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!

Bits and Pieces of Venice

January 23, 2014Leave a comment

City of water…If you guessed Venice, you’re correct! I don’t normally post pictures of myself, but I took so many pictures while traveling, I might as well share some of the scenery with you all! During our stay in Milan, we actually took a day trip to Venice by train. The train was pretty fast and we were there in less than 2 hours. Maybe even less! We decided on a one day trip, since we found that the hotels in Venice were extremely expensive! We basically had half the day to explore and hoped it would be enough. If you’re planning to go to Venice, I can assure you that a day trip is enough. The city is beautiful, but it’s honestly quite small. If you want to really take it slow, then a maximum of two days will give you enough time to literally explore the whole city. First off, we hadn’t done any research of this place. We were hoping there would be a tourist center where we could get some maps and such. Yea, there was a tourist booth, but all the maps cost money! We ended up wandering without a map and actually hit all the tourist spots! So no need to really buy a map…To be honest, I found Venice one of the most touristy cities I visited. I felt like everyone around me was a tourist, and I couldn’t really figure out if locals even lived here (well, of course they do). Plus, be warned that everything is expensive! They really know how to get the most out of us tourists…

Spritz Veneziano

So we were warned ahead of time that food would be expensive, so we tried to settle at average looking cafes and restaurants. After exploring the city, we decided we would grab an early dinner since we would be on the train around dinner time. We walked back towards where we arrived by train as we remembered there were a line up of restaurants. At this point, it didn’t even matter if they were tourist traps – honestly the city was catered to tourists. During our exploration, we realized everyone was drinking this orange drink in a glass. They often came in a wine glass, and my sister insisted that we had to try this. According to her, it must be the drink all the locals drink here… Alright, after doing some research on it, I can tell you that it’s so popular here because the Spritz Veneziano is actually originated in Venice! A-ha. Anyways, it is a drink prepared with prosecco wine, which is an Italian white sparkling wine. It is then combined with a dash of a bitter liqueur such as Aperol, Campari, or in Venice, Select. It is then topped off with sparkling mineral water. Sometimes it is also garnished with a slice of orange or olive. Sadly, all three of us hated this drink. I guess it was the bitter liqueur that they used, that really turned us off. Even worse, was this drink cost a lot, and the three of us had each ordered one. Just when we thought it would be a delicious, fruity cocktail…

Spaghetti with Clams in a White Wine Sauce

We had settled at this restaurant that had what was called a “tourist menu”. Now most of the restaurants in Venice basically have this. They also have something called a cover charge. Cover charge is essentially a charge per person for just sitting outside. Actually, I’m not sure if you need to pay a charge just for sitting. But we sat outside, and this was added to our bill. Not to mention that service was just terrible. And they expect you to tip here… Service like that really does not deserve any tip. Anyways, K and my sister order the tourist menu. If I remember correctly, it came with a salad, pasta and another dish, which I wish I could remember. This was their pasta dish which was Spaghetti with Clams in a White Wine Sauce. This was actually pretty good! It had a lot of clams and the pasta was cooked to al dente.

Seafood Risotto

For myself, I ordered the Seafood Risotto, which was off the regular menu. I absolutely loved this. It was a bit pricey, but I think it was still under 20 euros. It was really good though! The rice was cooked to perfection, not too chewy and not too soft. The sauce was amazing. There were bits of clams and shrimps inside and it came with three more mussels. The seafood was surprisingly quite fresh. Not the freshest I’ve had, but quite decent! Loved this dish.

And now let me show you some of the shops around the city! Venice is basically filled with narrow streets which are really pedestrian walking only. Every once in a while, you would see the canal, and then you would enter just a street with buildings on both sides. It’s almost like a maze. Along these streets, you will find shops from bakeries, to pasta shops to mask shops and etc. It’s extremely popular to see these shops that sell almond cookies and these gigantic meringues. If you’ve been to Macau in Asia, my friends told me that is what Venice really reminds them of.

There are also tons of pasta shops! Well Italy is famous for pasta, so it’s no surprise. They claim they are handmade, and I was just drawn into their colours and detailed patterns. I love how they are shaped into Venice infrastructure, gondolas, hearts and much more! The colouring is also natural as they are made from vegetables or spices, which is pretty cool.

More pasta! I thought these were pretty cool since it was curry flavoured. They also had some truffle flavoured ones. Mmm!

And yea…we ended up getting some gelato again. This was amazing because it was pear flavoured! I love how the Italians use every fruit they can think of. Super refreshing. Underneath is a scoop of pistachio. I can never get enough of that.

And my sister decided to buy one of those gigantic meringues. It’s literally the size of two fists put together. This one was pistachio flavoured. However, all we could taste was sugar. Well meringues are made of egg whites and sugar… It was so sweet that we both took a few bites and threw the rest out… You need ten people to finish this! It was pretty expensive too…

And last but not least, I’ll finish this post with a picture of gondolas! I didn’t get a chance to take one since they are quite pricey and wasn’t worth it when we only had three people. Also note that these guys don’t actually sing… Thought it would be all romantic like in those movies…Nope! Oh well, Venice is still a beautiful city to visit! Jealous of anyone who is heading there! Next post: we head back home to Barcelona!

