Gourmandizing Barcelona

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Overview

Elbow to elbow Photo - Cal Pep, Barcelona, Spain

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When I was resizing the photos for this journal, I kept thinking, man, I was just there. I'm still not over the warm chickpeas dish from Pinotxo which has inspired me to cook and replicate it at home twice already. I certainly can't get over our night at Cal Pep where we sat next to two Germans (father and son) whom we ended up befriending after the father picked one of his deep-fried jalapeño peppers and put it on our plates to share.There are more and more small-plate places opening up in New York City, but Barcelona just has the culture down. Where else but in Spain can you eat a decent bowl of stewed tripe for breakfast? Where else will you be spared a quizzical look when you order raz...Read More

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El Quim De La Boqueria

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Restaurant | "El Quim"

First meal Photo - El Quim De La Boqueria, Barcelona, Spain

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When we first arrived in Barcelona, we had a few hours to kill before we had to catch the 6-hour bus ride to Vielha, the nearest town to where we were supposed to begin our hike up the Pyrenees [View that journal: http://www.igougo.com/travelcontent/journal.aspx?JournalID=59688]. Our first meal of the day was at El Quim.Everything they have to offer was written on the chalkboards. Specials are updated daily and we learned to ask for the price before ordering because a plate of mushrooms drizzled with balsamic vinegar cost us €16. We later saw the fresh mushrooms being sold in one of the vegetable stalls and they were really going for at least €8 for half a pound. The sausage was fried and wh...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on November 7, 2006

El Quim De La Boqueria
Mercat Sant Josep, Parada 606
Barcelona
933 019 810

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Pinotxo

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Restaurant

Bar Pinotxo Photo - Pinotxo, Barcelona, Spain

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We returned to the boqueria two more times after we came back from our hike. While still in New York City, we ended up talking to a bartender who is also an expat. He recommended Pinotxo, or Pinocchio, so we couldn't fly back without trying. It's always packed because it's the first eatery you will see when you walk in the market. Some dishes I definitely recommend: white anchovies in good olive oil sprinkled with paprika, stewed garbanzos in fatty goodness, beef with white beans and flan for dessert. The staff is so used to tourists that they're very accommodating towards those who have no qualms about eating whatever they have to offer and to those who make a face when they sugge...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on November 7, 2006

Pinotxo
Mercat de la Boquería
Barcelona, Spain 08001
+34 93 3171731

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Kiosko Universal

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Restaurant

Kiosko Universal Photo - Kiosko Universal, Barcelona, Spain

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It was a Monday and because fishermen do not go out fishing on Sundays, there was shortage of fresh seafood in the market. At Kiosk Universal, we were finally able to get our fill of razor clams. I've never been a big fan of them because no matter how much you clean the diggers, they will always be sandy. They were still good, though, and any excuse to have more good olive oil and bread is acceptable to me.

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on November 7, 2006

Kiosko Universal
Mercat Sant Josep, Puesto 691
Barcelona
933 178 286

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Costa Gallega

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Restaurant

Hanging hams Photo - Costa Gallega, Barcelona, Spain

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We didn't always go to the boqueria for lunch. After a long day of sight-seeing, we stopped by Costa Gallega on Passeig de Gràcia. They have several branches in the city and is definitely a tourist magnet but we had some nice tapas there which kept us going until dinnertime.Under the hanging hams, we sat at the bar and pointed to several things in front of us: anchovies with peppers and olives, prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella balls and croquettes, a truly European treat.During lunch time, service might be a little slow because you are competing with other people at the bar who want the same things. But remember, good food comes to those who wait. The tables outside might tempt you bu...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on November 7, 2006

Costa Gallega
Passeig Gràcia, 71
Barcelona
932 153 141

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Xador

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Restaurant

Outside Xador Photo - Xador, Barcelona, Spain

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We also couldn't skip on having some paellas while we were in Barcelona. There's several fast-food type of places serving them around the city but we ended up at Xador in the El Born neighborhood.

We tried three kinds when we had dinner with another German couple we met while hiking the Pyrenees. We actually followed them during a hike from one refuge to the next and we crossed paths again on the bus back to Barcelona. Between the four of us, we ordered the langoustine and the squid-ink, but paella to me is like risotto--it's harder and harder to find people who can make it from scratch without it being soupy and mushy.

