Barcelona Tapas - St. Botolph Street

The fact that we paid £103 for two people (and that was after a two-for-one discount on the food was applied!) for what could at best be described as mediocre-quality food, most likely straight out of the microwave, should say it all. It is simply extortionate in light of the poor quality of the food. We had 8 tapas, dessert, a £24 bottle of wine, and an extra glass of wine. Positives first, the platter of cured meat and the plate of cheese were nice. The remaining 6 tapas ranged from poor to mediocre in quality. The calamaris were chewy, the patatas bravas soggy, the vegetable stew greasy, the pork stew dry, the bread (which you have to pay for) stale, and the mussels tasted off. All 8 tapas were served at the same time (about 3 minutes after we ordered, hence our suspicion that the food was microvawed, a suspicion further supported by the look and chewiness of the food) on a tiny bistro table for 2. This made it very uncomfortable for us and some of the food was even placed on the window sill by the waitress. Moving on to service and the ambiance. Service was brisk and no attention was paid to us after the dishes were delivered to our table. We therefore had to deal with a cramped table full of dirty dishes for most of the night. Ambiance is that of a canteen; the place is brightly lit and noisy as it also serves as a bar. It is also located near to a car park and for most of the night cars were flashing their lights straight onto our table. I won’t even comment on the dubious cleanliness of the bathroom and the total absence of hand soap. In a nutshell, I would recommend that everyone steers well, well clear of this place. I know I will.