Swagatam Bar Restaurant – Barcelona

February 23, 2014Leave a comment

We were told by some friends that Swagatam Bar Restaurant was a really good Indian restaurant in the Gracia neighbourhood. It looks a little dodgy on the outside and it’s not exactly easy to find but it was surprisingly really good!

Inside, the decor is not really any better. Definitely minimal and simplistic. However, service was pretty good and they spoke good English. We had a fairly large group, of about 10 people, so we decided the best way was to order a few curries and share. The waiter gave us a hand in choosing them, and the portions were just perfect with all of us being satisfied and full. I didn’t really take part in any of the ordering, so I don’t know exactly what the names of the dishes are… But here goes…

We started off with two plates of these chips. I believe they are called Papadom but correct me if I’m wrong. They reminded me of tortilla chips, but they are a round disc shape and broken in half. I think these are made with lentil and chickpea and lightly salted. Crispy, but pretty much flavourless other than the salty taste.

It came with three types of sauces to dip the papadoms. The dark reddish brown sauce was the mildest, and was actually a little sweet. It didn’t really have any kick to it. The green one in the middle was more of a yoghurt base and reminded me of those Greek tzatziki sauce. I actually liked this one quite a lot. The last one that was bright red was the spiciest sauce. However, I still didn’t find it to be super spicy. It wasn’t the spice where I needed to gulp water down right away. All of them were quite mild in my mind.

I wasn’t able to get pictures of most of the curries since everyone already began indulging in them before I could get any snaps. I believe this was the Butter Chicken. We got mild for all the curries since Indian curries are usually quite spicy. However, we found none of the curries to be spicy! And I’m someone who can’t take spice… It was sort of odd and a little disappointing. Still, the butter chicken was really good. It was smooth and rich in tomato with a buttery texture. Lots of chunks of chicken too!

I think this was the Chicken Tikka Masala. Again very rich and creamy. Still, it was not spicy enough!!

We had a few bowls of Basmati Rice. We also had naan, which was complementary.

Here’s a picture of some of the different curries we had. I think some had lamb, while others were mostly chicken. I especially liked the rice which was already seasoned. I’m not sure what it was called, but it was nicely flavoured and a good change from having such a buttery creamy texture. Overall, I was really happy with the Indian food at Swagatam. I believe they are one of the top Indian restaurants in Barcelona, actually. The only problem I had was the level of spice. Definitely could’ve kicked it up a level. Maybe we sounded hesitant when they asked us if we could take spice, hence what they served us. But otherwise, definitely worth checking out!

Txapela (2) – Barcelona

February 23, 2014Leave a comment

I had wanted to take N to Ciudad Condal because it’s my favourite and I had been raving about it to her, but unfortunately there was a huge line up and I didn’t see my favourite salmon montadito. We were hungry since I got off school really late, so it was already almost 9pm. Typical Spanish time for dinner, but not so much for us! We wandered around Passeig de Gracia, and we walked in Txapela. I had previously blogged about Txapela here: Txapela, and while this one was also on Passeig de Gracia, we later found that they had two locations! This one was much smaller and more like a bar. When we went in, it was basically empty to my surprise..

Pintxo Gernika – Crab Salad

We sat at the bar and they had some pintxos already pre-made sitting in behind the glass counter. They looked pretty and appealed to us, so we got some. We chose the Pintxo Gernika, which was an imitation crab salad topped with mini massago. This was refreshing. I do find that the bread at Txapela to be much thicker than the ones at Ciudad Condal. It makes you much more full. Something about the fact that they were pre-made and with the lack of customers made me question how fresh the food was. I mean, the food at Ciudad Condal sits at the top of the counters too, but there’s a constant flow of people, so the food turnovers quite quickly.

Catalan Sausage Pintxo – Catalan sausage tartar with tomato and virgin olive oil and Pintxo Bidasoa – salmon roll stuffed with crab and mayonnaise

Another few also caught our eyes in the counter. N chose the Catalan Sausage Pintxo. She said it tasted like beef tartar but the seasoning was good. Not exactly sure what was on top of it though. We both got the Pintxo Bidasoa. I thought it looked a little like a carrot! No carrots in this pintxo, but smoked salmon! I’ve found a new love for smoked salmon since my time in Barcelona, so it was a must order. I find that the smoked salmon in Barcelona is not salty at all like the ones we have in Vancouver. Imitation crab salad was wrapped with the piece of smoked salmon. It was placed on top of a piece of lettuce and drizzled with mayonnaise and topped with some caviar. Again, I thought this was great, but I found it a little cold. It would’ve tasted much better if it was at least slightly warm.

