Restaurant "Sense Pressa".....No hurries indeed!

Anniversaries, birthdays, after holiday reunion dinners.....yes, that is what has kept me from blogging.  Oh yeah, and a little something called exercise....yuck.  But don't worry, I have managed to go eat at a wonderful restaurant that I would like to share with all my foodie friends.  This is one of those places that when you discover it, you are happy to be amongst those "in the know".  This tiny little place, is called "Sense Pressa", which literally translates to "No Hurries".  Isn't that how all food should be enjoyed?   I mean, it is an obvious concept, but I think that more and more each day, we take our food for granted.  I know, I know, I am one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to be in a car, or office and wolf down food as if tomorrow will never be, never knowing what or how much you are putting in your mouth.  An act to just fuel your body instead of your soul. 
Anyhow, if you are in my part of the world, secure your reservations here well in advance, they are ALWAYS fully booked.  And for good reasons too:  10 tables, amazing, delectable food.

For my boyfriends birthday, we were lucky enough to get a table (actually, he had booked it waaaay in advance without my knowledge) and we promptly arrived at 9pm anxious to sit down all night and sample their delights.

Their menu is quite extensive, but as all my favorite places here, it has a daily off the menu selection.  Which is what we ordered from.

Of course, the meal started off with a bottle of wine.  We tend to stick to whites, only because I have adverse reactions to very strong reds (and most spanish wines are strong and full of tannins, which cause me to have an itchy rash.)  The sommelier recommended a full bodied white to go with our meal.  He explained that it was almost like having a red, that it could accompany meats such as lamb or pork......so much so that it had to be decanted.....VALLEGARCIA   VIOGNIER 2007.  Lovely, subtle, yet with a woody finish.

As our appetizer we ordered a plate of Cecina de Leon, which is  cured beef leg, almost like a spanish ham but with a smokier, meatier taste.  It is usually served with some ground black pepper and a dash of extra virgin olive oil.  Of course, accompanied by Pa amb tomaquet, toasted bread with tomatoes.  This is not a recent discovery, but somehow, if there is a good spanish ham on the menu, the Cecina is usually overlooked.  I think this is a mistake, since good Cecina can be just as good or even better than the ham, especially since most places won't spend the money to get a good quality ham because it can cost over 130 euros per kilo.  ( I am sure this place isn't one that will skimp on good ham, but I have that almost every day.  Yes, I am spoiled.)

The razor thin slices were complex and delicate all at the same time, and with a crusty slice of bread, it is a pairing made in heaven.

Then we moved on to our next appetizer, Foie gras carpaccio with black truffles vinagrette.  I have two complaints.  1. Too much foie.........crazy huh?  2. There was too much vinegar in the vinaigrette, so after a few bites, it started to cancel the sublime taste of the foie.  Oh well, perfection is hard, but I expected more from a place like this. 

We decided to have fish as our main, since it was fresh off the boat, and the fact that it was Turbot.  Turbot is one of my favorite fish, its delicate and meaty texture is highly prized in these areas.  I love it "a la donostiarra" which is basically pan fried with just a smidgen of oil, garlic, chili pepper and a drop of vinegar.  This is typical of "Donosti" or San Sebastian (Donosti is how you say it in Basque).  I was so delighted when my plate came out, not only was the turbot incredible, it was accompanied by what at first inspection looked like a vegetable tart:

After a closer look and my first bite, the crust was actually razor thin potato slices cooked to perfection.  It was spectacular.  The bottom slices were perfectly crusty, like having a potato chips crust, and the second layer of potatoes were so tender and juicy, all topped with onions and peppers, and carrots.  The two paired perfectly, the slight acidity of the vinegar in the sauce complemented the sweetness of the onions and peppers from the tart.  I have to say.....I cleand my plate. ( But really, when don't I clean my plate?)

After this, I think we had dessert, but honestly, I don't remember.....I think I was so pleased with this meal that the dessert was definately not center stage!

So, once again, I reccomend this restaurant to all my friends.

