A Whole Lotta Love Bar
Pro A tasty-looking menu may drive you crazy in Love Bar choosing your dinner.
Con Book ahead. You'll not get lost in Love bar, as air space is in limited supply.
Pay
€€€
Per Person €30 Beer, main and shared dessert, 1/2 bottle of Rioja. Gratis: some tasty spuds to kick things off & a generous chupito/digestive.
Find
Website http://www.baramor.es/
🛈 Dietary Info Not on menus.
Access Step free into eating area.
Full Disclosure
One of our group has friends working at Bar Amor, but they didn't know we'd be writing about our experience.
In Short
Hopes. Interesting eating for a group of 6.
Reality. This just maybe the archetypal contemporary Malasaña bar.
First Impressions. A busy, welcoming space.
USP? That menu. Love is the answer.
The offer in three words. Eclectic, diverse, engaging.
Service! Three well-drilled servers, well on top of things.
Friend friendly? A vegetarian meal's easily doable from the menu.
Rating for dating. Not a lot of tables for two, but there's clearly potential.
Tip? 5%
Change one thing? An over-complex dessert. That's about it.
Revisitability. Large menu, so you might end up Addicted to Love Bar.
Compare & Contrast
Lamucca has the name, is trying hard, has the ambience, but isn't in the same culinary league.
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
A very rewarding selection of classic and modern flavour combinations is on offer at Bar Amor. It's been on its corner in Malasaña a good few years now. So, you want to know what Love Bar is? I hope we can show you.
Don't be fooled by the look of Love Bar's wooden heart decorations. It might not be Valentine's Day, but this is one of those love letters to decent food, with interesting and creative ideas and an ever-changing wine list. We tried half a dozen dishes, plus a couple of desserts.
A large scoop of Torta del Casar - the cheese that cures itself instantly on contact with air - comes served with minced Iberian ham. Very oddly - but memorably the pair arrives looking like they've just escaped a desert island, atop a simulacra of a wooden raft, albeit made of entirely non-Iberian grissini. We're not going to lie. It doesn't look a million dollars, but, grissini aside, the two principal components shout Spain about as loud as any ingredient can. Could this be any other cuisine on the planet?
Grilled octopus tentacle was served on yuca and sweet potato mash. It sounds unlikely, but this is a quiet triumph. The octopus almost tastes barbecued, the mash is savoury and sweet, although crushed rather than creamy. A delicious combination, in any event.
Veal cheeks with peach flambé. Provoking second looks when we saw it on the menu, how can you not investigate a meat & fruit combination that sounds like it'd not work ever. Not least because if it does work, then... Well, breaking news, defying expectation, it's a winner. Eyes were wide around the table as the sweet peach balanced excellently with a rich gravy around the strongly flavoured cheeks. Slow-cooked, you'll love them, tender. It might not appeal to all tastes, we admit, but we'd go back and have it again.
Gambones con garbanzos. Standby for a prawn & chick pea stew with lemon confit adding a great touch of freshness. Amusingly, this is pretty much Iberian Gumbo. It'd not need a lot of spicing added to the deep and richly flavoursome broth.
Aubergine and courgette millefeuille is a meatless dish everyone ought to try. We admit it looks like it may be about to hatch a xenomorph, but it's a great sharing option that even Sigourney Weaver would order. There's San Simón cheese and honey in there too, adding depth. It loses its shape rapidly, but it's an excellent hearty plate o' food. Recommended.
Brownie de chocolate brings together chocolate, lime and ginger cake and some very very verdant pistachio ice cream. Rule of thumb: when pistachio gelato goes the full Kermit, it doesn't take a muppet to ask questions. More cake than brownie, the sponge lacked squidge and I'm not sold that lime and chocolate help each other out. A bold attempt, but it's too many ingredients looking for attention. Torrija de Sobao Pasiego was much more my cup of tea. Bread pudding/french toast with ice cream, which, although billed as digestive biscuit flavour, didn't give me crunch or toastiness. Still, some citrus in the pudding added a nice balance to the creaminess.
