We were last in Barcelona in 2016 and made a return trip in August (sorry for such a delayed post). We focused this time a bit more on seeking out Catalan dishes and things more specific to Barcelona. We made a few return visits to some previous favourites, but mostly we focused on trying places that were new to us.
BREAKFASTS:
We stayed in a beautiful old apartment overlooking Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, so we mainly had breakfasts in. Fortunately there were many great options close by. We bought some freshly roasted coffee beans from Syra: Bantu Blossom from Uganda, fragrant and slightly sour. A large sweet melon and later some fresh black figs provided the healthy complement to what was otherwise mainly pastries.
From EscribĂ , we had a light and airy quiche, infused with the Catalan combo of spinach, pine nuts, and raisins. They also had a fantastic version of xuixo, a pastry made of croissant-like dough and filled with custard. Also good was the coca de llardons, covered with pine nuts.
A location of Baluard Barceloneta bakery was also nearby, from which we had a crusty black olive baguette sandwich, with sun-dried tomatoes and a thin slice of cheese and arugula. Their pizza-ish ham and cheese panel with tomato sauce and thyme was very tasty. Their lightly-iced cinnamon bun was a pleasant sweet detour. And a loaf of their 100% whole wheat with flax served us well for a collection of Casa Betara cheeses: Cabra amb romanĂ, L’ecològic de cabra, El cabra cremĂłs del Pirineu, and L’ovella del Pirineu (each tangy, sharp, and pungent in their own unique ways).
For a proper sit-down breakfast, we walked over to Granja M. Viader. After a couple of bracing coffees, we proceeded to have the melted chocolate, a cup of thick, boiling-hot, black-coloured chocolate pudding. This was the perfect potion to dip 4 piping hot xurros into. For something a bit more savoury, we enjoyed the Bikini of (spicy) Sobrassada de Mallorca and melted cheese. And for some dessert, the PĂşding de MatĂł was a moist cheesecake infused with orange blossom flavour. And because Cacaolat (a bottled milkshake from the 1930s) was created by this restaurant, we had to try at least one. We had ours hot with whipped cream - a little sweet, but not bad.
TAPAS:
We revisited Bar Central in La Boqueria, this time the location on the northwestern edge of the market. Being in a tourist mode, we each got a refreshing sangria and then settled in for many plates of grilled fresh seafood: razor clams, sardines, scallops on the shell, all with a chimichurri-like drizzle. We also had over two dozen juicy steamed mussels.
The surprise star of the meal was the plate of assorted grilled vegetables (carrot, red pepper, green pepper, asparagus, eggplant, zucchini). They must have slow-roasted the eggplant (creamy) and carrots (sweet and fork-tender) first before grilling them. We had hoped for the advertised albongidas with squid, but they didn’t have it that day.
Sensi Tapas is one of 3 restaurants under the Sensi brand. It is down in the base of Barri Gotic and is a fairly small space (although there is also an upstairs area). We chose it from a short list because we could actually get a reservation and it had a few Catalan dishes we wanted to try.
They also had a number of Penedes wines by the glass:
- 10.000 Hores, organic, D.O. Penedes, Xarel-lo - nice, minerally
- Rosé 10.000 hores, organic, D.O Penedes, Tempranillo, Merlot - gently fruity and nutty.
- Ot negre de terrer, D.O. Penedes, 2024, Cabernet Sauvignon, Ull de llebre (Tempranillo), Syrah, Merlot - soft tannins, a little bloody, lots of cherry.
We started with Selecció de Formatges Catalans. They were all lovely, but we did not get a clear sense of what they were. The server said the first was a cow Brie, but it was not much like Brie, more like a goat cheese with a chalky interior and more firm exterior. He said the other two were goat, but he also said they were manchego from two different “levels” (altitudes?), so maybe they were sheep cheeses. They came with a delicious pear jam.
Plat de pernil ibèric featured sweet and delicious ham with lovely fresh bread. Our one sampling of patates bravas this trip came blazingly hot and crisp potato chunks, with one unexplained pinkish sauce and a spicy aioli. For some vegetable content, we had delicious sauteed green beans and roasted red peppers, with almonds, orange yoghurt, and black garlic vinaigrette.