Croquette Pintxo – Iberian Ham Croquette and Pintxo San Fermin – Crispy Chicken with “Chistorra” Sausage and Pepper

We decided to order some off the menu, which is on our placemat. I suggested N to try the Croquette Pintxo, since croquettes are very popular and typical in Spain, and most of my friends had enjoyed them. This was one filled with Iberian Ham. Came on top of a piece of lettuce as well. Again, it felt like it wasn’t really fresh. The croquette was just warm, and not hot. It felt like the other Txapela location had more people, so the food was much more fresh. N also ordered the Pintxo San Fermin, which had some mayo at the bottom, a crispy chicken on top, then a padron pepper, and lastly topped with a “Chistorra” sausage. She enjoyed it and said the sausage reminded her of those Chinese sausages you find at barbeque pork houses.

Kebab Pintxo – Marinated Pork Loin Brochette

For myself, I got the Kebab Pintxo. Wasn’t sure what sort of meat it was when I looked at the picture, but it turns out to be pork loin. It was marinated in a feisty and slightly spicy sauce. We both thought it was really delicious.

Overall, I found this Txapela location to be a little disappointing. Service was great since we were bascially the only diners. They even helped N change her Fanta at no extra cost when we found a fly had flew into the drink. The only issue for me personally, is how fresh their food is.

La Fonda (2) – Barcelona

February 22, 2014Leave a comment

I had visited La Fonda twice already, and this was my third time. I didn’t post another blog post for the second revisit since I had ordered pretty much the same items. It seems that whenever I have visitors, La Fonda is the place to bring them to. I guess it’s just because you can get a taste of some decent paella (which all tourists want to try!) and the menu is at a decent price. So when N came over, I took here here for dinner.

Beef Carpaccio with Lemon Vinaigrette – carpaccio de buey con vinagreta de limon

We started off with an appetizer, and got the Beef Carpaccio. They were thinly sliced and topped with slices of cheese and drizzled with a lemon vinaigrette. It was light and appetizing.

Black Rice – Arroz Negro

As for our entree, of course we got paella. It’s called Aroz Negro on the menu, which means black rice. It may sound odd at first, but it’s really normal rice but mixed with a squid ink sauce. You’ll find bits of squid inside as well so it’s lots of chewiness in this dish! This was 2 orders, since you have to order a minimum of 2 orders per table. We found this extremely flavourful and N really enjoyed it. You really get the seafood taste to it. I’ve had their Valencian Paella before, and I have to say this is much better even though you don’t get as many ingredients. I just enjoyed this flavour much more!

Again, La Fonda didn’t disappoint. This was my last time at La Fonda during my trip, but I’m sure I will visit again when I visit Barcelona again.

Cafe Granja Viader – Barcelona

February 20, 2014Leave a comment

Cafe Granja Viader was recommended by my Spanish professor. This cafe has so much history! The family business began in the 1870s and started as a farm. They are also among the first to start the dairy industry in Spain, and they invented Cacaolat, which you will see all over Spain. Cacaolat is basically the Spanish version of our Milk2Go. The cafe is actually located just inside the streets off of La Rambla, so extremely accessible. You’ll find locals eating here with their children, but tourists have also discovered this cafe and has been a popular destination.

The cafe still has such a vintage feel to it! Very basic furniture with the waiters dressed professionally.

Painters are hung around the wall. We came just when the second opening time began, and hence we got a seat right away. The cafe closes from around 2-5, abiding to the siesta. Therefore, many of my friends have found it difficult to visit here, or when it’s open, there are usually huge crowds.

Swiss Hot Chocolate

N had came to visit me in Barcelona, and I decided to take her here after she got off her flight. Another friend had suggested items to order, so I followed. First, we got a Swiss Hot Chocolate. This was basically the Spanish Hot Chocolate, but topped with a huge lump of whipped cream. The whipped cream was actually light and didn’t have that heavy milk taste that cheap processed whipped cream had. You need to realize that the hot chocolate in Spain is literally melted chocolate. It’s so thick! I don’t think they put any milk in it… The whipped cream really helped lighten the hot chocolate and give it a more milky texture.