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.

Cocteleria Baritimo – Barcelona

November 6, 2013December 10, 2014Leave a comment

Finally after a week of traveling in Valencia and Ibiza, I finally returned to Barcelona, where it would be home for the next 4 months. Weather is absolutely beautiful here, and it’s hard to remember that I’m actually here for school, because every day seems like a vacation here! I hadn’t gone out much since arriving as I was nervous to explore the city alone, but when my roommate U arrived, we headed out to see Port Vell along with her father. Port Vell is the major waterfront port built due to the Olympics and is a major tourist point as it also has a large shopping centre. We headed over to the Maremagnum Mall and as it was a boiling hot day, we sat down at Cocteleria Baritimo on the second floor for a drink.

U and I both ordered a glass of Sangria. This would soon be my go-to drink here in Barcelona as you can get it for really cheap. However, the one here was quite pricey, but I have to admit it was really good. I don’t think they used really cheap wine, hence it tasted much better.

We sat right against the water where we were elevated from the ground as we were on the second floor. The view was truly amazing and with the sunny weather, I see why people always want to relax here! Amazing place if you want to grab a drink, have some tapas and enjoy the beautiful view. Of course, it comes with a slightly higher price, but so worth it!

Tapasbar – Valencia

October 24, 2013October 24, 2013Leave a comment

Finally posting some of my Europe food adventures! First stop was in Barcelona, but shortly after getting settled down, I met up with S and M to bus to Valencia. The next day, we would head to Bunol for the famous Tomatina Festival, where it is a food fight of throwing tomatoes at each other. In the meantime, we were in beautiful Valencia and were taken to the beach area. We wandered looking for food and settled at the Tapasbar.

The place was quite packed, and they offered a set menu, that I would quickly learn is extremely popular in Spain. The menu here wasn’t too cheap, and cost $13 euros. It included an appetizer, main course, dessert, bread, and a drink.

Prosciutto and Melon

For my appetizer, I chose the Prosciutto and Melon. Thinking of any type of ham now actually sort of makes me sick. It is so popular in Spain, that I kept eating it the first month and I’m at the point now where I don’t usually choose it anymore. The ham jamon wasn’t as smooth as I would’ve liked it to be, with the edges being very fatty and tough. It worked well with the melon though, and the plate was extremely large for an appetizer. As for my drink, we got a jug of sangria between the three of us, which gave us around 2 glasses each. Sangria is so popular in Spain, that I end up ordering it most of the time.

Grilled Lamb Chop with Fries and Grilled Vegetables

For my main course, I chose the Grilled Lamb Chops. Probably shouldn’t have chosen this as it was extremely tough. Shouldn’t have expected any good lamb for the price I was paying. It was full of tendons that were not edible and the meat was overcooked. The grilled vegetables were also a bit burnt, so I didn’t really enjoy them. We all agreed that the fries tasted sort of different from our North American fries. We came to the conclusion that the potatoes in Spain must be of different origin. They had a distinct taste that we weren’t quite used to. The other odd thing is they don’t supply you with ketchup unless you ask. I guess ketchup and fries are an American thing..

Tiramisu

For dessert, I chose the Tiramisu although I know it doesn’t originate from Spain. I just craved it and thought it would be a safe choice. Indeed it was. It was soft and creamy with just the right amount of liquor in it. It wasn’t too sweet which I liked. Not bad!

Flan

S chose the Flan for her dessert and I decided to get a picture of it too. I’ll soon realize that flan is extremely popular in Spain and also one of my favourite desserts. It was smooth and creamy and of course sweet! Yum.

Overall, Tapas bar was just mediocre for the price I paid. Definitely not worth it because there are actually much better deals around town. We were hungry and most restaurants had large lines, so we settled for this. Also to remember is to give yourself lots of time for meals, because service in Spain is ridiculously slow.

Granville Island Brewing Taproom

August 5, 2013August 5, 2013Leave a comment

After water-biking at Granville Island, J and I were thirsty and walked by the Granville Island Brewing Taproom. I’ve never been here, so we decided to grab an afternoon drink to quench our thirst.

The taproom was quite packed, but we luckily found a seat by the bar. You basically just walk in and find a seat wherever you like. Pretty much like any pub. In the back, you can see all the machines brewing the beer.

They have a tasting map with the 8 different beers they have. I’m not a huge fan of beer, so I honestly had no idea what I was ordering. I did however go to a beer tasting event before, so I learned a little, but still not enough to call myself an expert (not in close actually).

