La Ramblas and Spanish Food

Barcelona is a paradise for those of you who enjoy “a nibble or two”. There’s a real eating culture that encourages you to sit back and enjoy. Wherever we went there was casualness to the eating experience with no rush and no demands. Take as little or as much as you want off the menu, mix and match and share a meal if you fancy.

We ate out every day and enjoyed breakfasts, early morning coffee and cakes, lunches, afternoon snacks and of course evening meals (I’ll write about three recommended restaurants separately). What is worth knowing is that the Spanish love to eat out and they appear in family groups well into the evening.

You can't beat a late breakfast in one of the street cafes and as we headed into town along the Gran Vie de les Corts Catalanes most of the broad boulevards running at right angles to this main road were littered with tables and parasols in the central reservation. The fact that traffic was flowing either side of you had little or no impact and the laid back approach of all those concerned made for a perfectly relaxed start to our day, You can't actually beat croissants accompanied by a cup of good strong coffee you set you up for a days sight seeing.

For a mid-day snack then there are loads of tapas bars to try out. Great for hitting the taste buds and meals that are real easy to share. We often ordered a couple of plates each and then had a dozen different dishes to share. I'd never "done Tapas" before so I thoroughly enjoyed this "new" eating experience.

Barcelona has some amazing restaurants not only in terms of the quality of the food but also the terrific art and design of the building and the furnishings.

This is one holiday where we didn't stop from morning until the wee small hours and it's a City that almost force feeds you with the adrenaline to keep on going. We survived a long weekend, but much longer and we would, I'm sure have had to slow down.

If you go with the flow here you won't go far wrong!!

Quick Tips:

It is more usual than not to be eating no earlier than 9.00 and for popular places it is well worth booking in advance, because once diners get sat at the table they aren’t going to move until they’re good and ready.

Taxis are quick to encourage you to use the boot for your luggage. You need to be mindful of the fact that this encouragement is based on the fact that they make an extra charge for each and every separate piece that is placed in the boot.

We’d picked up the “Barcelona Style” a free tourist book and with over 150 pages it is well crammed with useful information ranging from places to see, things to do, top restaurants to try out, shops to visit. The great thing about this glossy book is that all the places mentioned are "zoned" and the quick and easy to read map section pin points the various "attractions" in a real straight forward manner.

This really is the best free guide around and the maps are clear precise with nice big print - just ideal for "reading on the go".

Of course there are always people around to advise and we always make a point of "chatting" up the receptionist at the hotel. They are a good source of information and usually they're more than happy to advise on the best places to visit or good local places to eat at. They'll often be able to point you a little off the tourist trail where the locals eat.

Barcelona is certainly a place that you need to plan for and we spent some time just checking out guides and recommendations before we hit town. This is especially important if you're on a City short break, as you can't afford to waste time planning your activities. Once you're there you'll really want to hit the ground running to maximise the available time.

Barcelona was a bit of a culture shock for us. We were used to starting the day early, enjoying an early evening meal and retiring to bed not too late. But in Barcelona we started our day later and were often not tucked up in bed until the early hours of the morning. This way we enjoyed the buzz of the city at night and had a lay in to allow us to see out a full day's sight seeing around the town. We certainly slept well once our head hit the pillow!

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting around the city is fairly straight forward. My standard City break advice applies and that is, if you are fit and able, orientate yourself with a good map and then walk as much round the town as you can. This will ensure that you don't miss a moment and you can pause to pay attention to all of the sights on route. If you're staying out of town then Barcelona has a real good metro network (although do be careful on the trains as pickpockets have a real good routine worked out to prey on unsuspecting tourists.

But once you've got to the centre I'd recommend that you revert to Shank's Pony, as it really is the best way to get around Barcelona. It's a fairly flat City centre and as there's load to see and divert your attention I'm fairly sure that you won't find the trek too onerous.

