Gusto Restaurant

Where? Gusto Restaurant (Eixample, Barcelona, Spain) Map Menu

When? Wednesday March 20, 2024

Who? Me

Food Style? Italian

Today has been stressful for the sole reason that my Reykjavik accommodation got cancelled at the last minute - literally less than a week before I’m supposed to arrive - because the bloody hotel went out of business. I would later find out that the police shut it down because they were human trafficking. This trip has not been good for things going to plan and I'm deeply upset, cumulatively, at the state of everything that has happened during the past three months. Anyway, to soothe my anger, I’ve gone for some classic Italian again, because I could use more salad in my diet.

Amuse Bouche

It’s a dough ball with onion and basil. It’s soft and springy, and doesn’t feel too dense.

Appetiser

House salad: Lamb's lettuce with red onion, fennel, avocado and tomato
The description for this in Italian is "canonigo, finocchio, cipolla rossa, avocado e pomodori", and while I can recognise the last three ingredients - red onion, avocado and tomato - quite easily, the first two are a bit more difficult. Google translates "Canonigo" to "lamb's lettuce", whose scientific name is Valeriana locusta, a leafy vegetable native to Europe and northern Africa. "Finocchio", despite its similarities to the name of the puppet boy, actually just means fennel. It’s light and refreshing, and simple with an olive oil and balsamic dressing. Some nuts or some citrus fruit would have really elevated this but it tastes healthy and not heavy.

Mains

Lasagna: Typical Neapolitan lasagna gratinated in a wood-fired oven
I love how bright and appetising this looks. The sauce is delicious and definitely has that homemade feel to it, and I’m so glad there’s tons of it. It’s cheesy and meaty and everything that you’d want a lasagna to be. That crust is baked perfectly and it’s got that tasty crispiness. That fresh basil leaf lifts the dish and helps to cut through the richness of the Parmesan and tomato sauce.

I’m finishing the meal off the traditional way - with limoncello! I’m feeling better at least.

Posted by Jeremy at 8:01am on Saturday December 28, 2024 :: 0 comments ::

Windsor

Where? Windsor (Eixample, Barcelona, Spain) Map Menu

When? Saturday January 27, 2024

Who? Owen

Food Style? Catalan Fine Dining

When Owen told me there’s a Michelin starred restaurant in Barcelona that does a decently priced lunch, I was keen. Situated near the Diagonal in Eixample, Windsor is a classic Catalan kitchen serving local, seasonal produce, but elevated and sophistically presented. As we approach the entrance, the automatic door swings open and we’re greeted by one of the wait staff, who opens the rope guarding the corridor to the seating area. No peasants allowed. The interior is elegantly decorated, everything looks immaculate. I’m just hoping the wait staff aren’t overbearing and that they respect my personal space. The fixed winter menu is on offer for €65 for the smaller one and €95 for the larger one, as well as various tapas a la carte. Owen and I are going for the smaller one, the Menu Windsor, a taster of their extensive menu.

Condiments

The free bread is delicious and crispy, perfect for dunking into soup or soaking up sauce. It’s warm and comforting. I have a small issue with the free chips though, they aren’t as crispy as what I would expect. They do have that house made feel to it, and they pair nicely with the olives. My mouth visibly drops when they take them away before I’ve finished everything.

Amuse Bouche

It’s salty and sour, a nice chunky piece of pork with pistachio cream and capers.

First Course

Carpaccio de alcachofas: artichoke carpaccio
Oh man that truffle oil is strong. It pairs nicely with that cheese. I’ve never had raw artichoke before but with all the condiments, this is quite an earthy tasting plate. It's elegant and refined, and such a great flavour combination. That truffle oil is getting mopped up with that bread, not a single drop will be wasted on my watch.

Second Course

Huevo mollet con guisantes, panceta y trufa: softboiled egg with peas, pancetta and truffle
We've been told to break the egg and let the yolk flow into the dish. The flavours are a bit more subdued here with the strong taste of the peas, but the jamon and truffle lift the dish and add a bit of texture. It’s okay but not mind blowing as the first. I’m still soaking up all that yolk and truffle with the bread though.

Third Course

Sobre costilla de Black Angus: Black Angus rib cooked for 22 hours at 70°C
That steak is so soft I don’t know why they’ve given me a steak knife when the fork was good enough. I really appreciate the emphasis on the seasonal vegetables, which give a nice crunchy bite to the dish to contrast with the buttery meat. The sauce is rich and tasty, and the slight fattiness of the meat really adds flavour. I wish there was more sauce because I’ve still got a bit of bread left over.

