The wonderful sourdough bread at MONT BAR was baked by FORN SANT JOSEP, so I stopped there on my walk to La Sagrada Familia yesterday afternoon. Various breads looked outstanding!
Fourth-generation Owner Emili Feliu won the “Best Bread in Barcelona” competition is 2025, one of numerous awards over more than a century.
Also made a quick stop at the exquisite MERCAT DE LA CONCEPCIO, on c/Valencia. All the expected foods are for sale, along with lots of plants and flowers, and the place was devoid of any obvious tourists, unlike that other famous Barcelona food market. The glass and cast iron 1888 structure is gorgeous! I bought a Catalan young goat cheese at one of the stands near the front; have finished most of it already:
This guy specializes in Spanish cheeses (another vendor had only cheeses from France) and was so eager to talk about his products.
Absolutely recommend this market, over the "other’ one.
Dinner last night was at SUCULENT in the Raval neighborhood. From the online comments you would think you were headed into the 1970s South Bronx when you turn right after walking south along Las Ramblas. One of the amusing sights along thew walk was the brightly-lit HUMMUS AND COMPANY, whose awning obscured the name of the former tenant, BAGELS AND COMPANY.
SUCULENT
I sat at the bar in this very small restaurant which was about half full when I arrived just after 9pm. Menus are either tasting or a la carte; I chose the latter:
Roast duck croquette in rear; oyster in escabeche of carrot and orange, with drops of pumpkin oil:
Close-up of duck croquette:
Escabeche was so bright with citrus, I mopped up every bit with excellent “pan rustico”
Staff are very correct, less chatty than at MONT BAR. English spoken.
Again, I wanted pig, and there were two choices: Ssam with all the bits inside the pig’s head and crispy cochinillo. But the server dissuaded me from the first, telling me that it contained “everything inside the head, including the pig brains.” The second he said, would be the same as in Segovia, and it sounded as if he was discouraging me..not sure about that. Since I could not have a half order, I let it go and he guided me through he rest of my choices:
Beet in a beurre blanc sauce with bits of smoked eel. I could have done without the eel, but this was very good. Half order.
Artichoke with butifarra in a “Thai chicken broth,” rich with egg yolk. Terrific dish.
Warm steak tartar with bone marrow and “soufflé potato.”
I had one glass of Albarino and my bill came to a modest 44 euro, including water and bread charge. Very good dinner, if not quite as good as the previous night at MONT BAR. This place is a lot more casual; MONT BAR has more of a spiffy Parisian bistro look. One Repsol sun; Michelin mention.
