The Bell Inn Tapas Night Review

A couple of weeks ago, Emma and I found ourselves invited to Tapas Night at the Bell Inn in the New Forest. I'm a big fan of the Bell Inn having gone there previously for a work's Christmas party (their scallops and steak are INSANE), so jumped at the chance!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am tapas obsessed. I love all Spanish food and Spanish culture, as I regularly go to Spain. In fact, I'm going in just less than two months time.. EXCITING!

The tapas evening started at 7, and was in lovely intimate dining room- there were only 26 diners in total. The premise of the evening was to taste Spanish tapas and the menu was already on the table when we got to our table. As it was a themed night, the menu was a pre-set menu of 10 tapas dishes. Whilst we waited for Mojitos, Emma and I caught up!

Our mojitos arrived (HELLO COCKTAILS) and we delved right in, they were quite strong! It tasted fresh and crisp, just like a good mojito should!

 

Next up, we were served rustic bread, charcuterie and patatas bravas! I really enjoy bread, dipping oils, olives and that sort of thing so this course was right up my street.. the manchego was strong, but paired well with the serrano ham.

I also have a bit of an obsession with patatas bravas, they're genuinely my favourite dish in Spain (except for Gambas Al Ajillo!) and these did not disappoint. I liked the addition of fresh spring onions as it added an element of freshness to a usually carby dish.

 

After a little breather, the next round of tapas were served. Albondigas and Oxtail Croquettes. I was a bit apprehensive of the Oxtail Croquettes, as I've never had Oxtail before. I'm a forever fan of Albondigas and I have to say, these were up there in the albondigas rankings. Really enjoyed them! The oxtail croquettes were a pleasant surprise! I also really enjoyed these and would have them again.

 

The third round of tapas were then served, Gambas Al Ajillo (garlic prawns), Chicken, Chorizo and Mushroom Empanadas and Spanish Omelette! I adored the Gambas Al Ajillo. Garlic prawns as I've said before are my FAVOURITE. These were wonderful! I found the empanadas a little dry so used the albondigas sauce to dip them in, full of flavour though and the albondigas sauce accompanied them well! The Spanish omelette was equally delightful, and I enjoyed it!

Last but not least, we had dessert. Creme Catalan and Churros with Chocolate to dip them into! The creme catalan was very sweet but delicious nonetheless but the star of the dessert show were must definitely the churros. The churros were insaaaane. I left very content and happy.

After dinner, we also had a quick tour of the hotel and the rooms are gorgeous and well decorated. Definitely stay here if you're looking for somewhere in the New Forest.

One thing I would say is some themed background music would have complimented the night beautifully. Overall, I absolutely adored our experience and I'd definitely recommend attending one of the Bell Inn themed nights!

Thank you so much for having us! I'll most definitely be back. I'll be booking in to have my Graduation dinner at The Bell Inn!

Have you ever been to the Bell Inn? What's your favourite tapas dish? I'd love to know!

XOXO Molly

PS. Please note, this meal was kindly gifted to us, however all opinions are my own.