Cigala

Love the food, the service of the friendly interactive fun staff & the ambience. Been a couple of times & cant wait to come back again x

RESTAURANT - Cigala - Spanish - Bloomsbury​
 
Date of Visit: 15.11.17
Time: 3.30pm
 
Review: 
 
I have never tried Spanish cuisine so I was looking forward to my visit to Cigala. T​he idea of having authentic Spanish food and tapas​ sounded​ perfect.​ I​ love food, so being able to try multiple dishes is like heaven to me.

​I ​arrived by cab and since Cigala is in Bloomsbury it was only a short trip from my Regent Street​ office.
​M​y friend joined me arriving via public transport. The restaurant is located near to Holborn and Russell Square tube stations so it is an easy place to get to.​
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The entrance to Cigala ​can be found on the corner of Lamb’s Conduit S​treet and Rugby Street. The area ​has a delightful village feel. Lamb’s Conduit Street is partially pedestrianised with fascinating shops and cafes.​
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​Cigala is popular with the legal profession, media and many celebrities have made it their haunt. It is about conviviality and not really about​ fine dining. ​My review will reflect this in that I don’t expect the same criteria. 
 
The main dining area on street level has a large floor area and open kitchen and a lot of covers. There is also outside space with tables and chairs where huge pans of paella are served during the summer months. There are space heaters so no one gets cold.
 
Inside the lighting is not too bright or dim but just right and I​ noted an AC unit by the kitchen,​ so for those who may want to visit during the summer period you get the best of both worlds I​ would say. 
 
Another feature I noted which you don’t see much of are the number of coat hooks dotted around which makes​ life a little easier. 

​Cigala also has a private room downstairs which is at the moment being re​decorated and should be completed​ by the time you read this in time for the festive season and those office Christmas parties. 
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But the main purpose of the review is the food, so take a look further down to see what we had and our thoughts. I ​visited with a friend who is a Pesca​tarian. As I don’t eat much fish.​ I​ thought it would be a good idea to take someone along who does. 
 
Location: 54 Lamb's Conduit St, London WC1N 3LW, UK
 
Parking: I arrived by cab and my friend via tube but noticed there was some parking outside.
I understand that you can get parked relatively easily in the vicinity after 6pm.​
 
Decor & Lighting:
​Stripped down because chef proprietor Jake Hodges believes the food should do the talking​. 
Cigala offers basic comforts and pleasant lighting.
 
Ambience & Acoustics: 
The location is quiet and there's no background music. As we attended​ during the setup time I​ cannot really comment on the noise levels during a normal lunch or dinner setting. 
 
We had the following: 
 
Food: 
 
Croquetas de setas (Mushroom Croquettes) - We both felt the croquettes were a bit mushy though the batter is light. You do get three pieces however. I​ recently had cod croquettes in a private members club in Piccadilly so maybe I was​ a bit spoilt due to that. 
 
Pinchito de pollo (Grilled marinated chicken kebab)- The chicken was moist and very well-seasoned and s​erved with a fresh salad. The ​dish was ​cooked well and very well marinated. I would definitely have had two of these easily as you are served just one skewer. 
 
Chorizo al la brasa (Homemade Chorizo with fried breadcrumb base) - Two small sausage shaped Chorizo had a strong meaty and spicy flavour but I was happy with this as the base of breadcrumbs really comple​mented the heavier meaty and spicy taste very well and I would recommend this along with the Chicken kebab. 
 
Gambas al ajillo (Prawns in olive oil and garlic) - My friend had this dish which arrived in​ a lot of oil and ​the flavour of garlic was overpowering which did not appeal to her.​
 
Sardinas a la plancha (Grilled Sardines with Garlic and Parsley) - Another dish my friend had and she mentioned it was nicely cooked and tender, but very salty.
 
Patatas bravas (Deep fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce) -  The potatoes themselves were cooked well with a crispy and crunchy outside and soft centre. With a nice tomato sauce, the only thing ​I ​would say is to include more sauce and less salt. 

Dessert:
 
Tarta de Santiago (Almond Tarte with Ice Cream)-  The texture was a little confusing as it tasted like a dense and dry muffin. It was served with a custard rather than the advertised ice cream. It was not too rich but had a hard crust which made it slightly difficult to cut. 
 
Arroz con leche (Rice Pudding) - My friend had this dish and her thoughts were that the rice was over cooked or perhaps due to the temperature of the dish (cold) it tasted very hard. However I understand this is how it is served in Spain. 
 
Bill / Cost: In this case we were invited by the restaurant owners to come along and enjoy a meal on them and they covered the bill. Typically, however without alcohol we would have had to pay around £30 per head with soft drinks but they also have an express lunch menu which comes in at £19.50 per head for two courses. 
 
Conclusion: 
 
I enjoyed the dishes I ordered which were the Pinchito de pollo, Chorizo al la brasa and Patatas bravas. I think for lunch this is just right and filling without being too much my friend however was disappointed and she felt the Gambas al ajillo was overpowered with garlic (so be careful if this is a lunch and you have a meeting after) with the Patatas bravas being overly salty. So, in essence a mixed review with my recommendation to visit for a nice lunch. I do think they have a good varied menu and it’s actually nice to see a different selection of desserts even though maybe not all to our taste I​ do appreciate the effort in having something new to try. I do think it might be slightly high in price but the staff and owner are very welcoming and friendly.
 
It's worth having a look and inquiring about the private dining room for office parties and small events, especially if you are based locally. 

Cigala has given me the courage to try more Spanish restaurants.

 
Rating: 7.0 out of 10.0

Very good price. It felt very authentic Spanish food, especially their selection of tapas. Good selection of Spanish wine too. Definitely a place to go back with a group of friends.

Nice food. A food meal from one of the guys who worked at Moro, which was why I tried it.
Good selection of Tapas, while good can work out expensive quite quickly.
Made a bad choice with the wine (their house red from memory) and the Paella was rather disappointing.

However, I will go back