Restaurante Japones Wok – Barcelona

January 10, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

I guess my Asian food craving continued, as a few days later, my friends and I decided to go to an all you can eat Japanese restaurant called Japones Wok near Arc de Triomf. It seems that this metro station area has a lot of Asian food. Anyways, for lunch, you can have all you can eat for 9.50 euros. Not bad, considering you’re in Spain. However, the little trick is that you must order a drink as well. And their drinks cost at least 2 euros, even for a bottle of water. You end up paying over 10 euros for your meal because of that. And to think that all you can eat places in Richmond are bad sometimes….well yea, let’s just be grateful for that. At Restaurante Japones Wok, which is considered a very good Japanese restaurant in Barcelona, it really isn’t just Japanese food. You get a mix of Japanese and Chinese food. I haven’t really seen any Japanese locals in Barcelona for the four months I stayed, but learned that most Japanese restaurants are operated by Chinese. So here we have some Chow Mein, Fried Rice, Calamari, Beef Stir Fry, Assorted Grilled Seafood, Seaweed Salad, Gyoza and Sushi. There’s actually a lot to choose from, and they even have a section of dim sum… For sushi, there actually isn’t a lot to choose from, and each piece is very dainty and small. I almost feel embarrassed if I take more than two of each as they don’t put out a lot each time. The fish is definitely not as fresh as the ones in Vancouver, but they are bearable.

What I liked about this place was they also have all you can eat teppanyaki. That’s something that wouldn’t be as common. You choose a variety of seafood, meet, kebabs, and vegetables and place it on a plate. Then you line up, and the chef will grill your items right in front of you. Pretty cool, and the seafood here is quite fresh. I also ordered steak, but I have learned that their steak in Spain is basically a thin slice of beef. It almost reminds me of pork because it is so thin, and after grilling it, it becomes super tough. Not juicy like the ones back at home.

But if you’re looking for some Asian food, give Japones Wok a try. It won’t be authentic, but it can satisfy your cravings in the meantime. Also, they have a variety of candies and gummies along their buffet too! Yes…I ended up eating a lot candy instead…

Cheng Ji – Barcelona

January 9, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

When M came to visit me in Barcelona, he craved Chinese food. Okay, well really, he just craves it anywhere he goes. Luckily, my friends on exchange knew where there were some decent Chinese food, so off we went. Cheng Ji is near the Arc de Triomf metro station. The workers there can all speak Mandarin and Spanish, which makes it a little more legit. I have to say, having this Chinese drink after a month on exchange, was quite satisfying. Anyways, I ordered the Gang Chao Niu He, or Dry Beef Chow Fun. Ordering this reminded me of how my mom would always order this at restaurants and I would always complain. Sadly, it was actually nice to have something so familiar to home. However, I have to say the dish was quite below average compared to the ones we have in Richmond. You can tell from the picture that the sauce is completely lacking. It wasn’t oily enough, although I normally complain about the oil. And hence, everything was just sticking together too much. They did, however, have a decent amount of beef to bring some flavour to the dish. The Seafood Fried Rice is something that might be worth ordering here, as it was one of the more decent dishes. Overall, not bad for what you get in Spain if you really crave some Chinese food. Prices are decent as well.

Tapas Gaudi – Barcelona

January 7, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

Tapas Gaudi is literally just 10 minutes away from my flat in Barcelona. It is right in front of the Clot Metro Station, hence I walk by it pretty much every day. When S came to visit me, we decided to go grab dinner and since we were too lazy to metro elsewhere in the city centre, we decided to give Tapas Gaudi a try. The place was never packed, but you would see the occasional diner in there at all times.

Seafood Paella

Since S was here for only a week, she wanted to get the most out of her paella. So of course, we ordered a Seafood Paella to share. Their paellas are around $16-18, but you do not need to order a minimum of two orders. But then again, the price is around the same as La Fonda’s when you order two there. It came with three shrimps, which remind me of crawfish. There isnt’t much meat to it as they are quite skinny. It also came with some clams and green beans. Again, it was alright. I’m still not a huge fan of paella. Having it once is honestly enough for me, personally.