Hefeweizen, Raspberry Ale, Small Batch

They had a special going on where you could try 3 different kinds of beer on tap at around $9 I think? The glasses are around half the size of a normal pint, but it’s perfect if you want to try different types of beer. I chose to try the Hefeweizen, which was described as a unfiltered wheat ale, and is vaguely tart with light clove and banana flavours and aromas. It finishes crisp and dry. I definitely tasted the banana flavours to it, which was quite interesting, but I did find it to be a bit dry, like it said. Next I tried the Raspberry Ale. I keep seeing this advertised around Granville Island, and because of it’s pink colour, I always assumed it would be a girly beer. I believe it’s only available during the summer as it is a seasonal ale, and combines premium malt and hops with Fraser Valley raspberries. It is well-balanced with raspberry colour, aroma and finish. It tastes like fresh raspberries, without being too sweet, and is refreshingly tart with enough pale malt character, so it tastes like an ale, and not a wine cooler. This was definitely one of the sweeter and fruitier beers, and probably my favourite out of the three. Last but not least, J chose the Small Batch, which we were told was basically a dark ale. It was super bitter! Definitely not something I would drink normally, and it left a bitter aftertaste in your mouth.

If you want to try out different beers at a decent price, the taproom at the Granville Island Brewing is the perfect place to go. It gets quite busy during the summer afternoons, and I would assume it’s even busier during night time.

The Famous Warehouse

July 9, 20132 Comments

I finally met up with the people from my school who are going to Barcelona with me for exchange! K suggested we go to The Famous Warehouse for lunch to talk about our traveling plans over some cheap food and drinks. I’ve heard of this eatery before but never knew where it was exactly. I’ve probably walked by it multiple times as it’s located right on Granville, just a little past the shops and right next to multiple clubs. No wonder people come here for drinks and food before and after clubbing. Don’t expect good service at all, because the selling point of this eatery is their cheap food. All at $4.95. The place is pretty much like a pub, and it definitely smells like a pub. After waiting for around 20 minutes with no one acknowledging us, a customer who was leaving tells us there are spots in the back. We walk a few steps in, and a server finally talks to us and takes us in. We were then served by a lady, who I have to say gave decent service compared to the reviews I’ve read online. She checked up on us, which I was surprised after reading such terrible reviews.

K got a glass of beer and Yam Fries, while U got a glass of white wine, which was poured in a highball glass… Pretty weird. She also got the Twisted Greens and added chicken to it for another $2.

Mushroom Jack Burger – premium Alberta beef, sauteed mushrooms, gravy, macho sauce, Monterrey jack, toasted brioche bun, shreeded lettuce, tomato, pickle

For myself, I had read some reviews before hand, and most diners agreed that the burgers were the most decent. I got myself the Mushroom Jack Burger, which was a fair size. Not as big as other restaurant, but definitely not a slider. Maybe the size of a McDonald’s burger. It also came with a side of Peppered Fries, which I couldn’t finish in the end. The beef patty was moist, and there was an abundant of mushrooms. I have to say it was a decent burger, especially at the price. I also got myself a Palm Bay, which ended up being more expensive than my meal.

I think they make money through their drinks, because all their drinks are priced higher than your actual meal. My Palm Bay was around $5, and it’s probably one of the cheapest alcoholic drinks you can get on the menu. Oh, and they don’t list the prices of beverages on the menu, so you don’t really know how much you’re paying for until you get your bill. I think most of our bills ended up over $10. The place also seems to always be busy. It’s a great place to go if you’re just looking for cheap food and don’t care about service or waiting. If that’s not your cup of tea, then definitely avoid it.

Wings Restaurants and Pubs (Granville)

May 6, 2013Leave a comment

Last Wednesday, I met with my Pre-Law Society for a wrap-up dinner to a great year! It has definitely been one of my favourite clubs I joined throughout my university time. Tons of fun with a great team and I will surely miss them next year! We settled for Wings Restaurants & Pubs at the Granville location. There was a Canucks game on that night, but suprisingly the place wasn’t that packed. We had made reservations prior to secure seats anyways.

House White Wine & Fusilli with Chicken in Garlic White Wine Sauce

Unlike many pubs and bars, Wings does not offer Wings Wednesdays. The wings are regular priced like on any other day. However, they do have Pasta Wednesdays! I decided to get that since I wasn’t exactly in the mood for wings that night. You get to build your pasta for only $7.98! What a deal. I chose Fussili with the Garlic White Wine Sauce and topped it with Chicken. The portion was not as large as many restaurants, but it was enough to fill me up. And for a little under $8, it is definitely worth it. Don’t expect anything amazing though. It’s literally just cooked pasta, with a simple sauce and some chicken. It was topped with some cheese and also came with a slice of garlic bread, which I found a little flavourless. As for my drink, I got the House White Wine, which I forgot what the name was… A little dry for my liking though.

Overall, my experience was alright at Wings. I don’t expect much at a pub, and I wouldn’t say our waitress was extremely friendly, but she got things done. It’s also a great place to catch the games as they have televisions at almost every corner of the wall.