Lanto Restaurant
Where? Lanto Restaurant (Sant Marti, Barcelona, Spain) Map Menu
When? Thursday March 21, 2024
Who? Me
Food Style? Catalan
My time in Barcelona is coming to a close, and this restaurant has always been on my radar for its menu del dia - menu of the day. Unfortunately they were all booked out on the day I went, so I tried to get a reservation for the next day, and here I am. It’s full of old Catalan people having lunch so you just know this is authentic and legit. They’ve recognised me as the loser who came yesterday, and they have two questions, which I have to ask for in English. Meat or fish, and what drink?
I’m watching as the other tables are served and trying to pick up what’s in them. I can catch a few keywords…I think… but what I do know is that the food looks great. Thankfully my explanation of the appetisers and mains is in English, but the dessert is in Spanish. Let's see whether my four months of Duolingo has paid off.
Appetisers
Beetroot carpaccio with sausage and beetroot sauce / Onion with pickled dill / Roasted tomato puree with roasted cauliflower and smoked cheese
Beetroot: Vibrant and sweet, this is excellent and refreshing.
Onions: The onions are delicious and the sauce has a wonderful hint of sweetness to give it some balance. This one is my favourite. The breadcrumbs give it some nice crunchy texture.
Cauliflower: Lots of umami here from the cheese, balanced out with acidity from the tomato puree. The cauliflower still has a bit of bite and isn’t too soft.
Mains
Beef and sweet potato puree
Originally I had thought it was pumpkin puree, but the waiter tells me it's sweet potato. At least I got the protein correct, though I would have failed Gordon Ramsay’s Taste It Now Make It. It’s delicious, the protein is juicy and so tender, but still a bit pink, and the puree is sweet and creamy. For something that looks so simple, it packs a lot of flavour and elegance.
Dessert
Madeline with chocolate crema and banana compote
This explanation is in Spanish but I’ve managed to pick up the key ingredients. That crema is so smooth and impeccable. The butter crumb has a bit of salt to balance out all the sweet elements and it’s delicious. I will say though, other people’s plates have strawberries on them but I’m too noob to complain. Actually some plates are completely different, with a brown Swiss roll base instead. Oh well. I’m very satisfied though. €18.50 for that meal is pretty damn good!
Posted by Jeremy at 8:18am on Saturday December 28, 2024 :: 0 comments :: 
Goiko Grill
Where? Goiko Grill (Sant Marti, Barcelona, Spain) Map Menu
When? Friday January 12, 2024
Who? Me
Food Style? Burgers
It’s Friday Friday, or in Spanish, viernes viernes. I’m back in Barcelona and it’s after work and I’m hungry. I haven’t been eating out as much as I want to, but hopefully the weekend will be a good time for that. My first option was an Italian place that I’ve been to before, but it was full, so I decided to try this trendy looking burger place instead. 
The table mat says “here, Kevin Bacon is a hamburger” so that’s exactly what I’ve ordered. I’ve also gone with some patatas rustica on the side. They have a selection of incredibly fat-looking burgers, including one that looks like it's about eight inches high called the Kevin Costner, but there's no way I could stomach something that large and live to tell the tale.
Burger
Kevin Bacon: minced meat mixed with bacon bits, crunchy onion and American cheese
The fries are nicely seasoned, but a bit floppy. That sauce is really good though, it’s a mildly spicy barbeque sauce that goes perfectly. The burger itself is juicy, well seasoned, needs a little bit of the barbeque sauce to lift it. The cheese and the caramelised onions are prominent flavours and make a big difference. Pretty solid as far as burgers go, but not mind blowing or anything extraordinary.
Posted by Jeremy at 11:36am on Wednesday March 6, 2024 :: 0 comments ::
Rio DOC
Where? Rio DOC (Sant Marti, Barcelona, Spain) Map
When? Friday May 19, 2017
Who? Me
Food Style? Brazilian Casual
I usually go for a quick sandwich or something I can eat on the go for lunch, just so I can maximise my time exploring. However, this tapas thing is too good to pass up, so I'm going to try and tapas as often as I can. Near the zoo is this little cafe, and I'm stopping by here on my way to the beach.
Tapas #1
Hummus - classic, beet, and piquillo pepper, with tapiocas and vegetables
I dig into the hummus first. Each pot is tasty in its own way. The classic one has that nice chickpea flavour with lots of olive oil and herbs, the pepper one has a good spice to it, and the beet one has that slight sweet but earthy flavour. The tapiocas look like plain white bread, but they're actually slightly crispy and more like wafers. They're perfect for eating with the hummus.
Tapas #2
Meat rissoles
The rissoles are really good. Nice and crispy batter with delicious meat on the inside. This is the half portion, because variety trumps quantity for me!
I'm having fun trying all sorts of different combinations but I think the pepper hummus by itself is my favourite. There's a lot of hummus to get through and the meal is surprisingly filling from the dense tapiocas. For €11.80 including a drink, that was excellent value.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:28am on Saturday June 10, 2017 :: 0 comments ::