was excellent, the staff knowledgeable and it’s pretty reasonably priced (dishes range from £3.50 to £14.50, although most are closer to the fiver mark). Although not entirely convinced by the sherries, I’m looking forward to going back and trying the dishes I missed out this time.