Black Rice Paella

K ordered the Black Rice Paella, which does not look very appealing, but I actually liked the flavouring of this one more. Same ingredients, but a squid ink base as the sauce, hence the rice turning black.

Fried Milk

Lastly, S and I shared the Fried Milk as dessert. It came with some vanilla gelato and whipped cream, which were all beginning to melt. The fried milk reminded me of the ones back at home at Chinese restaurants. I actually quite enjoyed this. It was almost like a donut, but soft in the inside with a custard like texture.

Overall, Tapas Gaudi is just alright. I find that the prices are quite expensive compared to what you can get elsewhere. I believe it is mostly for tourists as it is situated right outside of the metro station. The food isn’t terrible, but it is just average for a high price.

La Concha – Barcelona

January 4, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

After school, a bunch of us decided to head back to the city centre to grab some lunch. However, we had nowhere in mind so we wandered the Gothic area streets for almost an hour. We all wanted good food at a decent price and with such a large group, it was hard to come to a consensus. We were starting to get really hungry, and we finally decided to settle for La Concha. La Concha, like most restaurants in Barcelona, offer a menu del dia, which is a 2-3 course menu at a fixed price. These menus are often offered during lunch time until 4pm, and then some restaurants will choose to have a dinner menu as well. Since menu of the days are usually the best deal, we went for it, and it was only 12 euros for a first course, main entree, dessert, bread, and drink.

Fideua

There are a variety of items to choose for each course, and for my first course, I chose the Fideua. You need to learn that in Barcelona, their so called first course or appetizer is an enormous portion and could fill me up as almost an entree. The fideua was literally three large scoops on a huge plate. I was getting worried how full I would be by the end of this meal…Anyways, fideua is basically the noodle version of paella. Fideau means noodles in Catalan and is often seen on menus in Catalan or Valencian restaurants. The noodles are special noodles, which are very thin like angel hair. They are broken into tiny pieces and are served with shrimp or other seafood. There’s a sauce to it, but it is quite dry compared to paella rice. They also give you a side of mayonnaise, which you are supposed to mix into the fideua. However, I prefer my fideua without the sauce as it gets too saucey and salty.

Lacón a la Gallega (Galician Ham)

For my entree, I chose the Lacon a la Gallega, which is Galician Ham in English. This is a ham that originates from Galicia, which is in northwest Spain. It is a dried ham, and instead of using the whole leg, they only use the pork’s shoulder. The ham was paired with sauerkraut and lentils, and topped with a spice similar to paprika. Quite tasty but very meaty and filling.

Flan

Lastly, for dessert I had the flan which is similar to a caramel pudding. Even though it didn’t look too appetizing, it was quite delicious. I love how the top is slightly glazed and the whipped cream makes it even better.

All in all, La Concha was quite good for the price you pay. The people do not speak a lot of English, but they do their best to try and explain their menu which is all in Catalan. Overall, worth a try if you are in the Gothic Quarter.

Farrgi

January 3, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

Farrgi is basically around every district in Barcelona and throughout Spain. It is a chain shop, similar to Haagen Dazs pricing and offerings. Shops all sell gelato, but they also have other desserts. S and I were wondering around at the Glories mall and we decided to grab some cake. We chose the Strawberry Cheesecake. It was a pure disappointment. The cake was still frozen in the middle, although they had heated the outside. Their cakes are basically from the freezer and not freshly made. Quite disappointed for the poor quality even though it was quite expensive.

