Recently the ever popular Birmingham eatery Rico Libre, that has been situation in the city for over 5 years, has moved location joining forces with Kanteen based in the custard factory. This new unique collaboration of independent restaurants sees Rico Libre’s delicious tapas being served daily at the new location after 6pm.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Rico Libre in their new home and divulge in their delicious and authentic food! The first thing I noticed after walking through the door was how vibrant and fresh the new interior was. I’m definitely a fan of modern interiors so this one won me over instantly. The one thing that hasn’t changed about Rico Libre is that it still has the same ‘bring your own alcohol’ policy which I love! Sometimes going out to restaurants can become quite costly if you’re drinking a lot of alcohol with your meal but because of Rico Libre’s fantastic BYOB policy you’re able to get top quality delicious food without all the expensive alcohol costs! If you’re not a fan of alcohol then there is an extensive range of soft drinks and hot drinks available also.

Now onto the food! Rico Libre offer a vibrant menu with something available for everyone’s taste. From meat lovers to vegans, Rico Libre has you covered! As well as the main menu they offer a daily specials menu so you have the chance to try something different every time you go. There was so much delicious food to choose from I found it hard to narrow it down but eventually settled with 9 different dishes which I was shared with other people. The first dish to arrive at the table was the Pan de Ajo, which was a deliciously freshly toasted flatbread covered in garlic and herbs. I adore garlic so this was definitely a winner for me! The rest of the dishes arrived soon after and the selection we had opted forward:

• Grilled Halloumi
• Patatas Alioli
• Pescado Blanco Frito
• Gambas Pil Pil
• Pollo Marbella
• Chicken Wings with Alioli
• Pork Belly
• Duck Breast

All the food arrived hot and fresh and surprisingly there honestly wasn’t a single dish that I didn’t love! But out of all the dishes my favourite has to be the Duck Breast, not only because it was plated up so beautifully but because it was cooked to absolute perfection. The fresh raspberry and blackberry also complimented the dish nicely. A second favourite was the Pollo Marbella as it was unlike any dish I’ve ever had before. This dish consisted of chicken breast in a creamy white wine sauced with chorizo. The creaminess of the sauce was perfectly paired with the spicy chorizo making it a well balanced unique dish.

I’ve been to many establishments serving tapas where every dish tastes the same but that was certainly not the case at Rico Libre, with each dish having its own flavour explosion. I ate until I couldn’t eat anymore but as they always say “there’s always room for dessert!”, so being greedy I opted for two; the Crème Catalan and the Mousse de Maracuya. The Créme Catalan is in essence the Catalan version of a créme brûlée and is just as, if not more, delicious. It was cooked perfectly with it’s crisp caramel topping followed by a rich custard interior; what’s not to love about that! The Mousse de Maracuya was different to any dessert I have tried before. It consisted of a creamy passion fruit mousse inside of a chocolate cup topped with a fresh raspberry. You wouldn’t think passion fruit and chocolate go well together but trust me, they do! I found both desserts to be delicious and to my taste, but my favourite has to be the Créme Catalan because it makes me reminisce of the many good times I’ve had this dish whilst on holiday in Spain.

In a food coma I left Rico Libre feeling cheerful and content, if not a little bloated from the sheer amount of food I managed to eat! What I love about Rico Libre is that you almost feel like you’re being invited into someone’s home because of how warm and friendly the service is; you really feel like you’re being looked after as a guest in this establishment. Tapas has always been one of my favourite styles of food because I’m so indecisive about what dish to choose when in normal restaurants but with tapas I don’t have that issue as you can choose as many dishes as you want. This being said I’ve tried many restaurants within Birmingham serving tapas but Rico Libre has now taken the top spot as my favourite tapas restaurant. Delicious fresh food, a genuine warm service and a clean vibrant interior…this is what sets Rico Libre above all the rest. The extensive menu of daily specials means you could never get bored of coming to this restaurant time and time again, with each visit being a new flavour journey!

The full menus for Rico Libre can be found on there website here.

Have you been to Rico Libre yet?

Laura 
♡

Disclaimer: the food I received was complimentary however I was not expected to write a blog post in return, all opinions are genuine and my own.