Curado Bar, Spanish Bar & Deli
Westgate Street, Cardiff. 029 2034 4336 / facebook.com/curadobar
Food ***** Atmosphere *****
Following in the success of Ultracomida in Aberystwyth and Narberth, the owners behind this brilliant Spanish bar/deli have recently opened the doors in Cardiff city centre in the old Burger King site – indeed, the area is fast becoming a Spanish enclave, with Bar 44 and Asador around the corner.
The menu is typically Spanish, featuring tapas from Valencia, Galicia and the Basque country, and the menu is split into three – pintxos (finger food on bread), deli plates and main dishes cooked in the kitchen. The deli is on show and there is a specials board for jamon and meats, which are all carved on demand. The bustle of the bar is typical of what you would expect in Spain, a long bar with stools and booths and tables upstairs. There are no bookings available which, again, is typical: dropping in for a beer and pintxos and grazing throughout the evening is the norm.
A focus on northern Spain is evident with the dishes and wines from the region. After visiting producers and vineyards there, the team behind Curado have delivered both quality and a genuine taste of Spain which customers are flocking to sample – from Aceitunas (a selection of olives) to Almendras (Valencian almonds, fried and salted); jamón Ibérico, tomato y ajo (hand-carved Ibérico ham with garlic, tomato and bread); matrimonio (Atlantic anchovy, boqerros and piquillo pepper on bread and salsa verde) to hefty field mushrooms filled with mahon cheese, breadcrumbs and Er Boqueron sea salt beer, all on offer is delicious and fresh.
The wine list is helpfully divided into regions and you are guided to which wine complements which food; there’s also a fantastic beer and sherry selection. The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest on the planet and for good reason. With planned wine and food evenings and talks about the regions and the produce on the way, Curado is a pearl in a sea of fat chain eateries and a welcome respite from them all.
words ANTONIA LEVAY