One dish we wanted to try was butifarra de pagès with white beans. The sausage had excellent flavour, which the beans also soaked up. Creamy roasted red onion added some sweetness. Also excellent was the creamy squid ink risotto, with tender pieces of squid and sweet roasted garlic. We only had room for one dessert and went with their creme brûlée with cardamom and orange. The latter flavours were a bit too subtle, but it was still enjoyable. They gave us a couple of complimentary shots of their gin-based limoncello, which had nice watermelon overtones.
NON-TAPAS MEALS:
We lucked into one of the best lunches of the trip because MediaManga was a block from our apartment and had space on their patio. We didn’t realize until partway through the fabulous meal that they were adjacent to Mont Bar (for which we had a reservation a few days later) and shared a kitchen.
We had some wonderful wines by the glass:
- Abadia da Cova Volta 2023, Abadia da Cova, Albariño, Treixadura, Godello, Branco LexĂtimo, Galicia
- F de Yema 2024, Fernando Castilla, Palomino Fin, Andalusia. We had a second of this as it was so good.
First up were raw razor clams with a kicky peanut sauce and dollops of coriander purée. Delicious. Also delightful was the smoked sardine pizza, with tomato and avocado cream, and little yellow roe-like balls of smoked sardine olive oil. Beautifully fresh mackerel came with herbs gazpachuelo (basically a basil, mint, and dill soup), yogurt, and a couple pieces of sourdough to mop up the herb soup.
The most impressive dish featured runny fried eggs in a melted tendon sauce, scallops with roe, in some kind of deep-fried egg-white crust, with more bread to mop up the umami-rich dregs. Cantabrian anchovies in oil were salty and great. They suggested pan con tomate and we said yes - a superlative version with sweet tomato, sharp olive oil, and lots of sea salt.
Sweet multi-coloured tomato chunks came with crème fraîche kakigori (shave ice), maria luisa herb (lemon verbena), botarga, and green olive oil - a riot of colours and flavours. Agnolotti were stuffed with roasted beef and pork, and served with a fino and sage sauce, cheese emulsion, zucchini flowers, and pine nuts.
We only had space for the “Torreja” French toast with vanilla ice cream, caramel, and peanuts - intensely caramelized fluffy French toast that is worth a repeat sampling.
Els Pescadors was a favourite from our last trip - an unassuming neighbourhood restaurant with great seafood and other dishes. Despite somewhat lukewarm online reviews of late, we were not disappointed with our visit this time.
We tried 3 wines by the glass:
- 2015 Abadal Nuat, Pla de Bages, Picpoul grape - interesting white, somewhat oxidized tasting, quite acidic.
- Mando rosat 2022 - straightforward and pleasant.
- Abadal Mando 2022 - a fruity, garnet-edged, less acidic red.
They started us with tiny green ones, which were good but not as nicely enhanced with orange peel and rosemary as 9 years ago. The grilled razor clams were the best version we had this trip - 12 arranged in a cute square tower, plump and juicy, without any grit. Galician cockles were equally impressive, with a nice hint of sea salt.
Grilled chunks of eggplant, zucchini, orange red and pale yellow-green-orange peppers, and peapods came with a tasty romescu. Fisherman’s cuttlefish rice was perfectly textured (al dente rice and tender cuttlefhish chunks) came with fish cheeks, mussels, and Arousa peppers. Catalan suckling goat from La Noguera with rosemary & baked potatoes was as amazing as 9 years ago, beautifully slow-cooked and permeated with rosemary.
For dessert we had nube de limĂłn con toque de lima (lemon cloud with lime zest) and panal de chocolate i miel (chocolate honeycomb with honey), crisp peach slices, and strawberry dollops. Both were light and not too sweet.
