Ibérica Food & Culture

I took my parents to Iberica last week when they were over from Galicia.
They'd been here for 3 weeks by then and I'd dragged them round every other
nationality. They love London and trying new things when they visit, but this
stay was a bit longer and they really needed a Spanish fix.
Iberica is my fav pit-stop when I'm feeling a bit homesick so was delighted
when I was able to get a table on a Thursday with only a days notice. Know
how busy it gets and it was slammed. Once again guys, it did not disappoint.
From the croquettas, to the Patatas bravas ( my favourite - don't know what
they do with the sauce ) to some fabulous dish with octopus - we ordered 2 of those
in the end, the food is just the best. 2 bottles of red, a ton of fab tapas,
1 great waitress (Spanish of course) and 2 and a half hours later my parents
had been converted. My Dad is pretty particular and even he was happy and
wants to try the suckling pig when he's next here (they need 24 hours
notice).

I go aften to Iberica and once again I had an amazing meal there. The food was simply outstanding and the service impeccable.
My girlfriend and I recommend this place because is vibrant, energetic and the staff is lovely.
I disagree with Deka's comment below. We had squid before and always been great.
maybe it was just a one off episode, but it could happen to any restaurant even the super top one.

Can't believe the plaudits! We had an awful meal at Iberica.

The Good
Well designed, the place looks fantastic. The many Spanish speaking tables looked like they were having fun - maybe they were eating different food...

The Bad
Tortilla was mediocre . Fried squid arrived lukewarm with soft batter, as if it had been recently reheated. Orange juice was diluted and watery, from concentrate rather than fresh.

The Ugly
We looked on in disbelief as the waitress literally grabbed the unfinished plate from under the nose of a diner (Matthew Vaughan I do believe) on an adjacent table - his polite protests either unheard, or perhaps ignored by the careless waitress.

Summary
While it was quite amusing to eavesdrop on the future direction of the X Men films, the food and service was well below average. Perhaps the freshly fried squid and OJ is reserved for Spanish speaking clientele. In any case, Spanish dining and tapas is meant to be fresh and fun. This turned out to be neither.

Iberica's cooking has yet to disappoint us. It's true that you need patience with the service at times, but we continually return for deeply satisfying, perfectly executed cooking and an excellent wine list. I highly recommend the black rice with cuttle fish, prawns and aioli, the artichokes with pear aioli, the fried squid and the rabbit!