Of course if you need to travel a fair way across town then the choices are either the metro (which I've already referred to) the buses or a local taxi. We spotted loads of buses around town but in the short space of time that we were there never really sussed out their routes around the City.

We'd hopped on a bus at the airport and got into the centre of town. This was a great service and much cheaper than getting a taxi (we'd travelled with a "cheap airline" so flew into Barcelona's second airport which is a fair distance out of town). Later we did think that we should have picked up a bus timetable and route map from the bus depot as that might have helped us get across town.

The taxi service in Barcelona was excellent and easily accessible although we were less than happy with the driver who collected us from the hotel on our final day. We'd booked the cab for 7.00 am and she arrived at 6.45 and waited around whilst the rest of our party joined us (prompt at 7.00). It was only as the journey started that we noted that the clock had been ticking for the 15 minutes. She then proceeded to slow down as we approached traffic lights almost willing (and indeed succeeding) them to change to red. The fare was almost double the cost of our journey to the hotel from the bus station.

Needless to say that we did not give her a tip at the end of the journey!

My youngest son and his wife had spotted this Thai restaurant in one of the local guide books and as we all fancied a taste of the orient we decided to head off towards it. The book had described the Thai Gardens as being able “to transport one to the ancient Kingdom of Siam” with a wide range of “century-old recipes based on a choice selection of ingredients and spices”. It went on to claim that there was “spectacular décor and exotic orchids imported direct from Thailand. Well we would see!

I, however, had some concerns because we hadn’t booked and it was a Saturday night. However, it was a bit off the beaten track so I convinced myself that we’d be alright.

Once off the main road the entrance to the restaurant transported us immediately to the Far East and the gentle country of Thailand. “But” the receptionist advised us, “there wasn’t a table to accommodate six of us.” We nobly accepted the decision and asked if we could either wait for a table to become free or alternatively book for the following night. Our disappointment must have shown through because we were then told to wait and a few seconds later we were shown a table that “might suit”. It was perfect although clearly the staff were a little concerned that it was unconventional (they had pushed two hexagonal tables together) and even when expressed our gratitude they checked with us several times that it was “still alright”.

The Thai Gardens is a huge and extremely popular restaurant and there were low tables with people sitting cross-legged on the floor (not my preferred eating position)

Our waitress, like all the staff in this restaurant, appeared to be Thai and unfortunately the combination of her softly spoken voice and eastern accent made it very difficult to understand her. Our first hurdle to to request the wine list and then to explain that we did need a little time to consider the options. In the end we compromised by ordering three small beers for us blokes whilst we checked out the menu. The Menu, not untypical of, in my experience all Thai and Chinese restaurants was complicated to sort and as usual I struggle to remember which of the dishes I prefer. I wanted to try something different but at the end of all my machinations I went for the safe option of a Green Thai Chicken Curry with a spicy fish cake starter. I really must try and order something different next time I visit a Thai Restaurant!

We ordered some group rice and naan breads –that way we could ensure a nice variety and a couple of bottles of decent red wine. Just as well we ordered two because we’d almost finished one off before the starters arrived. Not, you understand, that we are quick drinkers but the service was very slow. Mind you were were pleased about that because it meant we had plenty of time to chat over the day’s sight-seeing and admire the stunning décor (if somewhat over the top) of the restaurant.

As the guidebook had said there were plenty of Orchids around the place and I couldn’t help wondering how they managed to keep so many of them going. I struggle with the maintenance of one and indeed just before coming to Barcelona that one curled up its leaves and went to that “Great Orchid Garden in the Sky.”

Overall we had a superb night at the Thai Gardens so it was a good spot by my son, but I’d really recommend that you book a table if you intend to try it.

This central restaurant overlooks the popular Placa Reial and is famous for the history that is attached to the place, as well, of course, for its great food.