The waiter comes to decrumb the tablecloth. I’m having flashbacks to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. At least he only did it once.

Dessert

Nuestro pan con aceite, chocolate y sal: Our bread with oil, chocolate and salt
Wow. That bread is in the shape of a ravioli and bursts with dark chocolate when you break into it. The oil adds a slightly floral fragrance and the salt really gives that edge to the flavour. It’s perhaps a bit strong, but overall, this is delectably rich and not too sweet. It isn't your run-of-the-mill dessert, that's for sure, but I'm still very much enjoying the different flavours and textures.

Surprise Dessert

Petite Fours: Mandarin fruit cube, hazelnut cookie, and dark chocolate embossed with a Panot
I love surprise dessert courses. The dark chocolate has the pattern of a Panot, which is the famous pattern on Barcelona's floor tiles. I love that this is a nod to the city's history. The best was the mandarin, light and refreshing.

What an interesting meal. I’ve really enjoyed that but it didn’t seem particularly unique to Catalonia, nothing was particularly mind-blowing apart from the dessert. I will say though, that I went home and did some research online to see how many Michelin stars they were awarded, and they don't actually have any Michelin stars, they're only on the list of Michelin Recommendations. Nevertheless, it was a great insight into local produce and winter flavours, and ultimately, it was good food done very well.

Posted by Jeremy at 2:19pm on Thursday March 7, 2024 :: 0 comments ::

Bodega Joan

Where? Bodega Joan (Eixample, Barcelona, Spain) Map Menu

When? Saturday January 20, 2024

Who? Me

Food Style? Catalan

I was at Plaza España when I happened upon a pro Palestine protest, so I stayed for a while and tried my best to understand everything. As the crowd started to disperse, I went to the Arenas shopping mall and was walking around the 360 platform, texting my sister about various things. She asked how my accommodation situation was going, which dredged up a lot of suppressed anger. Well, if I know myself, the best way to solve this is to suppress it even more with some good food. The worst thing to do would be to drink alcohol.

I've chosen this classically Catalan restaurant in Eixample. As I enter, I see a mound of calçots - Catalan green onions - piled on the bar counter, and I think to myself, "I have to do a calçotada before I leave Barcelona." Anyway, I'm here for some great food, and a non-alcoholic drink, so Fanta Lemon it is, and a selection of four tapas.

Tapa One

Torrezno de Soria: pork crackling
Nothing beats the Chinese way of doing this. It’s tasty but it’s lacking that beautiful crispy crackling.

Tapa Two

Pan con tomate: Catalan bread with tomato
A staple in Catalan cuisine, I really only wanted this to eat with the prawns. By themselves, they’re still excellent and a much needed source of carbs for this meal.

Tapa Three

Berenjena en tempura con melaza: fried eggplant with molasses
This is a really interesting flavour combination but I kinda like it. The molasses are quite strong, it reminds me of golden syrup from NZ. It almost tastes eggy, like a French toast.

Tapa Four

Gambas al ajillo: garlic prawns
The last to arrive, this has a fantastic aroma and the prawns are so soft and succulent.

Dessert

Crema Catalana
What’s a Catalan dinner without the quintessential Catalan dessert, crema catalana. This one is served with two neulas, a cylindrical pastry much like a Chinese egg roll, and usually only found around Christmas time. The crystallized sugar on top cracks beautifully and the balance of flavours is absolutely perfect. It’s creamy, smooth and eggy, rich with flavour without being overly sweet. Definitely the best crema catalana I’ve had this trip.

I’m feeling so good now. All my anger has subsided and I’m back to my usual adventurous spirit. It’s amazing what food does.

Posted by Jeremy at 12:15pm on Thursday March 7, 2024 :: 0 comments ::

Jamon Y Vino

Where? Jamon Y Vino (Eixample, Barcelona, Spain) Map

When? Saturday January 13, 2024

Who? Me

Food Style? Spanish

Ham and Wine - I’m not here for either of those things, I’m here for paella. There’s a sample menu outside and for €16, I can get a decent looking seafood paella. Unfortunately as soon as I open the menu to the page, it says “for two people only” and my heart breaks. Instead I go for the Spanish omelette, and a steak to balance out the seafood I had for lunch.

Appetiser

Tortilla España: Spanish omelette
Everything arrives at once. The tortilla is a bit cold in the middle but I’m hungry and wolf it down. It tastes pretty good, eggy and potatoey all through.

