As refurbishments go, this former site of Dogma, now taken on by the Perkin restaurant group, is firmly on the wowzers list. Boasting a complete redesign on every floor, downstairs is ‘Cellar 9’ with bar and booths, perfect for drinks and tunes. The ground floor is bright and open plan: terracotta pots, herbs, olive trees, redbrick, moorish tiles and high ceilings. Welcome to Tapas World.
The menu is vast – almost daunting – with an impressive selection of cheeses sourced from across the Spanish realm, from the Guadarrama mountains to the valleys of Valdeon. The cured meat selection is the same: chorizo, serrano, iberico, lomo and fuet. There’s also fish and vegetable sections, with classic tapas as well as some real standout dishes.
Taking inspiration from the Catalonian ‘coca’ – slabs of thin pastry topped with sweet or savoury ingredients – Baresca stone bake their own flatbreads, topped with all manner of mediterranean loveliness, from the simple garlic and mozzarella (£3.95/£7.50) to the more bold fuet (£5.50/£10.50), a traditional Catalan cured sausage, thinly sliced so it crisps up around the edges, and with an earthy, more complex flavour than the more ubiquitous salami.
When I first tried Padron peppers in Spain, the barman warned that one in every seven or so was fiery, but there was no way of knowing which one. A game of pepper roulette ensued and sure enough the occasional one had a good kick, easily solved by a swig of cold beer. None of the ones we tried (£5.95) yielded any heat, but maybe we were just unlucky, and they were still tasty. We were also a little unlucky with the cauliflower cheese (£4.25) which, topped with almonds and chilli flakes, promised to be more interesting than it actually was.
The buttermilk used in the batter for the fried squid (£5.50) gave the crispy coating a soft, almost creamy taste. We also selected the monkfish (£8.50): small nuggets of fish in lemon and thyme breadcrumbs served on shallot puree, with sharp capers and gherkins – a very well balanced dish.
The slow-cooked pork fillet and pork cheek fritter (£7.95) won best in show for me; the fillet served ever so slightly pink, which is increasingly popular as modern farming practices have removed any associated risks. Old habits die hard though, so I think it will be a while before it goes mainstream.
Just as the Boqueria food and drink market in Barcelona is a bustling bombardment on all the senses, Baresca gives you a little slice of that action without having to get on a plane.
Baresca, 9 Byard Lane, NG1 2GJ. 0115 948 3900 baresca.co.uk
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
