The menu at Bar Cañete – a light, narrow space clad in pale wood, hanging green foliage, and a bar made for grazing which always starts with a selection of tapas. There’s a bomba, squid sangers, anchovies, hand-cut jamón, Iberian pork jowl with smoked herring, and plenty more to tempt you. It’s all brought to you by cheerful waiters in epaulettes, evoking a sense of seaside theatre. We, of course, perch at the bar, lit by hanging chrome lights, to have our senses slapped by the action of the kitchen – it’s a lively place running like clockwork. Venture further in, and you’ll find more seating and a separate glass-panelled dining room as well – here, I gawped at their magnificent wine cellar.
I’d already clocked the tortilla abierta gamba €18.85 on social media before I even sat down – it’s the open prawn omelette, and my god, those prawns were obscenely fresh. Sweet, delicate, almost candy-like – if confectionery came from the sea and wore SPF 50. They were my kind of prawns. But here’s where I take issue: as much as I love a runny yolk, this thing was raw in the middle – glossy, gloopy, borderline snotty. Another 60 seconds on the heat and I’d have been dancing in my seat.
Then came the garlic-smeared mossèn Cinto de Folgueroles flatbread with crushed tomatoes €2.80. It was decent, and had the mettle to compete with the likes of the pan con tomate from Barrafina.
Fritura de pescado Cañete (€15.55) was a melange of lightly battered, sweet seafood – moray eel, squid, prawns, and baby red snapper all in the mix. I only wish Sabor, my favourite tapas spot in London, would adopt this dish – t’s the definition of one of life’s pleasures.
Green bean salad €11.95 came with a honey-mustard dressing with a good dusting of parmesan, the crunch of pine nuts and shavings of asparagus. It was another delicious delight and testament that the restaurant and deliver on the veg front too.
The Barceloneta bomba €3.35 was a golden-shelled snack of minced meat and mashed potato, generously smothered in aioli and a fiery tomato sauce. A bomba worth remembering.
Pulpo a la brasa €19.40 landed as muscular hunks of charred octopus tentacle, smoky with paprika and full of character. On the side: soft, nutty potatoes and a tomato sauce that licks the back of your throat with just enough heat to keep things interesting.
The real star was the la paella Cañete día €19.95, a dish that demands a 45-minute wait – but damn, it’s worth every second. The sauce hit with a savoury, mouth-puckering depth that sang of umami and the sea. Fresh squid, chunky white fish, and clams grabbed your attention, too. It was the standout dish of the trip.
Verdict
When did I go? March 2018
The damage: Expect to pay €15/20 per head with a glass of vino
The good: Coming to Bar Cañete has turned me into a seafood-eating mercenary. Everything we ate was intensely enjoyable – I’d describe it as a full-on, wet French kiss of flavour across your tongue. Don’t miss the Fritura de pescado Cañete, French bean salad, or octopus. Now, I’m going to be brass-necked and say that the la paella Cañete día was the most compelling paella I’ve ever eaten.
The bad: Avoid the snotty tortilla abierta gamba, but be prepared for a wallet bashing when you come here.
Rating: 4.5/5
Would I go again? You don’t need to ask me twice!
Address: Carrer de la Unió, 17, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
Web: https://barcanete.com/en/
Leave a Reply