Great quick trip to Barcelona via TAP Air Portugal and was worth it if only to have Natas at the Lisbon airport en route, especially the warm ones on our return to DC.
Meals:
Day 1
After dumping bags, went to Quim inside La Boqueria and in our jet-lagged state, ordered way too much—charred eggplant, ham & cheese croquettes, “crusty bread” (what they called it), peppers and the star of the entire trip, the fried gras with mushrooms and onions. (Andy G posted picture).
We actually ordered ribs too and were reminded of that when we asked for the check before they were served!! There was a teenage boy with his father who was eyeing them as we were handed the plate so we ended up giving to him and he eagerly attacked them. Better his stomach than ours at that point.
For dinner, we went very convenient and walked over to nearby Bar Lobo. It was fine—-potatoes bravas, ham, asparagus tempura, tomato bread.
Day 2
We were heavy duty Gaudiing so had lunch nearby at Tapas 24. Loved the place. Terrific oysters, again tomato bread (slightly differently prepared), Spanish omelette, anchovies with tomato and basil.
Dinner was at Bar Brutal. Disappointing does not come close to our experience. The bread was great. A highlight, as well as the acorn fed ham. However, the amberjack with some sort of pumpkin emulsion and 2 huge basil leaves on top was not tasty. At all. Nor were the scallops, with another emulsion topped with sliced raw mushrooms. Even the local wine was a real meh.
Day 3
On walk from Sagrada, we stumbled across La Nonna Delia, place that has some seating but also does catering/take out. Had delightful seafood paella (wasn’t crusty but was delicious), salad and my daughter had a pasta dish. Really enjoyed it, especially after the night before!
Dinner was at Canete, where I had eaten 5 years ago. This time we sat at the bar and it was terrific. Fun and great food are such a winning combination. Again the awesome lobster croquettes, prawns in garlic butter, tomato bread (again), veal meatball with truffle and frites. I’ll always go back there.
Day 4
Just grabbed bite at hotel. We stayed at Casa Camper where I had stayed 5 years ago. Can’t recommend it highly enough. I really like the location, the room set up, the 24 hour snack area, all the staff. Check it out online for more description—very unique arrangement and perfect for me/us.
Dinner was at Dos Pebrots. Cool place, good vibe but the food just did not work for us. I didn’t like the monkfish liver take on foil gras, didn’t like the squid predation and the perfectly grilled sea bass was over drenched in an odd tasting sauce. Maybe it was us but……
Day 5
Lunch was at Compartir. This was going to be my major food highlight since I was blown away by Disfrutar 5 years ago and we couldn’t get a reservation there. The room is beautiful, it was packed,alive, fun and while I definitely enjoyed some of the dishes, I found it more meh. I didn’t love the razor clams with mushrooms, or the “ready to eat” crab with avocado and river trout roe which was much more of a pate and served with 2 small toast pieces. The cod fritters were good but thankfully our waiter suggested we only get a half portion since they are heavy. Phew. The oyster with black garlic and poblemo cream was super.
We had decided not to go do tasting menu restaurants in Barcelona and I think we made a mistake there. I had/have been so busily obsessing about our Paris meals, I may have erred there. But, that said, we loved the trip, had a wonderful time and enjoyed Barcelona so much.
