THE BEST BODEGA OF BCN

Maybe was the time to visit again Quimet i quimet is a small ,charming and convivial  bodega  located  off the standard tourist track in the heart of Poble Sec

When you came in the walls are lined top to bottom  with  bottles of wines and spirits from around  the world from the most known to the most expensive .

 However, don’t except comfort in this bar, there aren’t any seats and it’s usually crowded.This bodega does'nt have a kitchen ,they serves just  tapas made with conservas (tradicional preserved food ) and  montaditos (slice of bread with  something  on the top ) gurnished with canned goods .But everything they serve is top quality .This time I tried  4 montaditos : codfish wih olive pate ,cockles with yogurt  and egg yolg grated different flavor put toghetre ,  the best bite I  introduced in my mounth ever Then foie grass with volcanic salt very tasty ,to end mussels  with caviar ,no words to discribe this small sandwich . To drink I had a couple of glasses of Catalan  wines .

     

ANTI KARAOKE

You don't know what to do thursday night in Barcelona.
Don't worry there is the Antikaraoke .

Is a fusion between a rock concert, an underground karaoke and a Broadway show , where the artists are the public .It takes place from 10 pm to 1 am at Sidecar Factory Club, the legendary rock club conveniently located in the city center in the Plaza Real, right off the Ramblas

 When you get in there is a song list with over 600 of your favorite rock, pop, metal, punk, old-school rap, and alternative songs to choose from, all high-quality versions that sound like the originals. Under the direction of its creator and mistress of ceremonies, comedian/cabaret artist Rachel Arieff, the Anti-Karaoke is conducted like an actual show. You never get the feeling that you’re in a boring karaoke bar, facing an apathetic crowd of people who are just waiting for their own turn to sing. Wearing over-the-top makeup and dressed in a variety of fetishistic outfits, wisecracking Rachel keeps the rhythm flowing, the audience engaged, and the performers motivated. Plus, she always has a few numbers of her own to contribute .
It's a night with a lot of fun  because on the stage will came from the most  skillful singer to the comic one .
Rachel on some point of the night use to offer a bottle of whisky to the crow just throwing it away and if you are lucky  you will get some drops or pour it directly in your mounth

Admission is only 8 € includes free drink plus you can remain after the show to a  dj  session of  rock-n-roll  music 

LIKE A JEWEL IN THE SUN

I'm back from my summer holidays .September is arrived and its time to  let you discover new places where the locals go to Barcelona .Because everytime  Bcn is getting bigeer and bigger .
Lets hear a song from when everythihg began

GASTRONOMIC MENÚ DEL DIA

Yesterday was my day off and  decided to go to Pan & Oli ,is   a small restaurant just few steps from my house in the heart of the district of Sants .

For lunch they offer a Menú del dia(daily set menu) where you can choose between 3 starters,3 mains courses and 3 deserts.
As a regular guest Carlos the chef give me an extra amuse bouche .Something that looked  like  an ice cream , a cone of aubergine ,filled with a jam of romesco  and covered with a mousse of goat cheese.
I was amazed after  trying it , it was  astonishing ,all the flavours get well together .
Then Eva the waitress bring me the aperitif of the menú a mousse of mussels with some crostini , very tasteful

As a starter I choose  organic egg with sobrasada (cured spice sausage) and dulce de membrillo (quince cheese) another time different flavours,spiceness ,sweeteness  and creaminess made from  the egg well combined between them that made a simple dish something out of this world.

As a  main course I choose the filet of beef with a mustard sause .The meat was cooked to the  right point  and the sauce combine  very well  with it .