La Fonda

December 10, 2013December 10, 2014Leave a comment

Before arriving in Barcelona, I really did not do much research into what to eat. Something that is so unlike me, since I research where to eat in Vancouver all the time. However, I luckily met S, who seemed to know his way around Barcelona really well. Since my friends were over to visit me, I had no idea where to take them. S kindly took me and my friends out and we ended up at La Fonda. We luckily did not have to wait long until we got a table. Usually, La Fonda has ridiculous line ups, because it is actually a well known restaurant for tourists. Inside, the restaurant looks extremely fancy, and at first, I was worried S had taken us to some sort of fine dining. However, after we looked at the menu, we realized the prices were very reasonable and actually much cheaper than many other restaurants.

Sangria

We first started with a pitcher of Sangria. This is a must order in Spain, since it is basically the Spanish cocktail. The sangria at La Fonda is actually pretty good, compared to some other ones I have tried. It has a good amount of red wine and enough fruits to make it slightly sweet.

Entrante mixto de la Fonda (Calamares a la romana, quiche de jamon y queso, croquetas, pan con tomate y fuet…)

We started off with a mixed plate of appetizers. It started with grilled cuttlefish, which was one of my favourite. The seasoning was just so good and the cuttlefish was grilled perfectly. To the right was a ham and cheese quiche, which was decent. Not the best I’ve had. Next, was a baguette with brushed tomatoes and a slice of a type of sausage. The sausage was similar to chorizo and was rather hard. Typical sausages the Spanish eat though. Next, was the calamaris fried in a Romanian style. I didn’t like these calamaris. The oil seemed rather old and the batter was not fluffy or crunchy. Next, were the croquettes, which were filled with ham and cheese. These were also one of my favourites. Last, was the grilled red peppers, which are also a common appetizer for the Spanish. The whole platter was under 8 euros, which is great if you want to try a bit of everything. Quite difficult to share between four people, but perfect for two.

Paella Valencia

And of course, I would be dumb enough to tell my friends to save eating paella in Barcelona when we should have had some authentic paella in Valencia! I had clearly not done my foodie research, and now I regret not having paella in Valencia… So of course, we ended up trying the Paella served Valencian style at La Fonda. It was basically served with chicken drumsticks and lots of veggies amidst a flavourful sauce. You have to order a minimum of two servings, but this is perfect to share if you just want to try some paella and leave room for other dishes. The paella here is extremely well done for the price, as most restaurants charge ridiculous prices. Here, the each order is around 8 euros, so it costs around 16 euros for the minimum two orders. Not bad at all, since lots of places charge at least 16 euros for one order.

Cordero al horno con patatas al romero

Lastly, we shared a main meat entree, which was under 12 euros. This was also one of the most expensive entree for the meat section, with most entrees costing around 8 or 9 euros. We chose the Grilled Lamb with Rosemary Potatoes and this was really good! The meat was so tender and just flaked off the bone. The sauce was flavourful, with the rosemary aroma.

In the end, we were completely full with just ordering the three dishes between the four of us. If you want some taste of Spanish food and a reasonable price, La Fonda is the place to go. You will see tons of tourists here, and the best thing is that the waiters can speak perfect English. They are just so used to dealing with tourists, that it is a tourist friendly restaurant. But it’s not one of those that rip you off with unauthentic and poor quality food. Be ready to wait unless you start lining up at 7pm for the first seating. They also have great lunch menus at a reasonable fixed price. It is tucked away near Placa Reial and accessible after a long day walking around La Rambla.

Luzia – Barcelona

December 1, 2013December 10, 2014Leave a comment

I apologize for getting behind again! I’ve been traveling a lot this month and with school almost finished, I had tons of projects to finish up! Anyways, this post goes way back to September, when school just began. After school, U and I met up with her dad and we headed along La Rambla, which is one of the busiest streets in Barcelona. It’s filled with tourists and pickpocketers, so you always need to be cautious around here. We looked around for food, worrying that there may be lots of tourist traps, but luckily we ended up at Luzia which is located right on the street corner. The inside looks quite fancy, but the prices are actually decent and there are many families eating there.

