So we were craving for tapas and ended up in Boqueria in Chelsea. The place is very nice with a decor that has a modern and rustic feel at the same time. There are two main areas: the bar area where you can just sit on high tables by yourself and look at the preparation of the tapas; and the main room with its large tables and, on one side a wall full of mineral water bottles and a big mirror on the other side. I love the lights that are, on each side of the restaurant, simply bulbs (stylish, do not look for energy efficient ones!).
Boqueria serves either tapas, cheeses and meats or Spanish specialties. We decided to go for tapas. If you do not know, tapas are appetizers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. It is a great way to share plates and a lot of restaurants have borrowed this idea.
Tapas can be served either hot or cold. The traditional items you would find are olives and tortilla that is and egg and potato omelet. The tortilla was the best I ever had: I do not like when eggs are overcooked, but this one was perfect. The eggs were moist and it was very tasty.
It was served with few olives and bread. I have to say that I did not know what to do with the bread at that point!
Then I wanted to try the Cojonudo that is fried quail eggs and chorizo on toast.
This little place was beautiful! It was also delicious. This is an amuse bouche: you have to eat each toast entirely (the yolk is runny). I loved the flavors: first you get the bread and the eggs and suddenly you will taste the chorizo. My only regret is that the chorizo was a bit tough.
Then we had the croquetas cremosas: creamy croquettes three were with cheese over a truffle puree and the other three were with mushroom and serrano ham over a raisin puree. The truffle puree was great: you could really taste the truffle. However, I did not really like the raisin puree with the croquettes. Standalone was fine though. The croquettes were delicious and flavorful. They were not greasy at all. My favorite was the cheese one.
We finished with Salteado de Setas: sauteed wild mushrooms with Manchego cheese. This was my least favorite. The taste of the mushrooms was a bit off and the cheese was tasteless.
Overall, it was a good meal. I was a bit hungry after this and needed a snack later. For me, this is a great place to try different dishes and enjoy the flavors of the Spanish cuisine. It is especially good if you are with several people so you can try plenty of dishes! Definitely to recommend!
Enjoy (I did)!
