[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s always a good day when an invitation to check out a restaurant I’m unfamiliar with lands in my inbox. Despite being a bit of a fussy vegetarian and an Italian-lover, I do love trying new places so when Rafa’s got in touch to invite me to their Didsbury restaurant, I was more than happy to accept.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Only opening at the beginning of 2019, Rafa’s is a new offering from the team behind Manchester favourite El Rincon. The website boasts that the concept of their new venture is ‘casual Spanish dining with a range of delicious tapas, main and specials, washed down with Spanish wine, spirits and coffees’. The casual vibe definitely appealed to me and I was excited to see how it compared to other tapas I’d had previously. Admittedly, tapas isn’t my first choice when going out for a meal – I do think you can sometimes struggle to have a ‘proper’ meal if you’re vegetarian – but having had a good experience at Porta in Altrincham and a truly amazing meal at The Midland in Beaumaris, I was happy to give it a whirl.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4839″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4838″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I took my boyfriend along with me and, as usual, due to my poor time management and inability to get ready for the initial time I’d demanded he was ready for, we were – shock horror – pushing it for not arriving late. As it happened, we got there bang on time and any previous flapping I’d done about running late disappeared as the casual, relaxed vibe of the restaurant hits you as you walk up to it. The sun was out, the patio doors were open and we just wandered in and up to the bar and checked in with the bartender. The atmosphere was definitely chilled and it seemed the perfect spot to enjoy some food on a warm spring evening.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”4850″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I’m not sure exactly what the Spanish equivalent of an Italian trattoria is – a taberna maybe?! – but whatever it is, I think that’s how you’d describe the interior of Rafa’s. ‘Casual’ really is the word of the day here and as a result, complementing that, ‘homely’. The bookcases full of plants, wooden furniture, quirky tiles and mismatched chairs all contribute to the informal atmosphere that makes you feel you’re sitting in someone’s house as opposed to a restaurant on the main street in Didsbury.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We started the evening with some drinks and we plumped for a lager and a pink gin (my personal fave). After politely refusing the rose tonic on offer to pair with the gin, I did decide to try it with a rose lemonade and I was so glad I had. It was the best gin and lemonade I’ve had to date so it’s worth visiting on that alone.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4840″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4841″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We were kindly invited to try whatever took our fancy and they currently have three different menus running: a tapas menu, a 3 for £10 tapas specials menu and a ‘normal’ menu with starters, mains and desserts. We were recommended the tapas by the waiter and decided to do a mix of the standard tapas menu and the specials tapas.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In terms of the menus themselves, there are definitely vegetarian options available but there isn’t a wide range. Taking out the omelette from both menus (because I just don’t like them) and after being told they’d run out of the vegetarian croquettes, I was left with five dishes on the main tapas menu and three on the specials menu which was significantly less than my meat-eating boyfriend. While there are options for things like kebabs and ribs for the flesh-eating monsters amongst you (I joke), I feel the veggie dishes consisted of either a salad or the equivalent of a side of vegetables and lacked real substance as dishes in themselves. Nevertheless I was excited to try what I’d ordered.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4842″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4843″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One thing I will say is that whilst the staff themselves were very friendly and attentive, the food service itself was a little slow. Our food came out one dish at a time with quite a long gap in between each one which meant that for the dishes we weren’t sharing one of us was literally sat watching the other one eat. While it’s not Rafa’s fault that we weren’t sharing all of the dishes, the time between each dish coming out did make it quite a drawn out experience.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”4844″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The first of my dishes brought out was the bread with tomato (Pan con tomate) and I was really pleasantly surprised how good it tasted. Last time I’d had tomato bread in a tapas restaurant it was more like a sauce spread over it whereas at Rafa’s it was actually tomatoes cut up on bits of bruschetta with some sort of oil dressing and was far nicer. It was really quite lovely and was a decent portion size yet I happily could have eaten much more of it as I enjoyed it so much.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”4845″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Next up for me was mushrooms baked with blue cheese and cream (Champiñones cabrales). I don’t know why but in my head I had imagined the blue cheese to make the ‘sauce’, for want of a better word, quite thick and cheesy when in reality it was quite thin and the cream flavour definitely dominated. It was perfectly nice but I felt it would have better accompanied another dish as opposed to being eaten on its own and it did, unfortunately, get a bit boring after a while.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4846″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4847″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The last dish I had was aubergines deep fried and cooked with honey (Berejenas con miel). I was a bit unsure about this when I ordered it – I really like aubergine but generally don’t order it when I’m out as there’s so many ways it can be cooked. I can honestly say, though, this was great and I really enjoyed it. I’ve never had aubergines fried before and they were delicious and had a taste not too dissimilar to my beloved Tre Ciccio zucchini frittes. They were honestly the highlight of the meal for me and I’d 100% recommend them to anyone.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4848″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”4849″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As for the ruthless carnivore sat opposite me, he enjoyed the lamb chops prepared with lemon, white wine, garlic and parsley (Chuletas de cordero) – which were beautifully presented I might add – and the Moraccan style chicken kebabs (Pinchito Moruno) and there were no complaints about either. My only niggle was that the Patatas Bravas we’d ordered as a sixth dish – and that I’d been looking forward to all day – were combined without explanation with the Pinchito Moruno which meant that not only could I not enjoy them but also that we only ended up with five dishes and not six. I’d seen how good the Patatas Bravas looked with aioli and herbs when I was stalking Rafa’s Instagram on a story share from the lovely Emma at What Emma Did so it was disappointing to not be able to try them. It’s also worth noting that as a result, the Pinchito Moruno didn’t really come out as expected either and there wasn’t a sign of a kebab.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”4851″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]All in all, it was a lovely evening, in a cute, friendly restaurant in trendy Didsbury. The staff really were lovely – the owner came up to chat with us for a while – and it’s definitely a great spot for a nice, relaxed meal with friends. If you’re in the area, it’s worth checking out.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Disclaimer: I was kindly invited to eat at Rafa’s for free in exchange for a completely independent and honest review[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Did you enjoy reading this blog? Leave me a comment below and check out my other food reviews[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