Service is speedy, with first-class eye contact demonstrating the power of Love Bar's waiting staff's skills. Dishes arrived to share with regularity, in time honoured Spanish fashion. Spicy potatoes got us started, some generous chupitos finished things off. A couple of bottles of Rioja kept our group going.
Bar Amor balances novelty to spark your interest and familiar touches to keep things Iberian. It's not identikit international urban (do us a favour) food. It's a wise and winning combination. Perhaps Bar Love is all you need.
Love Music?
Led Zeppelin, Beyonce, Air Supply, (eg) Dionne Warwick, John Lennon, 10cc, Nat King Cole, Elvis, (eg) Jennifer Rush, Robert Palmer, The Beatles. Love is, indeed, all around...
Pro A tasty-looking menu may drive you crazy in Love Bar choosing your dinner.
Con Book ahead. You'll not get lost in Love bar, as air space is in limited supply.
Pay
€€€
Per Person €30 Beer, main and shared dessert, 1/2 bottle of Rioja. Gratis: some tasty spuds to kick things off & a generous chupito/digestive.
Find
Website http://www.baramor.es/
🛈 Dietary Info Not on menus.
Access Step free into eating area.
Full Disclosure
One of our group has friends working at Bar Amor, but they didn't know we'd be writing about our experience.
Hopes. Interesting eating for a group of 6.
Reality. This just maybe the archetypal contemporary Malasaña bar.
First Impressions. A busy, welcoming space.
USP? That menu. Love is the answer.
The offer in three words. Eclectic, diverse, engaging.
Service! Three well-drilled servers, well on top of things.
Friend friendly? A vegetarian meal's easily doable from the menu.
Rating for dating. Not a lot of tables for two, but there's clearly potential.
Tip? 5%
Change one thing? An over-complex dessert. That's about it.
Revisitability. Large menu, so you might end up Addicted to Love Bar.
Compare & Contrast
Lamucca has the name, is trying hard, has the ambience, but isn't in the same culinary league.
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
A very rewarding selection of classic and modern flavour combinations is on offer at Bar Amor. It's been on its corner in Malasaña a good few years now. So, you want to know what Love Bar is? I hope we can show you.
Don't be fooled by the look of Love Bar's wooden heart decorations. It might not be Valentine's Day, but this is one of those love letters to decent food, with interesting and creative ideas and an ever-changing wine list. We tried half a dozen dishes, plus a couple of desserts.
Grilled octopus tentacle was served on yuca and sweet potato mash. It sounds unlikely, but this is a quiet triumph. The octopus almost tastes barbecued, the mash is savoury and sweet, although crushed rather than creamy. A delicious combination, in any event.
Gambones con garbanzos. Standby for a prawn & chick pea stew with lemon confit adding a great touch of freshness. Amusingly, this is pretty much Iberian Gumbo. It'd not need a lot of spicing added to the deep and richly flavoursome broth.
Brownie de chocolate brings together chocolate, lime and ginger cake and some very very verdant pistachio ice cream. Rule of thumb: when pistachio gelato goes the full Kermit, it doesn't take a muppet to ask questions. More cake than brownie, the sponge lacked squidge and I'm not sold that lime and chocolate help each other out. A bold attempt, but it's too many ingredients looking for attention. Torrija de Sobao Pasiego was much more my cup of tea. Bread pudding/french toast with ice cream, which, although billed as digestive biscuit flavour, didn't give me crunch or toastiness. Still, some citrus in the pudding added a nice balance to the creaminess.
Service is speedy, with first-class eye contact demonstrating the power of Love Bar's waiting staff's skills. Dishes arrived to share with regularity, in time honoured Spanish fashion. Spicy potatoes got us started, some generous chupitos finished things off. A couple of bottles of Rioja kept our group going.
Bar Amor balances novelty to spark your interest and familiar touches to keep things Iberian. It's not identikit international urban (do us a favour) food. It's a wise and winning combination. Perhaps Bar Love is all you need.
Love Music?
Led Zeppelin, Beyonce, Air Supply, (eg) Dionne Warwick, John Lennon, 10cc, Nat King Cole, Elvis, (eg) Jennifer Rush, Robert Palmer, The Beatles. Love is, indeed, all around...