For a lunch with vegetarian friends, we picked Teresa Carles. The food was decent and the vegan menu made things easy for our friends. We shared a pitcher of good red wine sangria. The daily special was a refreshing gazpacho with a hint of cumin. A vegan bomba de la Barceloneta was mainly potato, quite tasty. and came with soy alioli and brava sauce. A potato omelette roll was stuffed with roasted pepper and aubergine, cadi cheese and mayonnaise - pleasant if unremarkable. Catalan cannelloni with mushrooms and truffle bechamel had good umami. For dessert, the Catalan cheesecake was like a ricotta cake with candied walnuts on top and very good
We picked Ca L’Estevet because of its focus on older-school Catalan dishes and it happened to be a few blocks from our apartment. It was a cosy place with very good food. We had a bottle of a Catalonian organic rosé: Mart, 2024, Xarello Vermell, Gramona, Penedès - very pretty, high acid, but with nice strawberry overtones.
They started us with a platter of tiny green olives, and bread with oil. Esqueixada featured raw salt cod with incredibly sweet cherry tomatoes, raw onion slices, and whole and ground up olives. I’m not a huge salt cod fan, but this was a simple dish that worked well. Espinacs a la Catalana was the classic and lovely combo of spinach, olive oil, pine nuts, and raisins.
We were pleased that one of the daily specials was Escudella i Carn d’Olla, which was one of our sought-after dishes. It is a bunch of meats (Pilota meatball, beef, blood sausage, chicken, pork belly, lips, ears, and trotter), plus potato, cabbage, carrot, and chick peas, served with the soup they were cooked in and galets (large and snail-shaped pasta). The richness of the broth made this dish and infused all the ingredients.
Snails were simply done with thyme, garlic, and a vinaigrette, with aioli on the side. FricandĂł de vedella amb moixernons was basically veal with mushrooms and reminiscent of veal marsala in terms of flavours. Mel de Setcases i matĂł was a simple pairing of honey and fresh cheese.
For dessert, we tried the Pijama, a flan with vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet, fresh melon, preserved peach, and whipped cream - simple and well-executed. We also had 4 gorgeous dark chocolate truffles with Catalonian biscotti.
We made a return visit to Can MajĂł, primarily because we neglected to try their fideua the last time.
Drinks:
- Via Terra selection, Garnatxa Blanca D.O. Terra Alta, Catalunya - very high acid but a bit of rosy florality.
- Lagar de Cervera, D.O. RĂas Baixas, Lagar Albariño (also quite nice).
- Cava sangria - quite acidic and not too sweet, apparently a Barcelona invention.
We started with a daily special of steamed Galician goose barnacles, which took some work, but were delicious. Even better were the steamed Galician scallops, gorgeous and plump. They also gave us some complimentary olives.
The fideua was fantastic. The noodles were perfectly al dente and came with shrimp, a few clams, and little cubes of squid, all richly flavoured. Arròs caldós amb llamà ntol featured half a lobster with roe, served in a cauldron with lovely salty reddish broth and rice.
For dessert we went with the obvious: crema Catalana.
MICHELIN STARRED:
For a group dinner with colleagues, I picked Mont Bar, in part based on the comments on this board. Overall it was amazing. Lots of finesse and craft, and also great flavours and presentations. We went with the wine pairing, which was also great. Service was smooth and informative.
They started us off with a cava: Gran Juvé & Camps, Gran Reserva, 2018, Chardonnay. They kept refilling this if your glass got low.
Our first bites were playful and delicious:
- pesto crisp with tomato and basil powders, baby basil leaves, and a touch of mozzarella
- chilled soup of tomato water with lemon verbena
- Boulaband dry savoury meringue, tartar of seasonal blue egg shrimp, with tonkatsu as a gel zested on top
- soufflé in a wrapper, dashi foam, cockles, and salicornia on top, with red flower petals
- sandwich of chicken skin, squid, kimchi mayo, and lemon zest
- sea bass ceviche, lemon, sweet corn, gelatin cheese emulsion, and coriander dollop
Our next wine was Tempos Vega Sicilia, Oremus, Mandolás, Hungary, Furmint, 2022 - crisp, apples, a bit of citrus, and fully dry. This went with another set of delightful canapés:
- Foie gras brioche, with onion and garlic flower
- Wagyu terrine on mille-feuille, wagyu tartare and gel, pistachio oil and shaved foie gras and pepper
- Mochi wrapper filled with Majorca sobrassada and MahĂłn cheese (apparently a longtime classic here)
Our next wine was a 2023 Casal de Arman Finca Os Loureiros, Galicia), DenominaciĂłn de Orixe - smooth, with lots of mineral and fruit. This paired well with a beautiful dish of raw razor clams, lemon, olive oil, parsley, white soy sauce, chick peas, and chick pea water.
