I'd become convinced that tapas restaurants are always going to be expensive affairs. Carmen proves that doesn't need to be the case, with good food and a great dining environment that almost - just almost - convinces you that this you're in Seville rather than Sanlitun. Well, except it seems you're almost certain to run into somebody you know.
Good choice of dishes, and though we didn't try it the paella (I'm assuming that's what it was)looked great. The patatas bravas was good, likewise the grilled chicken on toast. The food wasn't 10/10, but good for my first visit and enough to make me want to return.
The guitarists add to the atmosphere without playing so loud that you have to shout at each other (looking at you, Red Rose Xinjiang), and the staff take decent care of diners.
Best is the sensible pricing - we were really just there for a snack, ordered a little too much, felt full, and spent RMB 80 on food for two. Not bad in today's Sanlitun. Drinks brought the total bill up to around RMB 150-170. I'll go back and see if it's worth an extra star, but I reckon Carmen is one of the better restaurants to have opened in the past year in Beijing.
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