I love a road trip, and on this particular Saturday mum, dad and I had been to see 'A Street Car Named Desire' in Leicester at The Curve Theatre and off course, dinner has to follow. Mum and dad had been to this restaurant, Barceloneta in Leicester before and said how good it was ... I was excited. Barceloneta is a Spanish tapas restaurant and it has a bar attached to it, which was very cool. We had a drink in there first and I actually felt like I was sitting in a Spanish living room, it was very cosy and warm. After seeing the bar, I was looking forward to the restaurant and the food!
The bar and restaurant were very busy, bustling with hungry tapas lovers. The interior felt very Mediterranean with bright blue tiles and wine bottles everywhere. The menu has lots of choice, but not too much - which was good as I get a bit overwhelmed when there is too much on a menu. During the day and early evening they offer a very good deal - 3 tapas dishes and a drink for £13.75, which is a bargain!
I was excited to dig in, we decided to order 2/3 dishes each and share everything between the three of us. Thats what I love about tapas, the fact you can share everything and try bits of different dishes from the menu.
We were given some bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to start our meal with, the bread was very fresh tasting and crusty.
Tapas 1
Champions Rellenos Con Chorizo - deep fried mushrooms stuffed with chorizo, topped with melted Mahon cheese.
£4.95
These were delicious, deep fried mushrooms with breadcrumbs on them, stuffed with delicious chorizo then topped with gooey Mahon cheese and a sprinkle of paprika - yum. They were cooked very well, the mushrooms were bouncy and full of flavour, the filling was generous and the cheese on top wasn't too overpowering, I loved this dish and there was enough for me to have two!
Tapas 2
Albódigas En Salsa Picante - beef meatballs in a piquant sauce of chilli, paprika, white wine and tomatoes
£5.95
I loved the traditional dishes the food was served in, it was very homely. These meatballs were very good, even though piquant is chilli - the sauce wasn't too spicy, which was good for a wimp like me. The meatballs were cooked perfectly, the sauce was rich, sweet and delicious. For the price, a very generous sized portion too. My mum particularly loved these as meatballs are her favourite and she said they tasted very traditional.
Tapas 3
Garbanzos Con Chorizo - chorizo & chickpeas cooked with onions and peppers
£4.99
Again, a very generous portion size full to the brim with spicy chorizo sausage, chickpeas, onions and peppers. This was delicious. Te chorizo had so much flavour, I love this spicy sausage and it works so well with so many dishes but I would of never thought doing it so simply with some chickpeas, onions and peppers would of worked so well - but it did and I loved this, a perfect side dish to some of the meat and fish dishes we had. The chickpeas were perfectly cooked, not too hard and the onions and peppers were char-grilled and served al-dente. Another very good dish.
Tapas 4
Brochetas De Rape Y Gambas - fresh monkfish & tiger prawn kebabs with mango & chilli dip
£9.25
As soon as I saw these on the menu, I knew I had to have them! At first, I felt £9.25 was a lot for two kebabs but when the dish came the monkfish was cut into thick chunks and the tiger prawns were the big, juicy, shell on ones - justifying the money. This dish was the star of the evening for me - the soft, juicy monkfish was so succulent and the gigantic prawns were full of flavour. The slightly charred peppers went so well in-between the fish. De-shelling prawns is a bit of a nightmare but it keeps the flavour in and it adds to the fun! The chilli and mango dip the kebabs came with was delicious, sweet, tangy but with a hint of spice - the perfect combination for a sauce and it went so well with the fish kebabs. I loved this dish and, it was worth every penny.
Tapas 5
Costillas Españolas A La Barbacoa - Spanish style BBQ ribs in a smokey honey, soy and Worcester sauce
£5.50
Another very generous sized portion for the price and they looked so good on the plate. I love lots of sauce - so I was very happy to see a good amount. The ribs were tender, succulent and fell off the bone, the sauce they were in was sweet, smoky and tangy. I love ribs and these were certainly very good.
Tapas 5
Brochetas De Solomillo De Cerdo Marrando Con Ajo, Chilli Y Pimentón - kebabs are spicy cubed pork fillet in a garlic, chilli and paprika marinade.
£5.95
This dish came with 2 kebabs, so we had to share them out between the 3 of us. But, they tasted so good. The pork fillet was perfectly cooked, it was seasoned so well and I could really taste the garlic, chilli and paprika. I really enjoyed this dish, it was so fragrant.
Tapas 6
Pimentos Rellenos - bell pepper stuffed & roasted with tomatoes, pine nuts, onions, pimento & aubergine mousse.
£4.55
This was a big portion for the price and it looked so good not the plate. Now, I love meat and fish but with a dish as good as this was, I didn't miss those components and for a vegetarian dish it had so much flavour. The bell pepper was sweet and charred, the filling was full of flavour and the aubergine mousse was a favourite for me. I really enjoyed this and it was a side dish and accompany some of the others.
Tapas 7
Colas de Gambas - chargrilled giant tiger prawns with a fresh tomato & coriander salsa
£6.95
Another great looking dish, the prawns were served shell-on again, making them look nicer, taste better but a pain to eat! However, they were worth the effort. They were succulent, perfectly cooked, full of flavour and the salsa that came with it was gorgeously fresh and went so well with the spicy prawns, it helped cool them down. This dish really had a taste of the Med and I felt like I was sat by the sea in Spain, eating delicious tapas (wishful thinking!)
Lastly, our last tapas dish is a favourite of every tapas lover and a must-have side dish.
Tapas 8
Patatas Bravas - roasted new potatoes in a spicy tomato salsa and garlic mayonnaise topping
£4.75
I always order Patatas Bravas as a side dish in tapas restaurants as its a great dish, simple but so flavoursome. The potatoes were fluffy in the middle but had a crispy skin, the tomato salsa was delicious and had a slight kick to it and the garlic mayonnaise helped to cool everything down and had a great garlic taste. Yum!
Over all, a fantastic experience at Barceloneta in Leicester, the owner knows my mum and he was brilliant to us - bought us a round of drinks and even gave us a bottle of prosecco for the table, much appreciated! The traditional feel of the restaurant is great, the food is delicious, reasonably priced and I loved this place - if only it was slightly closer to home! If ever you are in Leicester, definitely go.
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