To refresh the palate as a desert had a fruit textures : apple puré,confited pears and peach ice cream with some popping candies  to make it more  fizzy

As  headline I used the word Gastronomic because in Bareclona  the majority of  the restaurants offer the  Menú del dia  ,but in the end the all  serve the same dishes and here at Pan & Oli you can find the difference .Carlos make it different with a gourmet touch .
I didn't say yet the price ,well the menú cost 11.20€ and there are some special dishes  with the over price of 2.50 €.
For dinner they  have  a la carte menú,with tapas you need to try their patatas bravas ,burgers ,cocas (salted pastry ) and tipical catalan dishes
This restaurant is not far from the Camp Nou so you can visit it after your tour of the FC BARCELONA world or if you are by the train station of Sant Estacion

Hours :13am-16pm , 20-00pm ,closed on Monday 

FRESH FISH AT A GOOD PRICE

Yesterday I decided to visit Can Maño ,because every time that I pass by there is always a big queue.
Is one of those cosy  restaurants with  his old style that doesn't lose in a district like Barceloneta that is changing every day

Very simple  menú with  fish ,meat and omelette (made at the moment )and there is the  option of platos combinado (set main courses). For drink soft drink ,wines and beers 

We ordered as a starter  deep-fried aubergine (1,50€)and deep-fried potatoes (1,75 €) ,as main course I had fried salmonete (red mullet 8,50 € )my friend ordered oven-baked caballa (mackerel  5,00 €) 

What to say you can feel  the freshness of the fish  because they get it daily ,I was almost to repeat my dish but we decided to try the chipirones (baby  squid ) perfect fried 

When we asked the bill ,they made it on a simple piece of paper , we paid for everything no more then 25 €,this is for me one of the cheapest place to eat fresh fish in Bcn .

Service is friendly and attentive ,

They don't acept reserve so the best way to get a table is to go there very early ,better before of the opening hours .

Due to the fact that they are in different tourist guides nowadays you can find local people and tourists eating in this authentic place 

THE CHEAPEST STEAK HOUSE

If you fell like to eat some meat I will suggest to visit   La Malandrina -El Uruguayo ,my  friend Anja let me discover this place few days  ago .Is a cute little  restaurante located in the Barceloneta very close to the beach.

In the menú you will find  pica pica  (small bites ) and differents Uruguayan  cuts of meats  for which they are very famous .We both went for the vacio (is a cut located in the lateral region of the back part of the beef ) for  garnish we selected boiled rice and oven roasted potatoes.
As  aperitif  they bring chimichurri and criollo sauce with some bread to broken the  hunger .
For drink at  the begin we thought to have just a glass of red wine but the pleasant waiter said that it will be cheaper get a bottle and we didn´t hesitate to say yes

In a short time they served us, the  meat was very juicy ,tender and cook to the perfection ,the garnish was also very yummy.The same sauce of aperitif are use in south america to accompany grilled meat, I prefer   the criolla because give  freshness to the meat

Due to the fact that they are always busy they opened another place just beside,to satisfy all their customer 

We  get a table quickly   because we didn´t go  in a peak time but usually you need to do a queue to get a place , this could be a perfect spot for a sunday lunch and then go to  chill  by the beach .

I was forgetting how cheap is this Steak House ,we spent for everything about 25 euros , I thing you can`t find a better  deal in Barcelona  

THE CATALAN AFTERNOON SNACK

While you are all day visiting Bcn and then arrive the time to have a little snack and warm up yourself   I suggest to visit Granja la Pallaresa .Use to be a diary store but now is a bar where you can have a cup of coffee matched with a good bakery products . Is  located in Calle Petritxol ,a small narrow pedestrain street in the  Gothic Quarter  famous for their art gallery and few more old granjas

La Palleresa is been founded in the 1947,they still keep tables with a marbre base and you will be attended by   waiters in a old style dress . on the wall you can see very old pictures of Barcelona

They offer many artisanal products ,crema catalana ,flan de huevo ,arros con leche  but a classic is 

El Suizo ,hot choccolate with whiped cream on the top .Well you need to macht it with churros (fried -dough pastry ) to deep  in  .. You could eat thousand of them but if you would like to look after your line is better to have just few dispite are very good .

Well this is a place that you can miss in the winter time in barcelona.in some days you will need to do a queue by this sign you will understand how good they are