Ever since I started working at my new work place my new colleagues had been raving about tapas at Carmen‘s and just wouldn’t stop banging on about these so called blue cheese croquettes. The sad thing was that every time they mentioned these blue cheese croquettes they’d just zone out and start to dribble, I had to find out if all this hype was bad taste or whether they were onto something good.

So off we went on a school trip to Carmen Bar De Tapas one glorious summer’s evening with a nice walk round Old Town Clapham and Clapham Common, so romantic. It is a wonderful area I must say and I will be exploring more of this place over the next few months I hope.

Carmen Bar De Tapas is tiny and family owned, which I love. Not the best idea to go with a large group of people, especially loud people like us who are so un-pc.

The menu is so easy to read and the waiter/owner is there to guide you through everything. We ordered three dishes each and just had a free for all and shared everything which is the kind of experience I love. You really get a sense of closeness like family when you share dishes and being an Asian I’m well up for that.

I’m sorry but I didn’t take pictures of everything as I got stuck in the moment of stuffing my face with this delicious food. The Blue Cheese Croquettes were AMAZING. Oh dear god, the party on my tongue, I’m salivating at the thought of it. So soft, so creamy and so morish! I could have eaten 100 of those. They come with a carrot chutney which is to die for.

My god we had 21 dishes between us so I’ll just name some of my faves. The beef stuffed peppers coating in cheese was lovely, the meat was flavoured with tomatoes, herbs and spices and topped with a mountain of cheese. The baked aubergines were another fan fave with béchamel sauce and again topped with a mountain of cheese.  The tricolor salad was lovely and refreshing and the mozzarella just melted in your mouth.

We ordered some potatoes with garlic aioli and may I say it has to be the best aioli that I have tasted in a while.

The service was impeccable and we polished off every bit of food. Definitely go with the restaurants recommendation of three dishes per person as it’s a perfect amount. I must bring Elena here soon. Love, love, love this place and love my team for bringing me here.

Top tip: get the Blue Cheese Croquettes without a fail.

Avoid: the prosecco. It is not the best pairing for tapas.

Carmen Bar De Tapas
6 Clapham Common South Side, London SW4 7AA