Veiga Tapas Bar and Cerveseria
Where? Veiga Tapas Bar and Cerveseria (El Camp de l'Arpa del Clot, Barcelona, Spain) Map Menu
When? Monday January 3, 2022
Who? Marc
Food Style? Tapas
The last time I was in Barcelona I didn’t get to fully enjoy a proper tapas meal, which is really something that must be done with a few people, much like how the Chinese do yum cha. Interestingly enough, the origins of tapas are very much rooted in drinks, just like how the Chinese equivalent is focused on "drinking tea". Travelers to Andalusian taverns would cover their glasses of sherry with bread or salted cured meat to prevent fruit flies from hovering near the sweet liquid, and over time the accompaniment became as important as the drink. Marc has taken me to a classic tapas bar for the locals, and they serve some fantastic Galician and Basque food here. They recommended three dishes to share between the two of us.
Tapa #1
Torrezno
Torrezno is a fried bacon snack usually made from the entrails of the pig. Not going to lie, the Chinese do it better with our siu yuk. Beautiful salty and meaty but a huge pity the skin isn’t crispy.
Tapa #2
Patatas Bravas
Definitely the best patatas bravas I've ever had in my life. This was sublime. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and the sauce is clearly home made and absolutely fantastic, delicious and creamy. Perfection.
Tapa #3
Zorza o Picadillo
A dish made with the meat of a chorizo sausage that has been removed from the casing and cured before cooking it with spicy red peppers. Served with a delicious egg with a molten yolk that enrichens the meat and provides that bit of relief to the intense flavours.
Three dishes on and we are still hungry, so we ordered another three.
Tapa #4
Octopus
Wow. Beautiful texture and well spiced, full of flavour. The Spanish really know how to elevate this delicious protein to the next level.
Tapa #5
Buñuelos de Bacalao: Cod balls
Crispy on the outside and beautifully soft on the inside, and wonderful flavour.
Tapa #6
Manchego and Iberico Ham
Served with pa amb tomàquet, the delicious crusty bread rubbed with tomatoes. This combination of flavours really hits that Mediterranean feel home, and we're so full now that we can't even fit in dessert. Also, I've had too much sangria.
Posted by Jeremy at 3:19am on Wednesday January 19, 2022 :: 0 comments :: 
Mas Pi
Where? Mas Pi (Verges, Spain) Map Menu
When? Sunday January 2, 2022
Who? Marc
Food Style? Traditional Catalan
I’m back at a traditional Catalan house for a weekday lunch. The specials are different during the week because they cater more to locals and the workers who aren’t on holiday during this time of year. They have a prix fixe for €12.50 and that’s a full three course meal with bread and a glass of wine. Amazing! Certain dishes have an additional cost, but this is of no concern to me, I'm here for the experience.
Entree #1
Cargols de la Iaia Maruja: Grandma Maruja's Snails
Snails, while made famous in France, are also very common in Catalan cuisine so I’m going to find out how they compare to escargot. They’re smaller but sweeter, and cooked with oil and iberico ham instead of butter. I love that saltiness of the ham and it mellows out nicely with the creamy garlic spread and tomato sauce. I’m happily eating all the sauce with the fresh home baked bread.
Entree #2
Calçots a la Brasa amb Salsa Romesco: Grilled calçots with romesco sauce
Calçots are a type of green onion local to the area. Here, they have been barbequed beautifully with that wonderful smokey char to bring out the sweetness. To eat, you dip it in the house-made romesco sauce and then act like you’re sword swallowing. This is one of Catalonia’s most celebrated dishes, and they even have a special name for when people gather just to eat this: calçotada.
Mains #1
Arròs Negre: Black rice
Rich and creamy, the prawn taste is so prominent and appetising. I’m really impressed by how much flavour they’ve packed into the rice.
Mains #2
Confit d’Anec 5 Aglans: Duck confit with five acorns
I’m not sure if I'm supposed to have five literal acorns on my plate, or whether the elements on the plate are supposed to represent acorns, but the duck is cooked perfectly and the sauce has that wonderful sweetness from the prunes. It’s well balanced with the pearl onions. I’m gnawing the flesh off the bones like a savage but I absolutely do not want to waste any of that delicious meat.
Dessert #1
Pastís Casolà de la Louissa: Louissa's homemade cake
I have no idea what this is but it’s the house speciality, so I’ve ordered it. Marc asks what it is but refuses to translate it for me so I’m going to be surprised. It’s a sponge cake base with cold baked fruits like apple, peach and rhubarb.
Dessert #2
Flam d’Ou amb Nata: egg flan with whipped cream
Marc wants a panna cotta but I convince him to have something actually Catalan and not Italian so he’s gracefully changed his order. It’s a lot more solid than flan you’d find in the US but the sweetness of the caramel sauce is superb.
I’m a lot more controlled after this meal than yesterday because I didn’t drink as much wine, but also I think the wine is weaker so that people don’t get too sloshed before returning to work. I’m very full and satisfied, this meal was top notch.
