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 

A BIZARRE MUSIC BAR

Well if you have a basic level of  spanish and you would like  to involve yourself in a real live karaoke I suggest to visit Quilombo  Pub .
Is a small music bar located in the heart of Barcelona with warm and intense environment where you can start your night

When you get in ,the waiter will attend you and  escort to the table .Every thing is so small ,table, stool  and  most of the time you will share a table with other people making as soon as possible friendship . The drinks are very cheap from 4 to 7 euros,  they use to give  a bowl of popcorn
To make some noise and make the night more funny you will find on the table some homemade maracas in effect are  cans filled with rice
At the end of the room there is a performer with a  guitar singing flamenco ,rumba ,latin music and all the spanish hits .There are no mics and everyone is  involved to sing,if you wish can also ask a song

I like this place because give me every time good vibes   and always had a fun .Is ideal for a
pre-bar party .Is better to go with a group of friends rather with a couple ..Have Fun

THE BEST GIN TONIC OF EIXAMPLE

The Week End is about to begin and you are planning to go out in the  Eixample( is the  central district of Barcelona) let's say the heart of the city  and you are a Gin Tonics Lover then  you need to visit Sante Cafe
.

It's a cocktail bar where you can find a wide variety of Gins between 40 to 45   and  you can mix it with  different type of premium tonics   ( cardamomo ,pink pepper,lavander ) or the classic one
How will garnish  it,well depend which Gin you will choose  from a slice of cucumber for a Hendrix Gin, red fruits for a Brockmans or rosemary for a  Ginmare ..

Its always difficult when you arrive to this bar and choose your G&T because you get confused from all those bottles .my favorite is Ginmare ( made in Barcelona )  because it has the own flavor of junipre balancing with the herbs  and this meditteranean touch

The price are very fair to ,making the Sante Cafe the perfect bar for the perfect G&T but you can also have a nice mojito or whatever you wish
The owner Sara is  an  Italian girl which will serve you always  with a broad smile and is very kind,to  the end she always use to invite a chupito (shot )  for free ..
I forgot if you  fancy   for Italian-style aperitif ,at Sante Cafe you can find it every thursday and friday with a  free buffet of pasta,pizzas ,sandwiches  to match with a good  Spritz.
There is always a pleasant music as background and full of regular customers

EXOTIC TAPAS

Because Barcelona is not only patatas bravas and calamares fritos  ,you need to visit Mosquito.
Is a  small  and cozy restaurant  where you can taste delicious asian tapas and drink a great beer.
It's located in the middle of San Pere quarter between the Palau de la musica and el Borne area

It's always busy,to get a table you need to write  down your name on the blackboard located to the right of the entrance and wait for your turn  .They give you  a menú where  you need to mark  what you desire , then hand the papaer to the waitress(there is only female staff )and await for the food .

They offer differnts dumplings , hot dishes as edamame,pork ribs ,noodle and many more .as cold dish bang bang chiken,cabbage salad  and for dessert various kinds of  daifuku-mochi 

We opted for veal  shuijiao (boiled   dumplings)light and tasty,then prawn goutie  (grilled  dumplings) very good and zingy,after we receive the sopa wonton ..the broth was delicius.Finished the festival  with the  fried duck ,we order another  while we were eating the first ,was so tasteful, well cooked and crispy ouside.For desert green tea truffles something unsual but good too.
The most amazing thing is that those dishes are made from chinese  people ,I think that this is the reason because are so successful

To drink you have a  big selection of beers from all the world,mosty of them are craft beers ,pay attencion on the board because every week they have  new entry  ,just in case they have also  fruit juices and organic teas

For me this is a spot that you can miss if you are fed up of the usaual tapas ,try something exotic and drink a couple of good beers .It's  not too expencive  we spend less of 20 euros por person .Be careful they don't accept reservation so the best way to grab a table is to go for lunch which looks less busy or seat to the bar 

A QUIK VEGETARIAN BITE

Barcelona have also some vegetarian places ,if you are by the rambla Cataluña you need to try Maoz falafel y salad bar  .There are two ,one in calle  Ferran and other by the  Boqueria market .