Spanish Hot Chocolate

My friend suggested we order just a Spanish Hot Chocolate, and because the Swiss one had so much whipped cream, you could just scoop over half of it onto the one without the cream. This worked out perfectly. When we tried the Spanish Hot Chocolate by itself, we felt it was too heavy. They use dark chocolate, and hence it’s not too sweet. But still, imagine yourself drinking a cup of just melted chocolate… It’s quite something. We both agreed that we wouldn’t be drinking hot chocolate in a while… Extremely rich and smooth though!

Churros

We also got an order of Churros. The plate came with around 4 looped churros and there was one that was a bit different. It had a lot more sugar on it and had a slight cinnamon taste to it! The churros were fresh and surprisingly not too sweet. I did find that the churros were a little hard for my liking, so I ended up dipping it in the hot chocolate. It was the best way to eat it, especially since it got a little boring just drinking the thick hot chocolate.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with Granja Viader! It’s a nice place to sip on some hot chocolate and grab a snack. I really felt like I had went back in time and was experiencing the true Catalan way of enjoying tea time.

To finish off with some Barcelona attractions, I attended the El Clasico 2013! For those who aren’t football fans, like myself, El Clasico is a football match between the Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. The two teams are among the richest and best teams in the world, and Barcelona and Madrid themselves have always been rivalries in football. Also because of other political issues, like independence, the two cities are always heated when they compete. My friends luckily convinced me to attend, and it was the best decision! I’ve never been to any sports game in my life, let alone football being of any interest for me. However, it was so much fun, and the crowds were full of spirit. Never felt so excited watching a game! Camp Nou, the stadium is also the largest football stadium in Europe! It was fully filled and although our seats were almost the last rows, we still had clear vision of the game. And of course, Barcelona won!

Ciudad Condal (2) – Barcelona

February 20, 2014February 20, 2014Leave a comment

It was C’s birthday on the weekend, and as a foodie, she told me she hadn’t been to Ciudad Condal! Ciudad Condal is my favourite tapas spot in Barcelona, if you have read my previous post: Ciudad Condal. I told her it was a must and off we went with a few other friends! This time, we were smart and got a seat at the bar. Pictured above are just some of the salads they offer.

And here are some of the montaditos, seafood and other tapas.

My all time favourite Salmon Montadito! I just had to grab a picture of it!!

Here, I chose two Salmon Montaditos. Again, it was flavourful and the salmon was fresh! In the middle was an Imitation Crab Salad Montadito topped with a pickle and shrimp. This was surprisingly really good too! The downside is that it’s imitation crab. Barcelona seems to use this ingredient a lot, and you will actually find this vastly in grocery stores.

Grilled Cuttlefish

We finally got the correct Grilled Cuttlefish! This was absolutely amazing. The seasoning was perfect and the cuttlefish was so tender!

Grilled Steak with Apples and Foie

I got this randomly and didn’t think much of it, but it was one of the best pintxo I’ve had! It was around two pieces of grilled steak, with alternating pieces of cooked apples, and topped with foie gras! Like holy! This was heaven. I didn’t know cooked apples could work so well with the rest of the ingredients. Sadly, I’ve been back another two times, and both times they did not have this pintxo again. Not sure why…

Deep Fried Brie

We saw in front of us this weird looking nut coated bar on a stick and we asked what it was. Apparently it was brie! The chef would pop the stick in a deep fryer when you order it, and then they would place it on a slice of baguette and topped it with a strawberry sauce. Strawberry sauce and cheese? Yup, it worked! Such an odd combination but it was actually pretty good! Loved how when you cut the bar apart, the cheese would ooze out! It was nutty and cheesy, but sweet at the same time because of the sauce!

Veal with Padron Peppers

Again, I got the Veal with Padron Peppers, which I had gotten at Cervecería Catalana. It was quite the same, with the veal cooked perfectly and lightly seasoned with salt.

Pumpkin Cake with Sweet Port

Since it was C’s birthday, we ended dinner off with some sort of dessert. We didn’t imagine the cake to be a stick, but this was delicious! It was more like pumpkin spice, since the pumpkin flavour itself wasn’t too strong. It was also not really a cake, but more of a pastry. We found that pouring too much of the sweet port made the cake too bitter and alcohol-tasting. Otherwise, great dessert!

