A new tapas bar is a hit in Lismore, but more local materials should feature, writes Tom Doorley
Any establishment that serves Budvar, Erdinger, Pilsener Urquell, Curim, Cooper's Sparkling Ale and the pint bottle of Guinness, is worth a detour. If you add an interesting and off-beat wine list, you have something genuinely exciting. Barça in Lismore used to be a pub called O'Brien's. I watched in dismay as it closed, the "for sale" sign went up and, ultimately, the builder's skip was parked outside. Local legend has it that O'Brien's was run by two elderly sisters and that the pint was exceptional. Now it has become a restaurant and tapas bar, preserving many of the original features. My sole experience of this establishment, to date, has been of the tapas menu, and it's not bad. Not that the tapas were an unalloyed pleasure but, bloody hell, I'd be reasonably pleased if Barça were in Dublin 4; in west Waterford, it's a beacon.
We ate at the bar, which retains all of its original, late Victorian charm, and it was a joy to see Manhattan peanuts still presented on a card beside the bottled beers. If Barça were ever in danger of taking itself too seriously this would redeem it completely.The tapas menu is served from 6.30 p.m. until 10 p.m. Each one costs €3.50 and is served in a little terracotta dish. Ideal for one person, the fact that most tapas come in threes, however, can make sharing rather contentious. And in the case of the better ones, this was the case. Chorizo croquettes, bread-crumbed, deep-fried, spherical, and melting within, had to be divided with scientific precision in order to avoid heated argument. Deep-fried slices of brie, ditto but cuboid, were abandoned pretty early on. Perhaps we should have known better, as deep-fried brie is never very pleasant, with its rather mouldy tang.
Smoked salmon, served with "fresh caper berries" (surely pickled?) was pleasantly dry and firm in texture, but very humdrum. How about serving first-rate smoked salmon from over the border in Cork? Barça could choose from Ummera, Woodcock Smokery or Belvelly and be sure that the quality was right up there. The goats' cheese croquettes were tasty enough, although I suspect they were made from a generic product, and served with fried onions. Why not Ardsallagh? Or Knockalara sheep's cheese, which is made within spitting distance?
Deep-fried squid rings thankfully did not come in threes, hence they kept us both happy, so much so that this was the one dish of which we ordered a second helping. The accompanying homemade mayonnaise was attractively mustardy. Anchovies were white, not those deeply unattractive grey, hairy ones that crop up so frequently on so-called sophisticated Irish pizzas. They had been marinated in - I think - lemon juice and chilli - and were sharp, spicy and fishy all at the same time. Which makes them pretty decent anchovies.
The dish of the evening, however, was something that has never graced the bars of Jerez or Cadiz: crumbled Clonakilty black pudding with chickpeas, pinenuts and raisins, a combination that brings Moorish influences to bear on a great Irish staple. It was jumping with flavour and pleasingly rich. Smoked duck was okay, served with crunchy lettuce leaves and a raspberry vinaigrette. The same cannot be said of chicken wings with "honey and chilli dip". The wings were small, flabby, flavourless and would have struggled to command attention as a basic bar snack; the dip was one of the closest things to tomato ketchup that I've tasted in a long time. Ciabatta bread was doughy and dull, but the marinated olives which were served as we sat down were good, with an unusual and attractive combination of orange and cumin flavours.
Barça has the potential to be a great place to eat tapas. I cannot, as yet, comment on the restaurant. It just needs to tighten up and put more emphasis on raw materials, ideally locally-sourced where possible. Our eight dishes, a Cooper's Sparkling Ale (the nectar of Adelaide), a bottle of Gazur and a couple of espressos brought the bill to a reasonable €65.50, excluding service. u
Barça, Main Street, Lismore, Co Waterford (058-53810)
WINE HIGHLIGHTS:
Barça's short but thoughtful list is mainly sourced from Simon Tyrell, Wines Direct and Cabot & Co, which shows they know where the good stuff is. Viña Aliaga Tempranillo is a snip at €20 and better than our Gazur, from the celebrated Telmo Rodríguez, at €23. Martin Codax Albarinho and Zenato Lugana are affordable whites with a difference. Hewitson Riesling is one of Oz's greatest and a good buy at €37, while Domaine du Pegau Reserve, a rare and stunning Châteauneuf, weighs in at a very fair €62. Real Tesoro Oloroso Seco is a wine buff's delight, but why no fino?