Sense Pressa

Enric Granados, 96

Barcelona

+34 93 218 15 44

Tomorrow.....Emmanuel is back! Sooooo.....that means I HAVE to eat out again.  Awwww.

Recipe: Mario Batali inspired Raviolone

I have a bone to pick with Mr. Batali.   For our anniversary dinner, I chose to recreate a recipe that I had seen on Iron Chef America.  Since it was his creation, I decided to use his pasta dough recipe as well, and boy was that a HUGE mistake.  I did exactly what he said, and it turned out to be a big pile of mess.

Here's why, his recipe called for

3 1/2 cups flour
4 xtra large egg yolks

That's it.  I should have seen the warning signs........like there is way too much flour, and no oil.   So, I tried it anyway and just ended up using up six egg yolks, because I didn't have extra large eggs, and then getting this sand-like mass of dough, and having to throw it all away.

So, I decided to pull out my notebook from culinary school, and searched for the recipe we used to make pasta dough, and it was quite different.

100 grms flour ( 1 3/4 cups flour approx)
1 egg
1 tbsp. oil
Salt

Perfect.  Perfect, perfect.

Now, the fun part, is coming:

Pile your flour on a clean counter or board.  Mix in the salt.  Make a well in the center, and crack the egg and add the oil.  With a fork, mix the egg and oil, and then start incorporating the flour from the top sides of the well, working inwards until all the flour has been incorporated and you have a ball.  With well floured hands, knead the dough approximately for 12 minutes, using the heel of your hand to push forward and then gather back in with your fingers.  You'll know its done when you make an indentation with your finger and it springs back into shape.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temp for 15 minutes, or a few hours in the fridge, but bring it back to room temp when you are going to roll it. 

So, Mario's recipe didn't work, but the filling was very promising.....but I did end up changing a few things.
His raviolone was like this:
Sweet potato and egg yolk stuffed raviolone with pork guanciale and shaved white truffle.
1.I bloody wish I could buy a white truffle.  But alas, no $$.
2. I think pork guanciale is very strong, so I omitted it.

Mine went a little something like this:
Roasted pumpkin, ricotta, pancetta and egg yolk stuffed raviolone, with white truffle oil.

I know, the oil is a crude and completely fabricated substitution (the oil, that is) but hey, beggars can't be choosers.  Let me tell you, IT ROCKED.

To roll your dough, roll it out in your pasta machine until setting 5, which is the second to thinnest setting.  If you don't have a pasta rolling machine, with a rolling pin, roll it out to 1/4 inch thick.

So for the filling you need:
250 grams roasted pumpkin
125 gr. ricotta cheese
30 gr. diced and cooked pancetta
3 egg yolks
egg white
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all your ingredients together, except for the egg yolks, which should be on separate plates or bowls.
Cut your pasta into 5 inch squares, and place 1/3 of the filling, and one egg yolk.  Top it with another pasta square, and seal the edges with egg white.  Do the same with the remaining 2 squares, and the rest of the pasta you can freeze it for up to a month.

In a large stockpot, bring 3 liters of salted water to a boil.  When it is boiling, reduce heat to med high, you want a less vigorous boil, and drop in your raviolone, and cook, turning, for 4-5 minutes.  Carefully take out of the pot, straining it on a paper towel if you like, place on a plate, drizzle it with as much truffle oil as you like, shaved parmesan and a fresh sprinkling of fresh cracked pepper.
When you cut the raviolone, your egg yolk starts to ooze out and mixes with the truffle oil to make your sauce, absolutely sublime!
We had it with a wonderful bottle of Laurent Perrier Cuvee Rose Brut Champage, but you can pick and choose what you like!
Buon appetito!

