What's your
country's cuisine in a nutshell?
Spanish cuisine is drawn largely from a
strong tradition of fresh, seasonal, healthy produce, put to great effect by
relatively poor people. The indigenous Mediterranean staples - tomatoes, olive
oil, garlic, wheat, legumes, vegetables and citrus fruits – are complemented by
rice, nuts, fruits and spices in the southern and central regions as a result
of Moorish occupation in the Middle Ages and by seafood and sea fish in the
Atlantic north-west. Cheeses and pork products (hams, fresh and cured sausages)
are ubiquitous, but red meat is relatively rare. Roasts and stews are found
everywhere and paellas in the coastal south. Tapas – snacks eaten with
alcoholic drinks that can be found all across
What's the
current food trend?
From here on I'm going
to stick specifically to Catalonia rather than Spain as a whole, and mostly to Barcelona as this is what I know best. The main trend
right now is away from over-elaborate haute cuisine – both classical French
food and the experimental creations of Ferran Adrià and his restaurant El Bulli – and towards
what is known as 'ingredient-led' cooking. This is about using simple, top-quality ingredients, with contemporary tools and culinary processes, to create
simple but exquisite flavour and texture combinations. We are seeing the
emergence of "bistronomic" restaurants – tiny eateries staffed by
equally small teams of highly-trained chefs producing excellent New Catalan
food at very economic prices. I'd recommend Àtica on Carrer Galileu.
What local food is not to be missed?
Everyone must try the
tapas, but you need to be careful because there are some awful places as well
as hundreds of good ones. I'd recommend Cervesería Catalana, but beware - you
may have to queue or even book in and come back later. But it's worth it.
Which local food might I want to steer clear of no matter how much
locals insist?
There's no particular
food you should avoid, although some may be put off by some of the offal-based
dishes and the pigs' heads that stare at you from market stalls. What you should avoid is the plethora of tourist
traps, especially those along the sea-fronts. Watch out for the places with
large picture displays on the pavement illustrating international gourmet
dishes such as pizza, omelette, hamburger, schnitzel and toast. And the places that
employ staff to drag you in off the street. As always – eat where the locals
eat!
What are the food oddities in your country?
The extent to which
pasta is consumed in
What to bring
home from my trip?
A cake from Escribà
would make a totally unusual gift, but probably wouldn't survive the journey.
How about some Texturas from Solé Graells, so you can try your own molecular
gastronomy at home? A Lladró porcelain figurine if you're feeling very generous. Failing
that, the city is full of small pieces of artwork (from posters to ashtrays to
soup bowls) in the style of Gaudí, Miro and other classical Catalan artists.
Which cuisine features most strongly in your city?
Local Catalan first, then Italian (probably as many as all
the other non-local cuisines put together), thirdly “other Spanish” (mostly
Asturian and Galician seafood), followed by Argentinean (steak houses). You can
also find Nepalese, French, Mexican, Indian, Moroccan, Tibetan, Cuban, German,
Greek and Iraqi cuisines.
I'll give you five
very different ones: Cinc Sentits for perfection in creative simplicity, Àtica for
perfectly-cooked home-style classic Catalan cuisine at affordable prices, Koy
Shunka for great Japanese food and a brilliant experience interacting with your
chef, Cerveseria Catalana for a taste of classical Catalan tapas at very
reasonable prices, Lasarte for pure luxury and top-class fine dining.
What's your city's attitude to food in general?
Catalans have a
healthy pragmatic attitude to everything. So although they really appreciate
good food and classical culinary traditions, they don't fetishise their food in
the way that the French and Italians can do and they're always open to new
ideas. That attitude has brought
Which area is best for food – where to browse for restaurants while on
the go?
You'd be far better
off researching your restaurants in advance. If you really want to find your
own hidden gem, get uptown away from the old city into Corts and Gracia and
look in small side streets. Unlike in some cities, wandering about is a pretty
safe activity at
What's the biggest flop and best avoided?
You might think it was
eating on and around the main tourist street, La Ramblas, but actually there
are some reasonable restaurants there. Not the best, but not the worst either.