They serve their home made falefel in a baked white o whole wheat pocket pita  with a little bit of humus and then you can fill  it with a selection of goodies from the huge  buffet .You have  got doused carrots in cumin,deep fried cauliflower  ,  lentils,tomate and cucumber salad and many more veggie opctions.There are few toppings  for dress your falafel
The best thing is that you can fill your pita as much as you like,but i think you can be able to make it more than twice and is very cheap 4.90 €

If your very hungry you can order also some Belgian  fries ,to drink you got soft drinks and beer .
This is a place that you can miss if you like something healthy while you are in Barcelona

BARCELONA IS POWERFUL

After the summer holidays here we are with a song that remember us that  Barcelona is powerful and she has  power. Every street  ,every single  corner of the city send you good vibes .

Now let's discover new spots of Barcelona 

THE CHEAPEST HOMEMADE PASTA IN BCN

When I would like to have  a nice dish of homemade fresh pasta as the grandma use to do I go always to Tucco Real Food .Is an Argentinian / Italian restaurant located  few minutes walk from the Ramblas and the Columbus monument , in the Gothic quarter .

When you get in there is the bar and a showcase with  empanadas and pizzas .
On the wall differents blackboards where you can  see  the menús and the  combos that they offer

 I opted for the raviolo of the day filled with zucchini and parmesan cheese and puttanesca sauce .While i was waiting I asked a jam and cheese empanada ,which they served a little bit cold ..
Then the raviolis arrived  ,as always were so good and tasty, the sauce with the right spiciness , to clean up the dish  with the bread .

The moment of the big decision arrived ...Tiramisu ,cheesecake,tarta de dulce de leche ...oh my god I get confused ,everything I knew were good , this time a choose  the  tarta de dulce de leche .    I love it

The combo of raviolo with sauce,bread ,drink and desert cost only 7.80 euros.Vamos  what a deal 

You need to visit this place for lunch or dinner if you are by the center and you fancy for a dish of pasta ,is always pack of local people (last time I went there were a lot of people in their lunch break )They have a space where local artists can exhibit their works

THE TEMPLE OF THE ROCK MUSIC

You are passing your weekend in barcelona and you feel like dance rock music ,the right place will be Magic Club.

Is a small club located in the Born district just in front of  Parc de la Ciutadella .
There are two dancefloors in both they pass the some music ,you can hear Madonna ,Nirvana ,Gun s Roses.The club attract young crowd and it's not a typical high hells and silk dresse place .
Is open just during the weekend ,the entrance cost 12 euros and include a cerveza, if you like a drink you need to add some more euros . Is started to be packed after 3am, before you can a have a drink in one of the many bars of the surrounding .

Hours. Thu to Sat and holidays eve from 11pm  till   6.00 am

TAPAS MADE FROM THE GRANDMA

Yesterday before to go to the  beach we stopped to Cova Fumada is a small celler located in the middle of  Barceloneta just on the left of the big market.There are no signs over the doors ,so 

you´ll have to look for people waiting outside and follow your nose toward the aromas wafitng out the window from the kitchen.From the moment you come  in you felll  in warm family atmosphere

There are just seven old , marble-topped tables and old pictures of the city around .The kitchen is open and you can see the Grandma still to the stove .They don't have menú but  just a prehistoric blackboard with all the dishes that they serve ,but the waiter will be very  helpful

We start with two bombas(potato croquette with traces of crispy mincemeat ) topped with a alioli and a spicy sauce , be careful of the grade of spiciness you ask .Seems  like that this tapas were invented here by Maria Pla ,grandmother of the current owner in 1950s . Then we had  a  russian salad,nothig special 

Some simple grilled artichoke came after, very tasty .They are specialize in cod and we order it with tomato ,i don't realy like it but this was amazing  ,actualy had a sweety taste .Finish  off with grilled calamari with parsley and garling,impossible to asking something simpler and more complex

For drink we had a quinto of Estrella damm and a jar of wine .

Maybe remain few mythical places like this in barcelona ,some catalan people seated next to us asked some dishes to take away.You can miss this spot if you are in the barceloneta quarter and you like fresh seafood .Be careful they don't acept reserve so if you want to get a table you need to go in a not busy time .

Hours : Day time  Monday to  Friday  9.00 to 15.30 

                            Saturday    9.00 to 13.30 

            Afternoon  Thursady and Friday 18.00 to 22.30 

            Close on Sunday and Bank holiday