Away Day Review #5 - Bar Cañete, Barcelona
CUISINE
This highly renowned Spanish local is known for its high quality tapas. With a plethora of options on the menu, you will find yourself overwhelmed for choice (…but I guess that’s what will bring you back). The fish and seafood is sourced locally from the Catalan markets and the vegetables are in equally local and in season.
MY SCRAN CHOICE
We were fortunate enough to get in on the action by sitting on the counter to experience front-row viewing. This spoilt the surprise to a certain extent as we saw some of the enticing dishes be plated up before our eyes, but this had a silver lining, as we then knew which specialties to order. We opted for a selection of different appetisers, snacks and special plates.
PLATE 1
‘Lobster Croquette with our secret ingredient’
I have tried out my fair share of croquettes recently, but it was interesting to taste a surprise iteration of the Spanish classic. I could not decipher what the secret ingredient was, but it was decadent, whilst the lobster was a nice relief away from the usual ham croquettes Spain offers.
PLATE 2
‘Belotta ham croquette’
Onto the aforementioned ham croquettes, these were done to a standard you would come to expect in a Spanish tapas joint: consistent and flavourful.
PLATE 3
‘Toasted flatbread with tomato’
These were toasted to perfection and were extra crispy. A nice, light plate after the croquettes commenced proceedings.
PLATE 4
‘Crispy marinated monkfish with Kimchi mayonnaise’
As Cañete highlighted its locally sourced fish on its website, it felt right to try out the fried monkfish, it looked right up my street. It was presented well, the monkfish very tender and the mayonnaise certainly helped balance the dish.
PLATE 5
‘Chorizo sausage sandwich’
A simple plate, but a traditional one in Spain. It all depends on the quality of the chorizo and in this case, it did not disappoint.
PLATE 6
‘Tender spicy octopus with tomato’
My personal favourite. It was very rich, as octopus’ flavours by nature are powerful, but the mild spice gave it that extra kick. It was not chewy in any sense and this hearty portion satisfied my lunch-time hunger.
REFRESHMENTS
‘A glass of Gregal d’Espiells 2021’
I enjoyed a lovely glass of White to accompany the Tapas on a warm sunny day in Barcelona.
THE FEE
A reasonably priced affair if you do not over-indulge yourself by ordering too much. I would recommend sharing only a couple of the main plates as the appetisers deceive with how filling they are.
THE REVIEW
I thoroughly enjoyed going to one of the most eminent tapas spots in Barcelona. You could tell it was popular due to the waiting time to walk in and the fact every table was snapped up. The food was great and I loved the atmosphere. It was rowdy and the staff were evidently loving their jobs, such was the contagious camaraderie between them. I’d recommend a visit if you want simple tapas executed excellently.
Room for Improvement?
Although the atmosphere was spot-on, a minor criticism, but it felt like they tried to pack in as many seats on the counter as possible, thus some more space would have been nice. Other than that, a great showing.
THE EYE TEST
THE TASTE TEST
SERVICE
ATMOSPHERE
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
- TENDER SPICY OCTOPUS -
FINAL MATCH RATING
LOCATION
Address: Bar Cañete, Carrer de la Unió, 17, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
Website: https://www.barcanete.com/