 
 

Recipe of the day: Beef and shitake stew with Spaetzle

Aaahh....sundays.  Doesn't everyone love a lazy sunday?  I made this dish on saturday, so I would just have to reheat it on sunday.  Not gonna write too much, because I actually have to make something a little more complicated today, as it is my 2 year anniversary with my boyfriend.  Today I am tackling a little recipe I saw on Iron Chef America, created by Mario Battali and Emeril Lagasse.  They had to make things out of sweet potato, and this dish made me salivate.  It was a Raviolone stuffed with sweet potato and one raw egg yolk, boiled for a few minutes, and when they served it, as you cut into the raviolone, the perfectly cooked egg yolk became your sauce along with some pork guanciale and freshly shaved white truffles.
Tonight, I am going to TRY, and recreate the recipe adding my touch, and suffice to say, it will be on the blog, wether it worked or not. 

Anyhow, back to my stew.  This is probably one of the easiest dishes to make, but it really knocks them out.  It is soooo stick to your ribs yummy, that I beseech all of you to make this on a cold winter day.  Or as my friend Miki in Dubai said, turn your aircon as high as it will go, and pretend. 

500 gr. Beef chunks for stew
Oil, for sauteeing
3 onions, chopped
200 gr. fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup red wine
4 tbsp. Hungarian paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Water
Sour cream for garnish
Spaetzle

In a large dutch oven over high heat, drizzle a little oil.  When the oil is hot but not smoking, add your beef chunks and sear them until they are golden brown.  Remove from heat, and add a little more oil to the pan if necessary.  Add your shitake mushrooms and saute, until soft, about 4 minutes.  Add your red wine, and deglaze the pan using a wooden spoon to break up any brown bits.  Let the wine evaporate, and remove your mushrooms, set aside.  Lower the heat to low, and add some more oil if necessary.  Add your onions and saute until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add  your paprika and stir, then add your beef and mushrooms, salt and pepper and fill the dutch oven with water, until it fully covers the beef chunks.  Bring to a boil, and then lower to med heat and let simmer, stirring ocassionally, for at least two and a half hours.  Keep checking it to make sure the water hasn't evaporated, and that your beef is cooking through until it is fork tender.
You want there to still be some sauce, so not too dry.
When it is done, place your cooked Spaetzle on the plate, spoon over some of your stew and garnish with some sour cream......yummy!
I served it with a lovely Rioja red wine, but any full bodied red will do.

Recipe of the day:My Dark Chocolate Orange Rosemary Muffins

Hello my fellow foodies and Happy New Year!  I hope 2010 is a better year all around, and that I am fortunate enough to taste many many more delicious treats!  Sorry about my absence, I have been in Miami on Holiday, and yes, I did go to many delish (and one completely forgettable) places, but truth be told, I was just so relaxed, and so gosh darn hungry most of the time that I would take the picture of the place when we sat down.  Then after I was with a very very very full stomach, I would realize, huh.....I forgot to take a picture of the foods I ate.  Oh well, I go to Miami often, so don't worry, you'll get yours yet.

So, on to 2010!  This year I have made a few resolutions.  One, was to quit smoking, which this year, I am 13 days in and 13 days sans smoke!  The other was to exercise more, which I have been doing as well (because if I didn't, I would probably have to sign up for the Biggest Loser next year) and the third kind of stumped me for a while.  But, I figured it out, and I am pretty excited about it!  I'll let you know later on.  So anyhow, since before I got back to Barcelona, I've been toying around with this idea for a Muffin.  I know people love the combination of Chocolate and Orange, I'm not so keen myself, but everyone else seems to love it.  So, Monday morning bright and early, I decided to tackle it. 
Bought the oranges, the chocolate, all the basics........and started cooking.  The first batch turned out, well, let's say less than stellar.  The taste was there, but it was kind of dry.  So, the second batch I decided to just use egg whites.  Disaster.  They just tasted like eggs.  Then, I tried a combo of egg whites and yolks, more liquids and fats......and VOILA!  I DID IT!!!  It helps to have a very very picky audience on what Moist and Tender and Fluffy should look and feel like.  So my fellow readers, I will share my recipe with you, and hope that you will try these at home.  You will make quite a few people happy, of that I am sure!

 Makes approx 12 muffins.