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on November 7, 2006

Xador
Calle De L'argenteria, 61-63
Barcelona 08003

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Tapelia

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Restaurant

Octopus Photo - Tapelia, Barcelona, Spain

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Dinner at Tapelia was more rewarding. At one of the refuges, we talked to a French family living in Barcelona for ten years and they recommended it for their more-adventurous tapas and paellas. The pig’s ears were crunchy and additively chewy. We had wine with our plates but it would have been perfect with a nice pint.The octopus with mushrooms and potatoes was tender and delicious. The squid was as good, if not better than the octopus. I could have eaten the anchovies with aubergines the entire night. We went on a Saturday night at prime dinner time (10:30pm) but it was still under-staffed. It took a while to get the menu, have our orders taken and get our final check but it also ...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on November 7, 2006

Tapelia
Passeig De Gracia, 15
Barcelona
93 342 81 88

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Cal Pep

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Restaurant

Langoustines Photo - Cal Pep, Barcelona, Spain

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I read about Chef Pep and how he still cooks at the bar and entertains with his cigarette-smoke voice as if he's known them for years, but no one seemed to know where Plaza de les Olles was until a local overheard us ask a waiter at the Boqueria for directions. The waiter didn't know either so the local sketched out a street map for us. He was curious as to how we heard about Cal Pep because he told us it's one of Barcelona's foodie secrets. (Maybe that's why no one wanted to tell us where it was!) This got us even more excited and a 40-minute waiting time spent standing behind the bar stools (with champagne, natch) didn't seem to be an inconvenience.When we were finally seated, we noticed t...Read More

I read about Chef Pep and how he still cooks at the bar and entertains with his cigarette-smoke voice as if he's known them for years, but no one seemed to know where Plaza de les Olles was until a local overheard us ask a waiter at the Boqueria for directions. The waiter didn't know either so the local sketched out a street map for us. He was curious as to how we heard about Cal Pep because he told us it's one of Barcelona's foodie secrets. (Maybe that's why no one wanted to tell us where it was!) This got us even more excited and a 40-minute waiting time spent standing behind the bar stools (with champagne, natch) didn't seem to be an inconvenience.

When we were finally seated, we noticed that the printed place mats matched the art hanging on the walls. They are sketches from different artists and they randomly give a different one to each customer. The more you make a mess, the more you get it replaced.

So we sat at the bar elbow-to-elbow with everyone else--there is a dining room in the back but the action happens at the counter--and let one of the bartenders serve whatever he wanted us to eat (omakase, Catalan style!) while we started with the traditional toast rubbed with grilled tomato and garlic. The next three hours was pretty much heavenly. Everything was made with passion and you could watch the chefs toss, sauté, grill and fry different ingredients with gusto.

The almejas, or clams, quickly fried in olive oil and parsley were so fresh, you really didn't need much with them. The purple taint inside was so nice to look at, too. The chipirones, or small squid, were the size of my thumb and cooked with garbanzos. The dish changed my distaste for chickpeas. We sat right next to father-and-son Germans who ordered deep-fried pimiento peppers. The father noticed us looking so he picked up two from his plate and put them on ours. Unfortunately, Cal Pep ran out of peppers by the time we tried to order our own. The langoustines came next and we spent so much time peeling, eating the meat and sucking the juice out of their heads. A lot of work always pays off because I don't think I've ever seen my dining companion as happy.

We could have ended our night there but we really wanted to taste the way Cal Pep cooks fish. It was almost 1am and they've ran out of monkfish so they served us sea bass instead. The bartender showed us a fresh piece of fish and asked for our approval before cooking it. Before serving it to us, he filleted it for us.

And it was at Cal Pep where we ended our vacation in Barcelona. We were full, drunk and happy as we stumbled back to our Hostal Goya room. After seven days of rigorous hiking, Barcelona meant to be our reward. It was just that. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on November 7, 2006

Cal Pep
Plaça de les Olles, 8
Barcelona, Spain 08003
+34 93 3107961

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La Boqueria

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Attraction

Buy anything Photo - La Boqueria, Barcelona, Spain

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Tapas, or pinxtos, is a Basque concept of eating. Any small, bite-size food could be classified as tapas, but the term has extended into small plates. It’s my favorite way to eat because I can order several plates and taste for myself the range of the chef’s skills without being too full too early. It’s also a less expensive way of eating in Barcelona, but if you eat the way I do, prices add up.At the buzzing boqueria, or the central market, produce sellers co-exist with hungry shoppers and camera-happy tourists. Walk around and you can buy the freshest fruits and vegetables. Fish, clams and lobsters are around the corner. The store across the way has all kinds of meat and dried sausages. St...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on November 7, 2006

La Boqueria
La Rambla, 91
Barcelona, Spain

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Mercat de Santa Caterina

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Attraction | "Mercat Santa Caterina"

More space, better light Photo - Mercat de Santa Caterina, Barcelona, Spain

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The Santa Caterina Market is the new La Boqueria. There's more space in between the stalls. It's more airy and better lit. The stores take credit cards and can deliver your orders. There's even wireless Internet connection. Of course, it's known for its Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue (EMBT)-designed flying carpet roof than anything else, but its location is so central it's hard not to do your shopping in there, too. We had breakfast in one of the food stalls by the entrance. We couldn’t help but order the stewed tripe with our eggs. The Catalan way of cooking it is absolutely delicious. If you don’t know what you’re eating, you wouldn’t know it’s tripe because it doesn’t give you tha...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on November 7, 2006

Mercat de Santa Caterina
Avinguda De Francesc Cambó, 16
Barcelona
933 195 740

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