I booked the day off work today, for no other reason than I fancied just mooching about town, bit of shopping and the chance to have a nice lunch. I had a good peruse through my socials the night before to decide on a venue and noticed Bar 44 were doing a lunch offer, £13 for 3 tapas 12pm – 4pm (Thurs and Fri). That was that then, decision made.

Bar 44 is part of the 44 group which also consists of Asador 44, Mercardo 44 and the newly opened boutique hotel Parador 44, all held in high regard. A former canal warehouse, it’s subterranean rooms and arched brick ceilings offer a real sense of atmosphere when you enter the restaurant and definitely adds to the dining experience as a whole.

Bar 44 is also a good venue if you are looking for just a drink, they have an extensive drinks menu, specialising in Sherry, Gin, Rum, Spanish wines and cocktails. I will admit that I have never had a Sherry, I wasn’t about to change that today, but when I do, I’ll make sure it’s here that I pop my Sherry cherry.

From the moment I entered the service was warm, attentive, friendly and professional, it really hit the mark. The place was spotlessly clean and tidy with tables laid out well, lots of wall art and plants create a nice balance, giving a bistro feel while retaining the feeling you’re eating somewhere special.

The lunch offer menu allows you to pick one of seven options as your starter, and two dishes from the eight ’44 classicos’. The choices are varied and each one a temptation, you’ll spend a good few minutes chopping and changing, getting increasingly anxious to settle on something before the server returns.

I opted for Sobrasada tostada with Catalan Rosemary Honey, Jamon Iberico Croquetas and Sticky Sherry Chicken with Toasted Hazlenut, I asked for it to all come out together.

The tostada had a lovely crust, soft bread and perfectly toasted, and the Catalan rosemary honey had all the sticky sweetness you’d hope for.

The Jamon Iberico Croquteas had a lovely golden crispy breadcrumb coating, filled to bursting with hot béchamel sauce and ham. These are packed with rich, creamy indulgence, full of favour and like wrapping a blanket around you with every bite, so comforting.

The Sticky Sherry Chicken with toasted Hazlenut, just wow! Perfectly cooked chicken drenched in that sweet sticky sauce, each forkful of chicken being painted around the dish to mop up every last drop. There’s so much flavour in that sauce and it’s incredibly moorish. The hazlenut present in both crumb and whole provides texture and the hit of savoury to balance the sweetness.

There was no standout dish here, they were all excellent, an absolute pleasure to eat, and at £13 I don’t think I have had better for that price range. A wonderful showcase of sweet and savoury, and a real tribute to Spanish Tapas. But I wasn’t done, why end such a good dining experience, I added the Trufas – Dark and White Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles. At £5 for 4 small individual chocolates, well it was worth every penny, each chocolate was indulgent, rich, creamy and a lovely bitterness from that dark chocolate.

I can’t recommend the lunch deal at Bar 44 enough, at £13 it is an absolute bargain for the quality of cooking you receive. To the two ladies that sat down, looked at the menu and then asked if they did any sandwiches before leaving…you missed out. Despite being the first one in the restaurant when I sat down it was pretty much full by the time I left, this is great to see.

If you’re in the city centre on a Thursday or Friday lunchtime and fancy something different from your usual haunt, go to Bar 44, you won’t regret it.