2 cups cake flour
1/8 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg + 1 egg white
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
Zest of 1/2 an orange
1 cup milk
1/2 stalk fresh rosemary, leaves chopped and 12 leaves reserved
3/4 cups good dark chocolate, at least 60% Cacao, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks




For the orange garnishes:
12 orange triangles, thinly sliced
1/4 cup orange juice
 1/4 cup sugar
 1 Tbsp. Butter
 1/4 cup marsala wine, or port wine

For the chocolate ganache topping:

1/2 cup dark chocolate, at least 70% cacao, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line your muffin tin with paper holders, or butter the tin.  Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powderand salt, set aside.  Chop the chocolate into chunks, set aside.  In a non-reactive bowl, mix your eggs with the oil until emulsified.  Add the orange juice, zest, milk and rosemary.  Fold carefully the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, you don't want to overmix and it will be lumpy, stir in the chocolate chunks.  Spoon into the muffin tin, and set on the bottom rack for 20 minutes, approx.  When done, place a knife or toothpick into the center and make sure it comes out clean.  Place on a rack to cool.

Meanwhile, for the caramelized orange slices, place all ingredients in a deep saute pan over high heat.  When it starts to boil, reduce heat to med high, and swirl sometimes just to make sure your orange slices don't stick to the bottom of the pan.  When the liquid is almost all evaporated, turn off heat and place slices on paper towels to drain some of the liquid.

Now, over a double boiler, melt your chocolate and butter.  Mix thorougly.  When the muffins are cool enough to handle, with a spatula, coat the top with the melted dark chocolate, add a reserved rosemary leaf and and orange slice.  Continue for all of them.  Don't coat too much, you want a thin coating of the chocolate.  Now, ENJOY!!!!!
                  

Recipe of the day: Black trumpet mushroom quiche

You know how some people get excited buying clothes?  Or electronics?  I get really excited when I find a new and completely useful cookbook.  It becomes an obsession.  I lovingly read it as soon as I get home, turning the pages and salivating at all the pictures, trying to decide which one I am going to tackle first.  Well, that happened to me last week, twice.  I found this great book by Michel Roux called "Pastry".  It is absolutely delicious.  Every recipe is worth a try, and of course, being a book about pastry, they are all low fat/calorie/sugar etc.  (I WISH, now that would be a dream come true.)   And you know that pastry is what the french do best, well, besides champagne, of course!  So, there were so many pastries that I wanted to try, and when I get excited like this, I want to do them all at once, which of course would cause all my family and friends to have a sudden heart attack.

So anyhow, I decided to try the Pate Brisee, which is your basic pastry for quiche.  The recipe was for your typical Quiche Lorraine, but I had some black trumpet mushrooms at home, so I wanted to make a quiche out of them.  What I love about them is that when you cook them, they release their juice and it becomes this thick, rich sauce....and if you add wine, or port or anything that tickles your fancy, some salt and pepper, this by itself can be a sauce for meat, chicken, or pasta.  If you can get your hands on some of these mushrooms, please please please make this quiche!  It is soo easy and you will be so surprised at how absolutely scrumptious this is!  So here you go!

Pate Brisee:

250g Flour (approx 1 1/4 cup)
150g butter (approx 1/2 cup) softened and cut into cubes
1 Tbsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp. cold milk

Place half of the flour on a clean surface and make a well.  Place the butter, egg and the salt into the well and with the tip of your fingers, mix and blend into the flour.  Little by little, add the rest of the flour and blend until you get a grainy texture.  Add the milk little by little and mix with the tip of your fingers until the dough start to come together.  With the palm of your hand, knead until it becomes firm.  Form into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.


Black trumpet mushroom quiche:

375g of Pate Brisee (what you made before)
2 Tbsp butter
2 shallots, cut in half and sliced thinly horizontally
200g black trumpet mushrooms, cleaned of all dirt and roughly chopped
1/4 cup of ruby port
1 egg
2 egg yolks
300 ml creme fraiche
pinch of nutmeg
freshly gound salt and peper
140g provolone cheese, grated

In a large frying pan, melt the butter over low heat.  Add the shallots, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.  Raise the heat up to high, and add the mushrooms, stirring until they soften a bit.  With the heat on high still, add your port and flambee until the alcohol evaporates.   Cook for another 4-5 minutes, making sure the liquid doesn´t evaporate, turn off heat, set aside to cool.