Appetiser

Entrecot a la Brasa: grilled beef steak
The steak is still sizzling on the hot plate, and I can see it needs to cook a bit. It’s tasty and well seasoned, but nothing exceptional. It goes really well with the pa amb tomàquet, and the padron peppers are always a good time. I dunno, I’m disappointed from the lack of paella and this was okay, not bad, but not amazing, especially given the restaurant’s proximity to Sagrada Familia. I’ll do some proper research tomorrow to get a nicer place.

Dessert

The waitress surprises me with a tray of dessert and I just pick a nice-looking one at random. So far everything has been conducted in English so I wasn’t expecting the explanation of the dessert to be in Spanish. I don’t actually know what it is. It’s got a white chocolate and nut shell, with a soft sponge and custard on the inside. It’s really good, lots of rich, chocolatey and nutty flavours, though I can’t figure out what nut is it. It lifts my spirits, and I feel less bad about coming here.

Posted by Jeremy at 11:50am on Wednesday March 6, 2024 :: 0 comments ::

Sagradas Tapas

Where? Sagradas Tapas (Eixample, Barcelona, Spain) Map Menu

When? Sunday January 9, 2022

Who? Marc

Food Style? Tapas

My final night in Barcelona is going out with a bang. I’m going to have a mega tapas feast with Sagrada Familia in the background. We’re just outside the tourist zone of the world’s most famous unfinished cathedral, so the food should be excellent and authentic. They've recommended that the two of us share four or five dishes. The problem is how do I decide on just a few dishes? All of them sound so good. Let's get some sangria made from cava, Catalan sparkling wine, to start off.


Holy smokes the cava sangria is massive. It’s delightfully fruity and effervescent, and the glass is so large I can’t even hold it in one hand. Why is this so much, I am going to have a bad time.

Tapa #1

Gambas al Ajillo: garlic prawns
Delicious flavour, really nice, strong garlic taste.

Tapa #2

Pimientos del Padrón: fried padrón peppers
Sweet and smokey, I love having these at tapas meals. Pity they aren't spicy though.

Tapa #3

Escalivada con Queso de Cabra: roasted vegetables with goat cheese
This was not what I was expecting, at all, but I love the pistachio crunch in this dish. The goat's cheese is half melting over the warm vegetables and adds a natural saltiness.

Tapa #4

Abóndigas: homemade meatballs
I think this was my favourite. Hearty and really had that homemade feel. The sauce was delicious. It was piping hot when served to us, and in the cool Barcelona night, it was a welcome source of warmth.

Tapa #5

Tortilla Española: Spanish potato omelette
Really good combination of egg and potato. This is one of Spain's national dishes, and fierce debate rages over whether this should be served with onion or not. This particular one is sin cebolla, without.

Still hungry. We've gone for four more dishes, making our total a whopping nine!

Tapa #6

Dados de Solomillo a la Pimienta: sirloin cubes with black pepper
Tasty but overall a bit disappointing, a little bit under seasoned. It works really well with the meatball sauce. It sounded better on paper.

Tapa #7

Bacalao Gratinado con Alioli: gratin cod with garlic mayonnaise
The fish is cooked absolutely perfectly and flakes away beautifully. The aioli is fantastic.

Tapa #8

Chips de Berenjena: eggplant chips
Delicious. There's a hint of sweetness, they've put sugar in the batter. It's a bit strange at first but after a few, I'm really enjoying it. The texture is perfect - crispy outside, soft inside.

Tapa #9

Huevos Rotos con Chistorra: broken fried egg with small spicy sausage
Wonderful saltiness from sausage and richness from egg with crispy and fluffy potatoes. We've been stretched to the limit by this one, and we can't finish the potatoes.

We also can't finish the sangrias, and I am super done for the night. I have to get up early to go to the airport tomorrow. It's been a wonderful time here, and I'm sad to return to Toronto, which is currently in a mini lockdown where indoor dining is prohibited, and outdoor dining is unfeasible in -20C weather.

Posted by Jeremy at 3:37am on Thursday January 20, 2022 :: 0 comments ::

Restaurant Malaysia

Where? Restaurant Malaysia (Eixample, Barcelona, Spain) Map Menu

When? Tuesday January 4, 2022

Who? Me

Food Style? Malaysian

Okay yeah I know, why am I eating Malaysian food in Catalonia of all places. Well, I was recommended this place by a former coworker from New Zealand who now lives here and his credibility is on the line. We used to regularly go for Malaysian food back in Wellington so he at least should have an idea of what is good and bad. I’m going to see just how authentic they are and whether they live up to my high standards.

