Restaurant Review: Five to try in Barcelona
A second long weekend eating in Barcelona only confirmed my initial impressions of last year: This is the best culinary city in Europe.Piers and I started the eating and drinking part of our visit as all tourists must: at the Boqueria market. As I suspected, we walked around in a state of delightful speculation. What would you do with this?
I've never seen that! Imagine the dinner party we could have centred around those… Oh, for a kitchen. Without one, we had to put ourselves in the hands of local chefs. We didn't have a bad meal, though some were more noteworthy than others. In order of our favourite on down:
Estel de Gracia - Tucked in the warren of small streets called the Gracia, this place is far off the beaten tourist track in spirit, if not in walking time. On a Saturday night, we were the only foreigners I overheard and there were no menus in English. There were large groups of happy locals clearly having a great time. The vibe is modern, chic, pared back without being austere. The staff doesn't have much English but is clearly happy to give it a try; probably because their star ("estel" in Catalan) is rising fast on Trip Advisor. The little place is currently ranked 99th out of 4621 in Barcelona. We appreciated their modern, gourmet take on tapas. Foie gras croquetas? Trust me, that's a novelty that deserves repetition. The creativity extended to the mains, when I had a whisper-thin pizza topped with burrata (a fresh Italian soft cheese), red onions and seafood. Lovely house wines at a reasonable price and a manager who, seeing we were serious about our food, ended our evening with free glasses of some unusual Spanish desert wines and wrote down details of what we drank that evening. Unusually for us, one of our cheapest meals was also our favourite.Celler de la Ribera - We were hoping to get in to the neighbouring Cal Pep but that famous spot was heaving and we hadn't booked. We were cold and wet, this menu looked interesting and there was a warm indoor spot to sit down. Sold. Like the restaurant above, this place was playing with new trends and fusion with other cultures. Cal Pep is unabashedly traditional; in the Celler our tapas included pan fried foie gras over strips of gingerbread and a trio of meatballs served in a specially-designed three-part dish. A bright, modern feel to the place and quick preparation and service once we got a server's attention. (That bit took a while.) At least 20% pricier than Estel de Gracia, but we recognised we were paying a premium for being on the main tourist flight path between the harbour and the gothic quarter. With advance planning, I'd still book at Cal Pep. But as an alternative in the area, it was good.
Monvinic - Last year I raved about this upscale, wine-focused restaurant, and it was top of my list of things I wanted to share with Piers while in Barcelona. Excellent food, beautifully designed space, huge wine list filled with interesting Spanish choices. Our server's English was excellent and, as I did with our waiter last year, we put ourselves in her hands, allowing her to pick aperitifs and then the right glass to accompany each of our three courses. Dining here is a high-end wine tasting with food. The food is seasonal and gourmet. We both indulged in the seasonal wild mushrooms we saw at the market; him on toast topped with a fried egg, me with a simple fricassee. But it all adds up. 7-12 euro a glass for wine, 18-30 euro per course … you do the maths. The mushrooms were tasty, but worth 20 euro for a small bowl? We loved it, but we had such wonderful food at less expensive restaurants that we questioned whether the wine experience was worth the premium.
El Cochinillo Loco - This small tavern is in the arcade enclosing the Boqueria market, has outdoor tables with heaters and, most critically, had a free table during a busy Friday lunch time. Traditional tapas, served in too-large portions. Tapas is supposed to be little plates for grazing, after all. My attempt to get Piers to try octopus saw me having to polish off a mound of the little guys. Chewy and laden with garlic, they were OK but I've had better. Tuna croquetas, a platter of jamon, decent but not-hot-enough squid, excellent grilled fresh chorizo, a bottle of Rueda. All average, but with a premium price because of location. I suspect we mis-ordered; looking at our fellow diners and checking TripAdvisor afterwards, their speciality appears to be seafood platters. If tired and in need of a place to slump near the market, I'd give them another try.
Before Piers arrived, I added a couple others to the list with colleagues after work. Both fit in the mid-rank above.
7 Portes - I was underwhelmed, and surprised to be so. This is one of Barcelona's great establishments and had been tipped by a Spanish colleague as the best spot in town. My perception: It's an attractive (late-19th c bistro style) tourist warehouse dishing out paella to the masses. Good paella, undoubtably. Rice perfectly al dente, rich umami flavours, seafood and meat added at the right time to keep them tender. But equal to what I'd expect in any good coastal Spanish place. And a surprisingly spare wine list for someplace that clearly gets plenty of expense account traffic. (It was laden with fellow IT execs when we were there.) Good for business group meals, but it didn't occur to me to return once my holiday time started.Roca de la Vila - I might have returned here had I been able to find it! Recommended by our hotel, a taxi whisked us there and back and I didn't have the name of the place until a colleague sent me a copy of the receipt for my expense report once we were home. A cozy spot with the feel of a taverna in a fishing village, had there been straw-wrapped chianti bottles on the table I would have thought I was in Italy. The streets around were quiet and had an almost industrial feel, however … not a picturesque neighbourhood. An excellent array of tapas followed by some superior salt cod showed a sure hand with the classics.
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