Roll your dough out to a large circle, 2 mm thick.  Butter your quiche tin, and place the dough into your tin.  Cut the overhanging dough, and press the dough into the sides.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.   
Preheat your oven to 190º (375 F), with a fork pinch your dough all over, and cover with parchment and fill with pie weights.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce the oven temp to 170º (350 F) and discard parchment and weights (well, save them but just take them off your pastry) and bake for another 5 minutes.  Take out of the oven and set aside while you make the rest of the filling.

In a large bowl, add your egg, yolks, creme fraiche and add your nutmeg and salt and pepper, mix vigorously for about 5 minutes.  Stir in your mushrooms and mix to combine.  Put the mixture into your pre-baked crust, scatter the grated cheese on top, and pop in the oven.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the center of your quiche isn't wobbly anymore.  To check if its done, place the knife tip into the center and see if it comes out clean.  Let cool and transfer to a serving plate.

I like to serve it with a side salad of Mache, with just a little extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt and pepper, and a lovely glass of wine......

Bon appetit!

Restaurant: Cheriff

The Barceloneta, Barcelona´s fishing village, is one of the greatest places to go have lunch.  I love the area itself, its narrow tree lined streets, the many stores, bars and little restaurants that have so much history.  It also is home to 8 of my favorite spots....yes, count them, 8!!!  If I had to choose where to have lunch or dinner or drinks with my friends or family, any day of the week, but especially on Sundays, it would be the Barceloneta.  The last post talked about my favorite seafood restaurant, which is located at the end of the "Paseo".  This one, is at the beggining, on Calle Ginebra (which is Gin....and you all know how much I love Gin).  This street holds three of my favorite places, and the street before it has another. 

So, lets get on to the food.  Cheriff is one of the classic Paella and seafood restaurants in Barcelona.  Its old world charm stays true today, and every time I have been there, it is chock full of business men, families, friends and the odd tourist couple sampling their finest dish, the Paella. 

When you think of Paella, you think of Spain.  The only problem, is that you can get really crappy Paella everywhere, and it is really hard to get a good Paella outside of Valencia or someone´s home.  In Barcelona, we like our seafood paella.  Now, the stuff you get in the states, which is usually chicken and shrimp, really does not exist.  The typical Valencian Paella is rabbit and chicken with vegetables, and then there are the seafood ones, which usually have cuttlefish, clams, shrimp and norwegian lobster. 
Cheriff's paellas are truly special.  Here, they only serve the seafood variety, ranging from the ones described above to lobster paellas.  And the best part, is that it is really inexpensive, you can share a paella for 15 € per person, but obviously the lobster ones are market price. 

I first came to Cheriff because of my very good friend Albert.  He is Mexican, but his family is of Catalan descent.  My first impressions of the locale were mixed, the decor itself reminded me of an outdated Red Lobster (to all you europeans, this is a very cheap seafood chain all over the states), but it had a certain charm to it, especially when you see the owner and chef, a jolly,corpulent lady in her fifties.  It made me realize that this was truly, homemade food.  This last time I went though, Albert and I opted for the Fideua, which is kind of like a seafood Paella, but with short thin noodles instead, and a lovely side of Allioli....yummmm.

We started off our lunch with a bottle of Cava, as all good Catalans do.  Then we ordered the fried baby squid as a starter.  This is much like fried calamari, but only tiny and whole.  When it is done right, they are crispy and light and battered and fried to perfection.  Cheriff is definately a place where you can have one of the best fried baby squid in Barcelona.  You can get this almost everywhere, but most of the time they will be soggy, or just tast of oil, or maybe not even that small......I highly reccomend them here.  We chose to have this, but as starters there is an infinite variety of seafood that you can choose, from steamed mussels, clams, razor clams, tuna, anchovies, cockles, etc.  I could go on and on, and trust me, they are all fabulous.

