We were very excited to find out that a new tapas bar had opened in Banbury and it gave us the excellent excuse to re-live our recent holiday in the Med. Bravas Tapas Banbury also has a sister restaurant in Bicester, Oxfordshire.
The restaurant in Banbury doesn’t have the best of locations with the old, disused multi-storey car park looming in the background. But inside the restaurant has been revamped with a fun, bright and colourful interior that befits any tapas bar. As always I particularly loved the colourful, Moorish tiles that bedecked every wall! We were joined by two extra guinea pigs, Katy and Seb, to enjoy a 12 course slap up meal.
Despite some confusion with a Groupon token, I’d manage to lay my hands on, we quickly settled down to their specialist menu that included some classic tapas favourites and some lesser known delights. Here’s what we had…
…white wine sangria. We don’t generally choose white but thought we’d give it a go for a change. Very refreshing but I suspect their red sangria is better.
.. Bread!
…Chorizo in red wine,
…Meatballs in tomato sauce,
…Chickpea and chorizo,
…Tuna fishcakes,
…Chicken drumsticks,
…Manchego croquetas,
…Portabello mushrooms in garlic,
…Patas bravas – was a particular favourite of us all and had a real kick. House salad and Padron peppers – grilled, so the skins were just a touch chargrilled and wonderfully salty.
…Mama’s tortilla – Spanish omelette
Plus we had calamari – which was initially forgotten by our waiting team, but was deliciously moreish on arrival.
I deliberately saved room for the dessert and Tom and enjoyed a crème catalana, very similar to a crème brulee. (Just in case you are swotting for Great British Bake Off next week – the main difference is the crème catalana uses cornflour and milk and is not baked in a bain-marie like a crème brulee, which is also made with heavy cream.)
Overall, I think we’d definitely head back for another round and maybe venture for some of the more exotic choices!
