Pata Negra - Tapas Food Review in Bristol
Posted on: 2015-09-10
Our rating:
What I liked most is that even though we chose such contrasting dishes, we were able to eat combinations of them at once, piling some octopus and chorizo onto a pan con tomate, and the flavours would still work.
Pata Negra’s rustic yet sophisticated and classy interior was super inviting on this damp early September evening, and I imagine even more so as the winter creeps near. The restaurant’s foremost street-facing area is light and inviting, and the space spreads back into another section beyond the bar with some booths at the far back of the restaurant.
.jpg "Tapas at Pata Negra in Bristol")
My sister and I ordered six tapas dishes (well, we ordered the rabbit as well, which would have made 7, but they were out of that dish unfortunately). We decided to be adventurous and chose Octopus first – Sherry Braised Octopus, Valencian tomatoes, confit garlic (£7) – as well as King prawns, olive oil, garlic (£4), but also some classics; Patatas Bravas (£4), Chorizo Teruel (£6), and the Pan con Tomate (£3), and finally the Honey roast aubergine, rosemary, goat’s cheese & pine nuts (£4.50). It should be noted – if you’re looking at these prices thinking that it is a tad expensive – that at lunch they offer a three tapas for £10 deal too.
I’m not normally a massive aubergine fan, and unfortunately this dish didn’t drastically change my mind, although I can appreciate that the flavours were very good. My sister who does like them really enjoyed this dish. I had never eaten octopus before so this was entirely new to me. It came in a dish with halved cherry tomatoes, which were a nice contrast both in texture and flavour to the octopus, and I did enjoy the dish. The Patatas Bravas weren’t outstanding, and I have had many in my time, but the topping was nice. It was a generally enjoyable – yet safe – dish. The Pan con Tomate was the dish I was most pleasantly surprised with, despite it being arguably the most basic of the selection we chose. It literally translates as ‘bread with tomato’ but it wasn’t as boring as that sounds at all. The tomato had a slight spicy bite to it, and the toasts were fresh and added to the uniqueness of the dish. The chorizo dish came with a generous amount of chorizo, a few small slices of fresh round bread, and some cabbage strips as a sort of salad to accompany it.
What I liked most is that even though we chose such contrasting dishes, we were able to eat combinations of them at once, piling some octopus and chorizo onto a pan con tomate, and the flavours would still work. It appeared as though the chefs would bring out the food they’d literally just prepared which, if true, was a nice touch.
After the meal, I went for a dessert and my sister chose the healthier option and had a coconut water. I chose my dessert based on having never tried chocolate and nougat parfait, red fruit pureé (£4.50) before. It was nice, but didn’t taste too dissimilar to ice cream, although the red fruit pureé was a really nice addition, making it quite unique.
My stomach didn’t necessarily need a dessert, as the tapas definitely filled us both up (and we have big appetites I promise) but I have a major sweet tooth so I couldn’t resist. The three tapas for £10 offer at lunch would also be enough to keep you going – don’t be fooled by the fact that tapas dishes tend to be your conventional 'starter' sized servings.
Was the tapas experience one of the best I have had? Probably not. But it was nice, for sure, and the range of surprising dishes offered on the menu make it quite a different tapas experience to others in my tapas-eating years. Pata Negra can even be your much-nicer-option-than-Weatherspoons drinks destination if you’re not feeling hungry, with its dimmed cove-esque feel to it. The setting is lovely, the décor classy and quite English but with Spanish running notably through its veins too.
4/5
Reviewed by Maria Skinner for 365Bristol - the Bristol website where local information matters.
.jpg "Tapas Review at Pata Negra in Bristol 2015")
Tags: Food, Restaurant, Dinner, Lunch, Deal, Review, Spanish, Tapas, Vegetarian, Veggie, Family, Child Friendly, Children, City Centre, Night Out, Drinks, Food.
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Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