Then, it was time for our Fideua.  I personally love this dish, when made well, it is truly sublime.  It isn´t Michelin star food, but whoa nelly, its what you wish your grandma would make you on a sunny Sunday afternoon! (If you like seafood, that is)  Now, the fideua here is extremely good, better than most restaurants, but I have to say, it is not the best I have tasted.  It was beautifully presented to us, at the table before serving, which is tradition here with paellas and fideua's.   The one thing I missed, is the noodles standing up on end, which is what happens when you put this in the oven.  See, Fideua has a process.  First you pan fry the noodles so they become brown.  Then you add your fish stock and the rest of the ingredients, cook a bit more until the stock is almost reduced, and then you place it in a hot oven until the noodles stand up....it really is a beautiful thing.

This fideua was lacking in that one detail.  The tast was spectacular though, and the allioli was freshly made, which is always a plus.  Nothing ruins a dish like store bought allioli.

It was an amazing meal, that I have to admit.  And I implore all of you to try Cheriff if you make it down here.  Because you will be highly disappointed in any other Paella you try in Barcelona, especially the ones on the Ramblas, which are frozen.  The greatest thing about having lunch or dinner in Barceloneta, is being able to take a stroll to digest the copious amounts of food you have consumed.  Then, make a stop at the FOC cocteleria, they serve all types of delicious cocktails, and take in the gorgeous sunset over the Old Port of Barcelona.  Simply, maaahvelous darling.

Tootles and stay tuned for the next post!

Cheriff Restaurant

Calle Ginebra 15

Tel. 933 100 760

Restaurant : El Suquet de L'Almirall

There are few places in Barcelona that I go to time and time again.  El Suquet de L'Almirall is one of them.  It is my favorite restaurant here in Barcelona, and I am also inclined to say that I think it is the best fish restaurant in the city.

Anytime I have an out of town guest, I bring them here, and the true test of its greatness is the fact that my out of town guests reccomend it to their friends when they travel to Barcelona.
I love it because it is right on the esplanade in front of the old port, in summer, the views are unbeatable.  The ambience is relaxing, and if you can get a table on their terrace in summer, or winter for that matter, it makes for some terrific people watching.
I have been coming to this place for 7 years, and it never tires me.  I find that the food is always excellent, and it should be, because the owner and chef, Quim Marqués, is of the Bulli school.

They have great tasting menus, and their a la carte selction of starters and fish and the most superb rice dishes is gorgeous.  What I always like to do though, is tell Quim or Manel ( who is also a good friend of mine and also a magnificent chef ) to surprise me.  And I have never, ever been let down. 

Two nights ago, my good foodie friend Emmanuel, stopped by into town.  The first time he came, I brought him here, and he couldn´t stop raving about the food.  So, we were due a repeat performace, since we hadn´t been here together in over a year.

We were not let down.  My glorious journey of catalan classics with a twist was utterly divine, and I am going to share it all with you. 

First we had our starters:

Oysters on the half shell from the Island of Olerón, whose taste and special green color is due to a presence of an algea in the "claires", (which are small ponds in clay fields) where they mature instead of the regular saline banks.  They usually serve it with a spray of vinegar made from "Augustí Torrelló Mata", which is a cava (Catalan Champagne) producer.  You can add the spray yourself, natch.

Buñuelos de Bacalao (cod fritters).  This is a staple item present in almost any fish restaurant in Spain.  The difference between the fritters in a normal restaurant and this one, is that in normal ones, it is basically a fritter with pieces of cod mushed in with the batter, so it kind of just tastes like a batter fritter.  At El Suquet, they take a gorgeous, large chunk of cod, and batter it with a light and airy tempura batter.  I say this with absolute authority, they are THE BEST COD FRITTERS IN BARCELONA.  Of course, with your side of "Pa amb tomaquet", crispy country bread spread with tomatoes.  Delicious.....mmmm, getting hungry.