Rosa Negra – Barcelona

February 19, 2014March 6, 2014Leave a comment

We had finished our Spanish History tour led by our professor to show us significant spots around the city. It was one of our classmate’s birthday, and she invited us to join her for dinner at Rosa Negra. I had actually never been to this part of town, which is one of Barcelona’s main street, Laietana. There were so many cool restaurants and shops around! Rosa Negra is a Mexican restaurant and had some of the best Mexican food I’ve had. The place is really colourful, hip and cool – perfect for young crowds. There are two floors, and downstairs is a bar. When it gets crowded, many people grab a drink while waiting for a seat.

Raspberry Margarita

They have amazing drink deals, and we all got some Margaritas for only 3, 50 euros. K got the Raspberry Margarita.

Passion-fruit Margarita

For myself, I got the Passion-fruit Margarita. We all agreed that the passion-fruit flavour was the best! We loved how the rims of the glasses were topped with some salt and sugar. It was mixed with a spice too so gave it a little heat when you licked it.

Grilled Chicken with Guacamole Taco

Onto the food! A few of us decided to share some dishes, which got pretty messy, but this way we were able to try an assortment of food. We got the Grilled Chicken with Guacamole Taco, which was our least favourite. The chicken was a little dry since it didn’t have any sauce other than the guacamole.

Seasoned Slow Cooked Pork Burrito

The Seasoned Slow Cooked Pork Burrito was by far our favourite! It was sliced in half, and even then, each portion was bigger than my fist! The flour tortilla was filled with the seasoned slow cooked pork, which was super juicy, moist and flavourful. It was also filled with beans, rice, cheese, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, coriander, and sour cream. The portions were just perfect so you got a bit of everything in each bite. I would suggest sharing this if you want to try other dishes because it’s huge and fills you up really fast!

Sauteed Mushroom and Onion Quesadilla

The sauteed Mushroom and Onion Quesadillas came in a set of three, and were all filled with melted cheese. The cheese was melted perfectly so it was stringy. It was again full of flavour and it came with a small side of salsa (diced tomatoes and onions).

Ceviche

Last but not least, we ordered an appetizer, which was the Ceviche. I was in love with this dish! It had diced fish and shrimp, and they were cooked in a lime juice hence giving it a bit of acidity. It was mixed with mangoes, tomatoes, onions, coriander, ginger and topped with a slice of avocado. This was great because it opened up your appetite! We broke the avocado a bit, and you would scoop some of it with your tortilla chip so it would be like a guacamole, and then scoop some of the fish. I loved this dish!

Overall, I was extremely pleased with the food and drinks at Rosa Negra! Prices were quite reasonable and most of us agreed that the food was up to par with authentic Mexican restaurants. Who knew we would find such great Mexican food in Barcelona! I ended up coming here again as you will see in later posts! Perfect place for a chill, fun night with friends. It gets packed around dinner time though!

Mercat de Mercats 2013 Barcelona

February 18, 2014Leave a comment

Mercat de Mercats is an outdoor food festival in Barcelona that lasts for three days. In English, it’s translated to Market of the Markets. In 2013, it took place in mid October near the Barcelona Cathedral as you can see in the back.

Its a food festival to showcase the best of Catalan and Mediteranean food and cooking. There are around 30 market stalls, 50 local producers, 12 market and city bars and restaurants and 16 wine cellars, who take part! Pretty impressive! You’ll find everything from wines, cavas, oils, vinegars, cheeses, meats, seafood, and cooked tapas.

I thought it was pretty cool that people were walking around with wine glasses since they had paid for some wine samples. Not something we normally see in Vancouver!

I didn’t get a chance to try any of the food since I had just passed by after doing some grocery shopping alone. Wasn’t exactly in the mood to try food by myself. There were tons of good looking tapas though! I ended buying some olive oil and balsamic vinegars as gifts though. It was from a local producer with all the packaging done by the producers. Pretty neat to support local producers!

Some of the stalls in La Boqueria market were present, including the burritos stand.

Check it out if you’re in Barcelona this year during the festival!