What are the big names in the restaurant scene?
The biggest names are
not all in
Catalonia is a land of great food and I could fill the
page with a list of the big names in the business.
What are the most reliable restaurant guides for your area?
Try this website for an excellent list
of the best and most interesting in town.
What to be aware of when dining out?
Cervesería Catalana, Carrer
de Mallorca, 236, 08008
Àtica, Carrer de Galileu, 159, 08028 Barcelona
Cinc Sentits, Carrer
d'Aribau, 58, 08011
Gresca, Carrer de
Provença, 230, 08036
Koy Shunka, Carrer de
Copons, 7, 08002
Lasarte, Carrer de
Mallorca, 259, 08008
Escribà, Rambla de
Catalunya, 63, 08007
Solé Graells, Princep
Jordi, 2, 08014
Lladró, Passeig de Gràcia, 101, 08008
El Bulli, Cala Montjoi
Ap. 30, Roses, 17480 Girona
El Celler de Can
Can Fabes, Sant Joan, 6, 08470 Sant Celoni
Sant Pau, Calle
Nou, 10, 08395 Sant Pol de Mar
This Culinary City Snapshot, including the photography, was kindly provided and published with permission of Trig of Aidan Brooks:Trainee Chef who lives and works in Barcelona.
Thank you for these recommendations, I hope I will get a chance to try them soon. I love Barcelona, even if you have an only half decent nose for a good restaurant, you will nearly always eat very well there. What a wonderful city!
Posted by: James | Jan 02, 2009 at 11:48 PM
I wish I´d have had this list when I was in Barcelona, last may.
Posted by: Audrey | Jan 03, 2009 at 08:07 AM
We could have done with that tapas-bar recommendation last spring. We did arrive in Barcelona rather late, and searched in vain for an inviting-looking tapas bar before settling for something totally unremarkable.
A compulsory trip to La Boqueria is highly recommended - it's huge and perhaps touristy, but the choice of 'exotic' fruit and excellent seafish and their amazing offal-counter are not to be missed!!
We left Barcelona straight afterwards, and only passed through on our way back from El Bulli to the Airport - but I'll definitely take Aidan's list with me next time :)
PS Happy New Year, dear Passionate Cook!!!
Posted by: Pille | Jan 03, 2009 at 08:17 AM
I'd forgotten about this little series you're running.
I went to Barcelona a few years back but unfortunately didn't have the opportunity to taste any of the food :(
Posted by: Scott at Realepicurean | Jan 03, 2009 at 08:34 PM
Did you try any of Oriol Balaguer's chcocolate? I am not a chocolate person but believe his truffles are to die for.
Have to agree about Rumblas and the seaside. Like the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The Boqueria in Rmblas is a must do.
Posted by: Thermomixer | Jan 04, 2009 at 10:06 PM
Great post, Trig! Makes me want to visit Barcelona again...
Posted by: Jeanne @ CookSister! | Jan 06, 2009 at 05:58 PM
Thanks for publishing my review, Johanna. It's been my pleasure to go out for dinner in Barcelona with quite a few food bloggers over the past year - most recently Su-Lin of Tamarind & Thyme last Sunday. If anyone is going to be in town over a weekend, don't hesitate to click "contact" on my blog and email me.
Posted by: Trig | Jan 06, 2009 at 10:29 PM
Can you believe it? I live two blocks away from Atica and it would never have occurred to me to go! I'm booking a table there next Friday.
Posted by: Mar | Feb 01, 2009 at 08:33 PM
heyy, if you want to taste the best Barcelona's food just visit www.menusbarcelona.com , where you will find the best restaurants of Barcelona and you will be able to watch the prices, menus and to make a reservation in the place that you want!!
it's a great oportunity to enjoy Barcelona!!
Posted by: MIcH | Jul 16, 2009 at 12:07 PM
hi i just stumbled upon your site and enjoyed it thoroughly! thanks so much.
Posted by: nancy | Jul 31, 2009 at 09:54 PM