Then to the right you can see a tall glass that had a balsamic reduction on the bottom layer, with hummus and topped with very thin slices of perfectly cooked tuna, rare on the inside and seared on the outside.  It is refreshing and different all at the same time.

Then we had a plate of fried baby shrimp with Romesco Sauce.

Romesco is a sauce that accompanies fish, seafood and most notable, Calçots, which are spring onions.  We'll talk about that in another blog.  This sauce has its origins in antiquity, it is said it was first elaborated after Columbus brought back the Romesco Peppers from the new world.  It is delcious, it has this smokey taste due to the peppers, balanced out with the sweetness from the hazelnuts and walnuts.  The shrimp were exquisite bite sized morsels, which could be eaten whole due to the light crispy batter it had, and the smidgen of sauce on the bottom lent the whole dish another quality.  It took us like two minutes to eat the whole plate.

Then it was on to the pan seared scallops with Porcini mushrooms.

This was a delightful version of the catalan tradition of "Mar y Muntanya" which translates to Sea and Mountain (their version of our American classic, Surf and Turf).  Usually Mar y Muntanya is rabbit and norwegian lobster, but due to the prolonged mushroom season we have been having, this was an unexpected and creative take on the typical classic.

This was one of my favorites of the night, Razor Clams with truffle oil.  I would never have thought of combining the two, since razor clams on their own have this delicate sweet flavor.  But the addition of the truffle oil was just magnificent.  And the presentation, I think, is really original but nonetheless, traditional, since razor clams and mussels etc. can be bought in the stores in tins like these.

This is the last of our tapas, "Pop amb Cap i Pota"  Pop is octopus in catalan, and cap translates to head, and pota to foot.  This is a hearty stew that is traditionally made with pigs feet and cheek, or from veal, and some veggies.  The addition of the octupus I thought was genius.  It was sooooo good.  My friend Emmanuel was drooling just from the look of it, and when he took the first bite, he said that "this was his comfort food" it reminded him of dishes from his homeland, Greece.  The octopus was cooked to perfection, and the zucchini and eggplant were fork tender, not gooey and overdone as you would imagine in a stew.  The tomato sauce was rich because of the chunks of pork added to it.  Really, this was probably the best dish of the night.  Emmanuel enjoyed it so much, you could have mistaken his bowl of cap i pota for a clean one!

After this, we had our main, Pan seared Sea Bass over veggies.  I am sorry to say, that in our excitement, we forgot to take a picture.  As always, the fish was perfect.  There is nothing better than eating fish that is the star.  When you have fish as fresh as El Suquet does, you really don´t need to cover it with any sauce, because it needs to be the protagonist.  They cook it to perfection, so that it is flaky but not dry, juicy, just, well, perfect.  I with that I had another adjective to be able to describe it, but my suggestion is that if you make it out here, just come and try it yourself.  You'll understand.

Then for dessert, we had "Tarta de Santiago" which is an almond tarte, and a cheese plate. 

I love nothing better than to finish off my meal with a cheese plate.  I don't understand people who don't like cheese.  If I were stranded on a desert island, forget the coconuts.  I want cows and sheep and goats, cause you know I would learn how to make cheese.  And I would be fat and happy.  That is my stand on cheese.  I could eat it every night, and I love discovering new cheeses.  It was a beautiful and well thought out selection, ranging from a soft delicate cow's cheese to a spicy goat cheese, accompanied by "Membrillo", Quince paste.

So, fellow readers.  If you ever come and visit me, or Barcelona, please don´t leave without making a stop at "El Suquet de L'Almirall".  Its like coming to Barcelona and not seeing Gaudi's Sagrada Familia. 

Today for lunch, I am going with my friend Albert to another Barcelona classic, "Cheriff", where they make the best Paella's in town.  Stay tuned, cause you know I'll tell you about it!

El Suquet de L'Almirall

Passeig Joan de Borbo 65

Barceloneta

+34 932 216 233