A few months ago I wrote about my experience at Bar Iberico. I said that although the food was ok and the atmosphere was lively, I wouldn’t choose to return given the amount of tapas restaurants to choose from in Nottingham.

A couple of months ago this changed. The Gaztronome absolutely raved about the place and when he heard I wasn’t delighted by my first visit wanted to take me back to change my opinion. He certainly did that.

Again the atmosphere was alive with groups small and large enjoying themselves over a drink and a bite to eat. I let Gaz lead the ordering, given that he has been many times I wanted to see what he would order.

We started with cured meats, huge juicy mixed olives, wood fired peppers and sourdough with balsamic and olive oil. So far so good!

The first dish was brought out quickly; a flatbread topped with samphire, octopus, capers and peppers. This was delicious, I have no idea why I didn’t order this last time as octopus is one of my favourite foods, along with samphire. This was salty and sweet and definitely filling.

Next up was the fried calamari with a slice of lemon and aioli. The calamari was perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and the aioli was garlicky and paired so well.

Next up was the crispy chicken with spicy Jerez sauce. These were amazing too (can you sense the theme?). The chicken was piping hot and crisp and the sauce had a definite kick to it!

Then came the slowly braised oxtail with Palo Cortado sherry and Spanish lentils. This was the first time I had ever had oxtail and to be honest it really wasn’t to my taste. It was a little too rich for me but Gaz absolutely loved it.

Next up were the Basque pork pinchos with sherry vinegar and quince glaze. Oh my goodness these were to die for. I wanted to eat them forever. Delicate and sweet, the pieces of pork melted in my mouth.

Next up was one of the most talked about dishes at Bar Iberico, the crispy cauliflower with smoked almonds, chilli and ginger. This was so unusual but wasn’t unpleasant. I am not the biggest fan of cauliflower but the way it was cooked and seasoned made it really pleasant. I would order this again.

Then came the wood fired gambas with cider and chorizo migas. These were mouthwateringly good. Seafood is always top of my list on a tapas menu and this really didn’t disappoint.

Last up was my favourite dish of the night (and as everything was brilliant it was hard to choose). Josperised bream with caramelised lemon is possibly my favourite tapas dish of all time. It was light and fresh, full of flavour and was such a delight that it made me forget it was winter outside.

We finished off with a glass of Pedro Ximenez, a super sweet dessert sherry. It was delicious and I have since added a bottle to my alcohol shelf.

To summarise, I really REALLY loved my experience at Bar Iberico. The food was amazing, the service top notch and the atmosphere was fantastic. I am always happy to be proven wrong and I am really happy that I was (it doesn’t happen very often ha). I would 100% go back to dine here either for lunch or dinner. I take back all previous comments of the food not being to my taste, I must have been having an off day last time! Having recently received the new Notingham Cookbook Second Helpings, I will soon attempt to create the recipe from Bar Iberico, Octopus, confit potato and smoked paprika. After this food though I doubt I will do it justice!