Back in 1859 this was known as the Gran Café Espanyol and it was regularly used by the playwright, poet and orator Angel Guimera as a forum for his literary gatherings. When it ceased to be a café it became the museum of natural sciences with a taxidermy workshop and was frequented by the great Salividor Dali and his contemporaries. I read somewhere that when Dali went there he ordered 200,000 ants, a tiger, a lion and a rhinoceros, but thI’m not sure whether or not they were ever delivered! I guess it’s the link with Dali that creates a kind of magical feel to the place. It’s only since 1999 that it has been a restaurant again when its present owners carefully restored it to the understated place that it is today. They were careful to respect the original architecture and yet bring it into the 21st century.

We hadn’t booked so were quite lucky to be able to get a table for six and because of it posh and swanky appearance we all felt a wee bit under-dressed. However, the smart understated uniform of the staff (black T-shirts and tousers) soon put us on our ease. We, in fact got the last inside table something that we were real grateful for a little later in the evening. We were happily chatting and looking at the huge queue that was building up outside a neighbouring restaurant when it started to rain. No this rain was almost horizontal and the horrendous wind that accompanied it cleared the Placa Reial in seconds. Those queuing for the restaurant dashed for the cover of the surrounding “cloisters” and outside dining tables were rapidly cleared by the ever-watchful waiters who ushered the bemused diners into the dryness of the restaurant. Within minutes an external cover was wound down and the “external diners” reinstated in the now safely covered outside dining area. Very slick!

Having watched the outside “entertainment” we returned to checking out the menu. The wine list was huge and Taxidermista has a real extensive wine cellar – a few are international but the majority are, slightly so, Spanish. We opted for a Tempranillo and settled down to enjoy the confusion of tastes wrapped around that familiar earthiness.

Next in our art deco type surroundings we examined the menu. Described as offering a “light Mediterranean cuisine, cooked with skill and creativity” we could not fail to be impressed with the appetising description of the dishes and although we all fancied trying a variety this didn’t seem the place to be sharing main meals around. The smart chequered tiled floor offset the original supporting pillars and a modern stainless steel spiral staircase erupted out of the floor to provide access to the upper and lower floors. It should have deemed to be highly inappropriate but the design worked exceptionally well and seemed to emphasis the timelessness of the building.

All our main courses were exceptional (we had fish, steak, vegetarian and chicken dishes) and finished them off with perfectly presented rich desserts. Not huge portions but more than adequate and we were happily sated with a main course and pudding.

A great venue, super food, brilliantly attentive and polite front of house staff. A restaurant to try, but I’d strongly recommend that you try reserving a table, especially if you’re there in the summer season.

The Rita Rouge Restaurant was recommended to us by the receptionist at the hotel and he obligingly had telephoned them to secure a firm booking for us. It was a decent walk from the hotel and along the packed boulevard of La Rambla. We meandered around a network of alleyways, pausing to admire the samrt graffiti work of local artists, before reaching the road that Rita Rouge is on. The restaurant is actually in the heart of La Rambla but still feels far enough off the main tourist route to have retained its local appeal and an attitude that suggests that they are not pandering for the tourist market.

The décor is a bit of a throw back to an earlier decade and the reproduction stylised from the fifties and sixties. Indeed I have clear memories of the portraits of posed women being sold in large department stores in the mid sixties. They were churned out for a mass market and I often wondered who could possibly want the monstrous things hanging in their house. As an aside my son informed me that originals from that era are now highly desirable. Shame I never bought any at the time!

We passed a small bar area on a “link corridor” from the entrance to the restaurant’s reception area and despite our earlier booking it seemed that they had not reserved us a table and we were offered seats either inside or outside. However, as the outside terrace really resembled a car park with parasols we opted for the more exuberant interior dining. The table was assembled for us this meant drawing up an additional chair and adjoining table and placing the eating irons on the table. The chairs were both comfortable and heavy being constructed of stainless steel and a thick rubberised chair fabric. Unusual? Yes, but very practical for a restaurant.