Drink

Teh Tarik
My teh tarik is pretty damn spot on. Chocolatey and creamy, it’s just how I remember it from home. It doesn’t have that frothy milk layer from being "pulled" and it’s probably from a packet, but I don’t care, this has set a good tone and I'm in a good mood.

Entree

Kerabu Tauhu: fried tofu with sliced cucumber, onions, peanuts and sweet chili sauce
The tofu is beautifully crispy and the sweet chili sauce is perfectly spicy. It’s definitely home made and not that weak rubbish you normally get from a supermarket. I’m more used to the cucumber being thinner but it’s not a dealbreaker. The best version I've had of this dish is from KK Malaysian Restaurant in Epsom, Auckland. That’s two out of two, let’s see how the main course stacks up.

Mains

Char Kuay Teow: stir-fried flat rice noodles with prawn, chicken and bean sprouts
Of course I have to order the kuay teow, it’s my one favourite dish that I can’t cook at home. First glance: the noodles are wrong. They’re too thin. Carrot is not normally fried with the noodles but there’s not a lot so I can let that slide. The most important question is whether this has wok hei - breath of the wok - that wonderful smokiness that the wok imparts to the ingredients when frying things at a high temperature. A smell of the food, then a taste…yep, there it is. Delicious. The taste is pretty good and better than what I was expecting. The sambal belacan I’ve ordered goes well with the meal, adding that salty spicyness. The noodles being small are really my only complaint about this, and it’s important because it’s harder to eat with chopsticks, otherwise this is a big pass from me.

Dessert

Bubur Hitam: Indonesia sweet black rice with coconut milk
Okay I’ll get a dessert as well. Bubur hitam is something I have never seen outside of Malaysia, not even from my favourite Malaysian restaurants in New Zealand. I can tell it’s been microwaved because some parts are nuclear hot and some parts are luke warm, but the flavour is pretty on point. The gula melaka tastes just like it’s from home, and the aroma of coconut is excellent. Again, a few flaws but still a pass.

As I’m finishing up, I can hear the kitchen yelling out some things in Bahasa, and that pleases me because it means they’re from Malaysia, Singapore or Indonesia, and they know what their food should taste like. It turns out one is from Indonesia, one is from Johor Bahru, but the chef is from Kuala Lumpur, and actually I can also hear some Cantonese being brandied about. I’ve been burned at least three times by people who claim they know Malaysian food but in fact have only spent a few months or years in Malaysia and don’t know what the proper flavour profile of this complex cuisine should be. I had a good chat to the staff and it was lovely to hear that accent again.

Oh yeah I got a small discount too for being so enthusiastic about the food. Yuss!

Posted by Jeremy at 3:41am on Wednesday January 19, 2022 :: 0 comments ::

O Retorno

Where? O Retorno (Eixample, Barcelona, Spain) Map

When? Wednesday May 17, 2017

Food Style? Spanish Seafood

My first night in Barcelona and I'm a bit nervous about eating out since tapas is such a big thing in Spain, and being a solo traveller I'm not sure if it's the norm to have tapas by yourself. It's certainly not as fun, and I imagine it's like eating yum cha by yourself. My Spanish is also terrible, so I think the language barrier will be hard to overcome if the restaurant staff don't speak English.

Any fears I had were immediately compounded by the fact I spilled my bloody drink all over the counter and myself. Oh well. I can never come back here. I don't know what I'm doing and I just order some random bits of seafood. Being by the Mediterranean, seafood is a big part of the cuisine here.

Entree

Patatas Bravas
I got some patatas bravas, because carbs are good. They're nice and crispy on the outside and the spicy mayo is not too bad, just not that spicy.

Mains

Pimientos
I thought I was ordering seafood here but fried pimientos have appeared. I think something got lost in translation. Oh well. It's nice though. I hope my grilled prawns get here.

Mains, For Real

Grilled King Prawns
It takes a little bit of confusion and another patron to translate what I want, but yes it turns out my prawns got lost too. I'm so embarrassed at the lack of language skills. They do arrive though, and damn they're good. Lots of garlic and herbs, juicy and perfectly cooked. I don't know what is the proper way to eat them so I eat them the only way I know: savagely, with my fingers. At one point in time, a splattering of oil hits my face because I'm useless at this dignity thing. I power on. I won't finish everything but I'll do my best.

Posted by Jeremy at 9:13am on Saturday June 10, 2017 :: 0 comments ::