We then had a lovely floral orange wine Rocco di Carpeneto Reis, from Piedmont, made with Cortese grapes and aged 9 months in amphora. It was matched to smoked tuna belly in teriyaki marinade with pine nut emulsion, dill, and Maldon salt - one of their classic dishes, with relatively simple and clean flavours. We also had smoked bread, with butter made from tuna fat - decadent.
Our next pairing was a sherry, Hidalgo Pastrana Manzanilla Pasada, from Andalusia, aged 12 years under flor, non vintage - dry, with the nuttiness you would expect. It accompanied an amazing dish of Barbastro tomatoes with wasabi, marinated in oil, vinegar and salt, with salted cherry tomatoes, pickled oyster mignonette sauce, with shiso.
We then had a 2023 orange Pinot Gris called Quand the Chat n’est pas La - lots of fragrant grapefruit. The citrus worked well with turbot in beurre blanc foam, with tarragon, white grape, and caviar - delicate and not particularly rich, despite the butter.
Next wine was Trousseau “Marne Rouge”, Le Caveau de Bacchus, Arbois, Jura - nice red and black fruits. It was an intriguing pairing for lobster claw with a flan, fresh garlic, ginger, onion, and and soy-mint infused broth, a somewhat Asian-leaning dish in terms of flavours. There was also grilled lobster tail, painted with butter and citrus, dill, and noisette butter cream, which was also great.
For our last savoury course, the wine was a 2016 Tempranillo, Bodegas Pujanza Norte, Laguardia, Rioja. It’s darker fruits, oak, and softened tannins matched nicely with French pigeon: roasted and smoked breast, with cocoa and herb sauce reduction; boneless leg with pate, and ravioli with pate; with a mousse pate with cocoa and sourdough cracker - all very yummy.
Mont Bar has a collaboration with nearby Sips bar, yielding a cocktail to transition us towards dessert. This one featured a clarified cocktail of Bombay Sapphire gin, cava (Juvé & Camps Essential Xarello Reserva) poured over, with passionfruit, lime, Maldon, black tea, and bay leaf. Lots of subtle complexity.
Dessert started off with a couple of little bites, which were delicate and played with textures:
- Caramelized nori and rice pudding ice cream sandwich with caviar
- Mille-feuille and potato starch with peaches and peach ice cream
We then had a white chocolate ganache infused in green tea, with a sorbet of rosewater, cherries, and hibiscus - very eye catching, floral, and tangy.
Our last pour was a Listán Blanco, Viña Gómez, Valle de Gimar, Tenerife - lovely honey and some fruity notes. This was followed by a Cointreau cake with dark chocolate ganache, chocolate caramel, ras el hanout, frozen orange, orange juice, and orange peel on top - lots of complementary flavours and textures.
We finished with 3 delightful petit fours:
- Orange jello, orange blossoms, ginger, pumpkin, apricot
- Pistachio foam over with white chocolate fans
- 70% chocolate bonbon filled with praline ensaimada Mallorca
BEVERAGES:
We were very much looking forward to having orxata again, it being different than the Mexican variety that we can more easily obtain. We first tried Oxateria Sirvent - we shared a “mitje” size of regular orxata and then another sense sucre. I found the regular good, but a bit sweet and the best version was mixing the regular with the unsweetened half and half. Orxateria La Valenciana also served a version that was a bit more on the too sweet side. Then we returned to El Tio Che, which remains our favourite, being less sweet and with a nice nutty profile.
We noted that Barcelona has several top-rated cocktail bars, according to The World’s 50 Best Bars. The above-mentioned Sips was just a few blocks from our apartment and was rated #3. We snagged a 6:30 reservation and settled in for some theatrical drinks:
- The Drake: Ketel One vodka, homemade mint soda, giant bubbles filled with scented smoke - very impressive visually, but pretty straightforward in terms of flavours, with little interest or complexity.