We’d booked our table for 9-30pm and it was relatively empty when we arrived and we wondered why we’d decided to book. But the Spanish eat particularly late and by 10-30pm the place was filling up and by 11-30pm it was full to bursting.

The restaurant, despite it’s oriental appearance offers an eclectic choice of food with a wide choice of meat and fish. It’s not too great for vegetarians but if you eat fish then Rita Rouge will be OK for you. After a struggle through the menu I decided I was going for the Fajitas – you know sometimes, spicy food just become a necessity!

The pace of life here isn’t fast so if you’re wanting quick service, don’t visit Rita Rouge, but we were happy to enjoy our cocktails before the meal. The six meals all arrived together – not always the case in Spanish restaurants – and we sat back to enjoy a first class meal with a couple of decent bottles of red Rioja. The ever-attentive waiter kept popping back to check that “everything was in order” a feature which became amusing and later a little annoying. Indeed when we’d finished our main course and wanted to order a dessert he was nowhere to be seen – a reality that repeated itself when we were wanting to get the bill. I guess by that stage in the evening the restaurant had filled up and his attention had been pulled away from us to the mass of Spanish diners that had invaded the restaurant.

Overall, despite the erratic service and the fact that the reserved table was not ready for us, we did enjoy our dining experience at Rita Rouge. It offers good quality food in a dining space with decor normally associated with Chinese restaurants. The pace was not hurried and there was certainly no pressure to move on. So sit back, relax and enjoy is the maxim for this restaurant.

La Rambla, a 1.2 km tree-lined thoroughfare, means intermittent water flow and the name originate from the Arabic word RAMBLA translated as “sandy river bed”. This e Romantic sounding La Rambla is the “legendary Raval District” which well into the 1980’s was an extremely depressed uncared for part of town. I might more precisely describe it as Barcelona’s slum and it became notorious as the City’s red light district, Chinatown – an area to avoid if you wanted to escape town with your reputation intact and your wallet secure. Yes, the area was reputed as an area of pick-pockets and naire-do-wells.

But there’s been a transformation (although it still carries its reputation for an area where tourists will be preyed upon) and now stylish cafes and fashionable boutiques have moved into the area. The long straight alleys, often culminating in petite diagonal squares (called xamfras) are home to some interesting specialist shops and the xamfras scattered with tables and chairs with smartly attired waiters anxious to gain your custom.

This area was developed in the hasty expansion of the City in the 19th Century and now it looks as if the City has done its best to recover the disenchantment of this interesting area. The broad boulevard, “La Rambla” is the main thoroughfare, with the network of small streets hanging off this central spine, stretching from the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes (one of the city’s main traffic routes) right down to the water’s edge next to the Monument to Christopher Colombus.

During the day time this is just a very broad passage way but at night it comes to life. At night, indeed every night that we were there, this boulevard was crammed with people (beware pickpockets is the advice) and a place of real excitement. It wasn’t unusual for roller bladers to be manoeuvring their way through the crowds and some of the main squares seemed to be regular venues for excited skateboarders. The small kiosks selling newspapers, flowers and fast food take on a life of their own with their lights adding to the character and excitement of the area. If you expect the boulevard to become less busy you’ll have to try it out during the early hours of the morning because we were still having to “fight the crowds” around 2.00 am!!

Off the main “drag” the small alleyways were a Pandora’s box of delights with small specialist shops and expensively exclusive fashion shops. There are a number of cheaper, more affordable clothes shops on the edge of La Rambla which although a wee bit more expensive than the UK offer some less common designs.

Once in la Ramblas district you're in the heart of Barcelonona's gothic area. At the centre is the Cathedral which dates back to 1298 and dominates one of the tiny squares. Unfortunately it was closed when we were in town so we could only marvel at the external construct and imagine what delights might be held inside.

Interstingly there are still remains of early Roman settlement in this area - keep your eyes closely peeled for the old Roman walls in the Placa de Berenguer.

A fascinating part of town that will give a whole range of experiences and architectural sights.