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Taverna Basca Irati

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fizzytom
fizzytom
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4 out of 5
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Pintxos Heaven at Taverna Basca Irati

  • May 9, 2009
  • Rated 4 of 5 by fizzytom from Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Pintxos Heaven at Taverna Basca Irati

Although Taverna Basca Irati has a formal sit-down restaurant, I can’t comment on the menu. Instead we stood at the bar and did what the local do – we chose from the mouth watering selection of pintxos. What are pintxos? Quite simply they are the northern Spanish equivalent of tapas, small dishes of tasty morsels to accompany drinks. They are really a Basque thing from that area in the Spanish Pyrenees but they are widely eaten in Catalonia too. They differ from tapas in that each one is presented a top a piece of (sometimes toasted) bread and a toothpick (in Catalan a "pintxo", pronounced "pincho") is stuck in to hold the topping on the bread. What toppings are there? Everything from tortilla to eel but an emphasis on pork and fish.

I was a bit doubtful about Taverna Basca Irati at first because it all looked a bit new and I thought it might have been a chain. We were walking past while strolling the back streets just off the Ramblas and the sight of these titbits piled up on plates and displayed on an eye level counter made up stop for a better look. The same items fill each plate but there were over twenty different plates on the counter. The vivid colours of the salmon, the peppers and the fish roe were irresistible. Some people like to gaze at rows of handmade chocolates, I like to stare at an array of beautifully presented pintxos – better still I like to sample them.

When we went in there was only one other customer but a few minutes later a few more came in and then when the heavens opened it got really busy. Fortunately our earlier arrival meant we had secured our pitch at the bar. All the staff spoke English and one explained to us that you eat what you want and pay at the end with each item priced at 1 € 80. The total is calculated by the number of sticks on your plate at the end. We ordered drinks; my companion had a beer – alas no Spanish beers are served – which is traditionally known as a "zurito" in this part of Spain. I ordered a white wine and a generous glass was poured – what was striking was that the wine was not served in a wine glass but in the same size glass as the beer. It was quite odd to drink wine in that kind of glass but of course it made no difference to the taste. It was cold and refreshingly crisp. I learned later, however, that really one should drink red wine with pintxos and this is called txikito.

We were given a plate each but we chose different things so that we could try each other choices too. Everything we had was delicious. There was one where a piece of smoked salmon contained a smoked salmon pate; another was a wonderfully cooked piece of hake; and another was delicious air dried ham. Sweet roasted red peppers filled with another tasty pate were perched upon another piece and there was a one that we couldn’t work by sight that turned out to be topped with a very white finely grated cheese. Every so often a dish of freshly made hot pintxos came out and the waitresses would walk along the bar offering them around. We tried one that was simply a very delicious little spicy sausage that needed nothing else, so simple was its tastiness.

Some things work better than others. I love tortilla but found it a bit heavy when eaten off bread, likewise some very tasty croquettes. In southern Spain these would have been dishes in their own right and the bread was to filling for me. Of course you can leave the bread if you want and just eat the topping. Fortunately my companion helped out with the bread and ate what I didn’t want.

The price may seem relatively cheap but once you have had a few you are paying the price of a sit down restaurant meal. Still eating pintxos is something you should experience in Barcelona and it gives you an opportunity to try lots of different dishes. Only one table in the restaurant was taken when we were there and they were eating a rich looking stew served from a giant dish – it looked like pork and smelled delicious.

There were very clean and quite stylish toilets at the back of the restaurant which were marred slightly by the lack of room to squeeze in past the cubicle door of the single ladies’ toilet. The restaurant and bar were clean and well maintained though the decor was not much to speak off. I am sure that most people are feasting their eyes on the array of pintxos and trying to decide what to try next rather than surveying the decor anyway.

There are more expensive places in this area but they are nowhere near as good. It may not look as quaint as some of the tourist traps but the number of locals eating here must surely indicate that they are doing something right.

Do try Taverna Basca Irati – but don’t expect to be able to stick to a couple of pintxos – I’ll guarantee you’ll have "just one more"!

Mon-Sat 12-12

From journal Twenty Four Hours in Barcelona

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