Ravioli con salsa de setas ( Ravioli with Mushroom Sauce)

I chose the Ravioli with Mushroom Sauce and although there are only a few pieces of ravioli, it really fills you up. The mushroom sauce was extremely rich and other than mushrooms, there were also some sort of nuts or grains in the sauce. I couldn’t figure it out. The filling was a cheese filling and went very well with the mushrooms.

Pollo de corral, pimientos y puré trufado (Free Range Chicken, Peppers and Truffle)

U had the Chicken with Peppers and Truffle. It was nicely presented on a wooden board with a skillet on top. She said the chicken was tender and the flavours worked well with each other. Extremely delicious she said!

Our meal came with some bread as well. We also ordered some white wine. U’s dad got the Steak tartar y patatas fritas (Steak Tartar and French Fries). He said it was cooked perfectly.

Tiramisu

Last but not least, U and I shared a slice of Tiramisu. It was filled with chocolate and coffee goodness. A slight hint of alcohol and filled with cream and mascarpone cheese. So good!

Alta Galicia – Barcelona

November 13, 2013December 10, 2014Leave a comment

When U and her dad arrived, I joined them for meals quite often as I I didn’t know my way around the city much. One night, we wandered near our neighbourhood to look for dinner. Past the park near Clot, there is a street full of restaurants and cafes. Around dinner time, the waiters try to lure you into eating at their restaurant. Many also have outdoor seatings since the weather is perfect for eating out.

After walking for a while, trying to figure out where to eat, we ended up at Alta Galicia. We pretty much got lured into it by the guy saying they had the best seafood and paella, but honestly, every single restaurant says the same thing. It actually gets sort of annoying since they don’t leave you alone.

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Pa amb tomàquet

After placing our order, they brought over some baguettes with brushed tomato on top. It’s a famous tapa called Pa amb tomàquet that the Spanish eat and are often provided for free. I’m not a big fan of tomatoes, but these have just a light taste of tomatoes along with the seeds so it’s not too strong.

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Steamed Mussels

For my entree, I chose Steamed Mussels and they were just okay. The ones I had in Paris years ago were so much better and I still crave them today. I found that the mussels were not cleaned properly hence it still had that tough part on the side. It also had a bit of sand in it, so it was sort of gross. I would’ve also expected a type of sauce but it was literally just steamed mussels seasoned with salt. It also did not come with fries, which is often common.

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U got the Mussels in Marina Sauce which was much more flavoured, and her dad got a Tomato Soup.

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Calamari

We also got a plate of Calamari to share. They were tender and the batter wasn’t too thick. It would’ve been nice to have some sort of dip like an aioli sauce, but they didn’t. Just a slice of lemon.

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At the end of our dinner, they offered us shots. I didn’t know what to get so I left it to U’s dad to choose. He got a lemon drop for himself, and for us girls, we had a shot that I forgot the name of. It had Bailey’s in it and some sort of chocolate flavouring. It wasn’t too strong and was much more creamy.

All in all, I wasn’t too impressed with the food at Alta Galicia. It seems to be a tourist trap in this street full of restaurants, although it’s not even an extremely popular street. One thing to remember is that they charge an extra 1.50 euros per dish if you sit outside. Pretty ridiculous and they don’t tell you that before you sit down. We had no idea until we opened the menu and saw the two price differences. This is often the case in Europe, so be careful. Also, it literally took 20 minutes for them to give us our bill. In Canada, I would’ve probably walked out already if it takes so long. I mean, isn’t collecting our money the most important thing for a restaurant?! Our restaurants usually try to rush you to pay the bill since they want you out so they can serve more customers! This slow efficiency is really getting to me, and it’s one I definitely cannot get used to. Another tip is that water costs money in most European countries, so I often end up drinking alcoholic drinks, since it costs around the same.

Every Day is a Food Day

Tag: Barcelona