As we walked along Avinguda de Miramar past the Fundació Joan Miró a smattering of raindrops began to fall. Undaunted, we turned down a steep but beautifully landscaped path. Here we got our first looks of the city below Montjuïc, and I snapped a couple of quick photos. Suddenly the threat of a more persistent shower loomed and we improvised by scrambling downhill in the direction of the closest building to seek cover. As if we couldn’t get any luckier, our chosen shelter was half tourist information center, half restaurant. Taking in our good fortune, we decided to order lunch and wait out the rain. We took the exterior elevator down to the La Font del Gat’s terrace where we selected one of the tables protected by large umbrellas.

The setting was near perfect, a garden-like terrace surrounded by trees, with a view of Barcelona off in the distance. We ordered a little tapas plate to share, a Serrano ham plate, a green salad with anchovies, beets, and goat cheese (one of those funky, crazy Catalan combinations that we’ve never seen anywhere else), two beers and water.

Now, I know a lot of people cringe at the mention of anchovies, but they were much milder, less salty, and had a freshness to them in Spain that I’ve never experienced in the U.S. And I think this was the last time we ordered Serrano ham. Not that it was the fault of La Font del Gat, mind you. It was just that after a week in Spain the thrill of the Serrano ham plate had run its course.

Although our waiter was attentive, our order of tapas never arrived. After our entrées had been served our waiter assured us that it would be out shortly. As time went on he came back a second time and told us again that the kitchen was working on it. By this time the skies had lightened and the rain had stopped. Our plates clean and our beer glasses empty, we decided we were ready to pay the check and move on, sans the item that was never served. Our waiter returned one last time and told us his friend in the kitchen had "forgotten" to prepare the dish, and offered to bring us fruit or dessert instead. We politely declined and he reluctantly brought the check.

The mishap with our order aside, we really enjoyed our dining experience at La Font del Gat. The terrace dining area is a relaxing, scenic setting; an idyllic place to wait out a summer rain shower on Montjuïc.

My 1-10 ratings:
Food-7; Service-6; Atmosphere-8

Additional information:

District: Montjuïc
Metro: Funicular de Montjuïc (from Paral-lel; L2, L3)

We were to be transformed by our selections from the 8.5-euro tourist menu, attentive service, and the peaceful quiet of a gorgeous city view laid out before us. My first course was a salad of five different cheese wedges, artistically encircled by pale pinkish pomegranate seeds, embedded on fresh crisp lettuce. It tasted as beautiful as it looked; I only regret I didn’t take a picture of it before I dug in. My husband’s pea soup was filled with rough-textured, flavorful mushrooms. From the three choices offered, I selected merluz, which I later learned is hake, a white fish similar to sole, but with much more taste. It was the light brown sauce that covered the fish that made it a yummy delight. Chicken accompanied by caramelized vegetables was my husband’s selection; it was spicy like teriyaki, and excellent, he pronounced as he drank the white wine from the bottle that was his drink selection. I sipped my usual lemon soft drink. For dessert, he had a half-flan, half chocolate bread pudding, and I had a divine flam, lightly caramelized on top like a crème brulee, a crème catalana, Barcelona version of the French creation that I found delicious.

We were in gourmet heaven; all of the above was included in the price. This was expert cookery, dishes done with flair in presentation and flavor in tasting. The idyllic setting, a panoramic view of the city spread out below, greenery and statuary surrounding serenity- all combined to make the experience so memorable. Doing as the locals do, having our main meal at 2pm, in the middle of the day, was the way to go!

Just downhill in front of the restaurant we discovered the Cat Fountain the restaurant is named after and then Teatre Grec where summer concerts and an annual theater festival are held. We enjoyed viewing some interesting buildings along the way of our descent to the Metro at Poble Sec. Montjuic is an urban jewel and the Font del Gat Restaurant is its hidden gem.