Barra KL
[Non-halal] Barra is a new Spanish restaurant in Chinatown serving tapas, vinos, cured meat and other Spanish delights.
Helmed by Barcelonian Chef Ignasi Prats, Barra offer a lovely space with a full view of the kitchen.
We heard good things about the food here and decided to check it out on a Saturday evening.
Barra KL on Petaling Street
Barra is located on the historical Petaling Street – which is synonymous with Chinatown in KL – and just opposite the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel.
Helmed by Chef Prats, Barra is part of the Samadhi Retreats group, which runs restaurants such as Tamarind Springs and Thaan in KL.
The space here is warm and welcoming, with room to house 60 pax including private rooms but the main feature of the restaurant has the be open kitchen that runs across the whole length of the restaurant.
There’s plenty of bar seats which gives the diners a great view of the kitchen staff whipping up dishes and drinks on the grill, stove and bar.
Gambas, cured ham and more
People who are familiar with Spanish restaurants in KL would recognise Chef Ignasi who previously helmed the kitchen the Spanish outfit Bocado in Damansara Heights (see our post here).
Hence, tapas are to be expected here on the menu with usual suspects such as the Gambas Al Ajillo (prawns in garlic and oil), Albondigas con Sepia (pork meatballs in baby squid salsa) and Sangria.
A major difference between the two is that Barra serves pork – which is major feature in Spanish cuisine.
Fans of Spanish cured meat will be pleased to find Jamón on the menu – with a whole Iberico leg on display at the counter.
Don’t forget to ask about the special menu of the day, which included suckling lamb and pig when we were there.
Starting the night with Gambas
We started the evening with the Gambas Al Ajillo (RM38) – prawns cooked with garlic and chillies in olive oil.
This was a good starter with succulent prawns, but the best part is dipping the warm bread into the bed of oil. Is it a bit too much oil? Probably so – but decadence is permissable in the right measure.
Spanish omelette was amazing
Our favourite dish of the night had to be the Tortilla De Chistorra (RM38) – which is an omelette stuffed with confit potatoes and caramelised onions, and served parika pork sausages and aioli.
This was cooked perfectly with flavourful potatoes encased in tender omelette, and made perfect with savoury hits from the sausage.
Squid ink paella
No Spanish meal will be complete without paella – so we had to order the Arroz Negro Con Pulpo (RM128).
Served on a plate (instead of a pan) – the Spanish rice is cooked with lobster broth with bits of squid and served with grilled octopus.
The rice texture was on point, and we liked that the lobster broth was not too overpowering. The octopus had decent smokiness as well.
Summary
There’s plenty of items on the menu that warrants a revisit – and we’ll glad to come back solely for the Spanish omelette.
Barra KL
Address: 158, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 12pm-10.30pm (Closed on Mondays)
Phone: 016-588 3966
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