Tapas 24 – Barcelona

February 17, 2014Leave a comment

On exchange, I was able to meet some amazing friends from all over the world. I was especially happy to have met C, who was from my hometown and was also a fellow food blogger! It was great to have someone understand the time we go through to write these posts and why we could take minutes just trying to take a good picture of our food. I have to say, C is a serious foodie compared to me! You can check out her food blog here: http://cherriehui.blogspot.ca/She definitely did her research, and suggested we go try out Tapas 24 as it is owned by Chef Carles Abellan. Carles is a Catalan chef who was trained at elBulli, which is a former restaurant famous for their molecular gastronomy. Now, Chef Carles has several Michelin star restaurants all over Barcelona, and Tapas 24 is just one of them. It’s probably one of the most casual and affordable restaurants he owns. The restaurant is always packed and we luckily got a seat outside.

It’s cute how your utensils come in a little envelope with the menu on it. As you can see, prices are above average for small portions. It’s quality over quantity here, so definitely don’t come with an empty stomach unless you’re ready to empty your wallet.

Sangria de Cava

We got a pitcher of Sangria de Cava for drinks, which is Sangria but instead of red wine, it’s champagne. Therefore, it’s a bit fizzy! This was good!

Bikini Comerc 24

The Bikinis are one of Tapas 24’s most well known item. In Spain, Bikinis are essentially sandwiches with ham and cheese. Inside this prized Bikini, is a white mild cheese, jamon iberico, and flecks of black truffle! The sandwiches are cut into little pieces, and you can basically finish it in two bites. Extremely small for around 8 euros, but so worth it! The bread was toasted perfectly and the truffle flecks made a simple sandwich full of flavour. A must order!

Les Braves

Braves are one of the most popular tapas in Spain. Chunks of bite size potatoes which are deep fried. They were topped with a garlic mayo and ketchup. The sauce was excellent and the potatoes weren’t oily. Excellent!

McFoie – Burguer

The McFoie is also extremely popular at Tapas 24. I didn’t expect the burger to look like this, but it tasted so good! It’s essentially a beef patty mixed with foie gras and this is filled inside the burger like a pocket. I can’t even really describe how the outer burger was like. It’s definitely not a burger… It was crispy, warm and soft. It also came with a dipping sauce which was made of foie gras. It was like foie gras heaven. A small portion, but so good and well worth it if you’re a foie gras lover!

Pan amb Tomaquet

Bread brushed with tomatoes is eaten at almost any Spanish restaurant. It’s interesting to note that Tapas 24’s menu is all in Catalan, so the menu names are a little confusing sometimes for a Spanish reader. However, our server was really nice and basically went down the whole menu and translated it into English despite her running around for several minutes before helping us. These were toasted to perfection and lathered lavishly with tomatoes, olive oil and lightly seasoned with salt.

Alitas “coreanas”

These were Korean inspired Chicken Wings! This was off their regular menu and on a menu they had written on the chalkboard. Definitely one of our favourite dishes. The sauce had an Asian flare to it and was a little spicy. I loved how the chicken wings had the bones removed so it was easy to eat. The skin was slightly crispy and the meat was tender and moist.

Sepionetas

These were baby grilled cuttlefish and they were also a big hit at our table. Cuttlefish in Barcelona are so tender! These were slightly grilled, topped with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lightly seasoned with salt. My favourite!

Xocolata amb Oli

And for dessert, we got their signature Chocolate with olive Oil. Who would have thought olive oil would go with chocolate right? Well at Tapas 24, they know how to play with their ingredients. It was essentially scoops of chocolate mouse and it was drizzled with olive oil. On top, they placed pieces of thinly cut crostinis so you could scoop the mousse. The mousse was already smooth, and along with the olive oil, it was just chocolate heaven! It was also topped with some salt, so it was a mixture of sweet and savoury, which was unexpected, but somehow worked!

All in all, Tapas 24 is worth a try if you’re ready to try something different and challenge your taste-buds. Their menu is very limited, but they do have some daily specials which are worth trying. It’s a cheaper alternative than trying the other elBulli restaurants which could really break your bank! And to finish today’s post off, is a view from the top of Montserrat. Montserrat is a multi-peaked mountain just a few hours away from Barcelona. If you’re ready for a hiking activity, challenge yourself by climbing to the peaks of Sant Jeroni for a spectacular view. If hiking is not your thing, then visit the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary. The mountain is known for its religious significances in the past, but for myself, I was wowed by the beautiful formations of the mountains. Not exactly the same as the mountains in British Columbia, and the hike itself was actually pretty easy! Nothing compared to the Grouse Grind, so definitely check it out if you want a physical activity here in Barcelona.

Every Day is a Food Day

Category: Barcelona