- Krypta: Hibiki Harmony whiskey, Bareksten Botanical Gin, clarified kiwi, fresh sage, mint and dill - complex and fascinating, with the drink coming in an egg shaped bowl that you stuck your face into to smell the herb.
- Compressed: Brandy Fundador, Harveys Palo Cortado sherry, cacao, strawberry rice paper - again an impressive visual presentation; the drink was nice, but not spectacular.
- Northern Light: Aquavit, green apple, dill, eucalyptus - more interesting, with a pretty piece of eucalyptus on the ice cube.
They gave us some delicious corn nuts and wasabi rice crackers. We also ordered some nice goat cheese roll with beef, delicious red sweet pickled peppers with cheese inside, and a colourful mixture of olives.
We also went to Paradiso, currently rated #4. We preferred it to Sips in terms of decor, presentations, and drink flavours, so we went twice. We had no reservations, but managed to get in after only about 15 minutes waiting in line. You first walk through a fridge door and then inside there is gorgeous woodwork around the main bar. The drinks menu was a book with back-lit pages.
They first brought us a delightful non-alcoholic shot of peach, watermelon and hibiscus. We tried 6 cocktails over the 2 visits:
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Nazca: Torres Alta Luz brandy, apple and grape tiger milk, corn and tarragon cordial, and floral tea cordial. It came with a corn cracker with Bloody Mary jelly on top. It came in a pottery Aladdin’s Lamp with a spiral groove in the lid, through which the server poured chlorophyl, which she lit up with a UV flashlight. Gimmicky yes, but it tasted really interesting
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Mist: Roku gin, Italicus bergamot liqueur, pear water and white pepper, red fruit balsamic cordial, smoked goat milk ice cream, liquid pine smoke. It came in a glass bowl with a small spout, and a spoon for the ice cream which she smoked with some kind of tool upon arrival. Lots of flavour contrasts.
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The Cloud: Mezcal UniĂłn, hibiscus, Montenegro amaro, Mancino Secco vermouth, birch syrup, Perrier, coffee-cloud, and nasturtium leaf. The coffee cloud was a heap of bubbles coming up from some kind of cart which she then floated toward us in the air. Also gimmicky, the bitter and herbal flavours were great.
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Kryptonite: MG Paradiso gin, shiso, lemongrass, Sichuan pepper, riboflavin, electric liqueur, grapefruit cordial, chocolate bitters, and keffir lime essential oil. This one comes on a lit platform and glowed bright green. The colour changed when she poured in the riboflavin. And it came with a Sichuan button, the flower for the pepper. It tasted like chamomile and marigold, but brought strong lemon and salt into the mouth as well as the expected tingling/numbing sensations. This was my favourite, with flavours of Asian dishes.
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Secret of Java: banana, hazelnut, caramel tea, and two colours of foam. This was very dessert-y.
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Mediterranean Treasure: St. Germain, oyster leaf, sherry, agave honey, cilantro, egg white, and sea salt. A bit more straightforward, but still lovely.
We decided to also try their pastrami sandwich, since the menu described the place as a “Pastrami Bar”. It was quite good, with toasted sliced bread, a modest amount of sliced pastrami, sliced pickles, cheese, some kind of greens, and plenty of mayo.
Given the nearness of Penedes, we also took a winery tour from Barcelona for the day, stopping first at Can Bas. They are organic and use natural yeast for first fermentations. We had a lovely Le Creu Sauvignon Blanc from 2023, all grapefruit pith, lemon, and green apple. The La Romana was a nice mix of Chardonnay and Xarello from 2021, with lots of mineral. The Monreal was a Cabernet Sauvignon from 2023 and needed longer aging because of the tannins.
Then we went to Caves Pere Ventura, which focused on cava. Tresor Anniversary, 2020, Gran Reserva was very good, with lots of green apple and stone fruits. I particularly liked the 2017 Vintage Xarello and Chardonnay, which was a bit nutty like sherry and a bit savoury. Tresor Cuvee de Barrique, 2020, Chardonnay was closest in taste to champagne, with lots of toast on the nose. The Rose Tresor was light and refreshing. Both places served some nice snacks to go with the tastings.
And that’s about it. Hope this info isn’t too out of date and is helpful for future visitors.
