Almuerzo at El Barrio

We popped into this brand new cantina in Kensington for a bite of lunch yesterday.
(Apparently they've only been open for ten days!)
It was a perfect afternoon to be sitting in a shady open-air café; the day was hot & a steady breeze was blowing through, keeping things cool.

The space is an old fruit market. Historically in Kensington the storefronts were added in the front yards of the original buildings to bring them right out to the sidewalk. This is readily apparent at El Barrio where there is a lower paved dining area and an elevated service zone up the front stairs & through the entry of the original structure. The street frontage is entirely made up of garage doors, perfect for summer, but we wonder what their plan is for the cold months.

The decor is economically modern, cleaned up enough to give it a contemporary feel, but retaining enough of the rough & ready to keep its Kensington street cred.

The menu is described as "Spanish/ Moroccan tapas" & features an interesting array of light fare.

We started with a pitcher of Moroccan Iced Tea, a refreshing quaff simply composed of Moroccan black tea, lemon & mint.

One of the sandwich options was "Chicken Schnitzel" with roasted peppers, caramelized onion & eggplant on a pita. Although burdened with a rather unfortunate description (perhaps "chicken Milanese" would sound more appealing?) it was very tasty & was served with a piquant & tangy hot sauce.

The traditional Spanish dish of baked eggs with red pepper, onion & chorizo in tomato sauce was also excellent.

Service, presumably by the owners, was a little scattered, but they were accepting applications from potential wait staff while we were there- perhaps once they have a little professional help in the front of the house they'll find their proper stride.

We'll definitely be back to check out more of the menu.
(As long as it's a warm day!)

Update: Spring 2011- this restaurant has closed down. Looks like they never did find their stride!