Posted by Jeremy at 11:35pm on Tuesday January 18, 2022 :: 0 comments ::
El Claustre de Palera
Where? El Claustre de Palera (Beuda, Spain) Map
When? Saturday January 1, 2022
Who? Marc
Food Style? Traditional Catalan
Today we’re going for a traditional Catalonian meal in the courtyard of an old church, the Cloister of Palera. The kitchen resides in a masia, a type of Catalan house that was often used for farming on the first floor, and housing the family on the second floor. Masies that operate as restaurants are common around Catalonia and often provide the most authentic culinary experiences as they cater to the working crowd. This particular one is a bit out of the way so it's more upmarket. I’m expecting some fantastic home cooked Mediterranean flavours from beautiful local produce. The Catalonians are spoiled for choice since they enjoy both food from the land and mountains, especially pork products like ham (jamon Iberico) and sausages (botifarra), but also food from the sea. In fact, you’ll often find these together in a surf and turf, or a mar i muntanya - sea and mountain.
We’ve driven a few minutes away from Besalú up a winding road to the middle of nowhere but the carpark is surprisingly busy. It’s a beautiful, quiet place with an adorable Labrador, a loud ginger cat and a citron tree with dozens of fruits, and cute little signs pointing to heaven, purgatory and hell. It’s a bit foggy but the sun is slowly coming out.
The waitress explains everything as best as she can. They don’t have menus because it changes every day and I’m instantly impressed. We’ve gone for three appetisers to share and then one main each. Afterwards, we’re given some home made bread and home made allioli - Catalonia’s version of aioli. I'm stunned with how delicious it is!
Oh yeah, a lot of sangria. Too much, you could say.
Entree #1
Lobster Salad
Wow. The lobster is soft and buttery with that lovely balsamic tartness to give that acidity. The caviar doesn’t really add that much but otherwise the flavours are very typical of the area.
Entree #2
Cow's Tongue
The sauce is absolutely delicious and it’s got that wonderful meatiness from the tongue. I’ve got some leftover bread and allioli and I’ve used it to soak up that magnificent sauce. Marc says he doesn’t normally like tongue, but the texture and flavour are so different that you wouldn’t be able to tell.
Entree #3
Anchovy and Eggplant Flatbread
That beautiful saltiness from the anchovies and olive pate is on point. The bread is crispy and warm, and this is the best of Mediterranean flavours right here.
Mains #1
Lamb
Cooked perfectly, sweet and juicy and that lovely rendered fat adds so much flavour. I haven’t had lamb like this in a long time. Lamb in Canada is usually from New Zealand, and frozen, and I really enjoyed how flavourful this was.
Mains #2
Chicken and Prawn
Another mar i muntanya, this had a fantastic hearty sauce and tender meat. The prawn is sweet and fresh, and this meal to me is the quintessential Catalan surf and turf.
Dessert #1
Tio Nadal
A Christmas cake in the shape of a Christmas tree. It’s filled with a delicious pistachio and lemon creme, and coated in a festive green chocolate shell.
Dessert #2
Mel i Mató
Mató is a traditional Catalan cheese made from cow's or goat's milk without salt. Similar to ricotta, this recipe dates back to the 14th century where goat's milk was used in preference to cow's because of cost. The texture is wonderfully smooth and when served with honey, it takes on all those wonderful sweet flavours that make this dessert one of Catalonia's most popular.
As we finish up, the fog rolls in again and the temperature drops. I’m really drunk from the massive jug of sangria and I’m pretty cold, even with my winter jacket from Canada. This is definitely the best meal I’ve had during this trip though.
Posted by Jeremy at 12:40am on Tuesday January 18, 2022 :: 0 comments ::
Doskiwis Brewery
Where? Doskiwis Brewery (Rupia, Spain) Map Menu
When? Thursday December 30, 2021
Who? Marc
Food Style? Casual Catalan
A couple of days ago, we were preparing to head out for some sightseeing and we stopped by a bakery in Torroella de Montgrí to have some breakfast. Imagine my surprise when a few doors down from the bakery, I spot a New Zealand flag and silver fern flag being proudly displayed in the shop window. I had to find out why. Turns out it's a couple of Kiwis who moved here to escape Brexit. After chatting to them about New Zealand for 15 minutes, they said I should check out this brewery also run by two New Zealanders called Doskiwis, so here we are. It’s got a sweet as, chill vibe and I’m here for a quick feed.
I'm still buzzing about how I've found four New Zealanders in Costa Brava. I don't even know that many in Toronto.
Entree
DK "Bravas": Roasted baby potatoes with tomato and allioli sauce, rosemary from our garden, EV olive oil and salt
Everything patatas bravas should be. A rich, creamy sauce with fluffy, well seasoned potatoes. Allioli is a Catalan emulsion sauce made from olive oil, pounded garlic, and salt. The name bears much similarity to alioli in greater Spain and aioli in Provence, France, however, the difference is that allioli is not made with egg. As a result, it has a much more intense garlic taste that isn't mellowed out by the creaminess of the mayonnaise.
Mains
Classic DK Burger: Wagyú beef from Parlavà fed with our spent grain. With cheese, organic, local carrot and cabbage, and pickled cucumber and jalapeños
The burger is really juicy and tasty. I’m impressed by the softness of the bun and the crunchy textures of the slaw. Well balanced and great package deal. The beef comes from local cows in Parlava, just a few minutes away.
Drink
Heartbreaker Sour Ale: fermented with raspberries, strawberries and lemon
I’m not really a beer drinker but I like sour ales and this one is very tasty. Also, the perfect size for me!
Dessert
Chocolate Fudge Brownie
We wanted to have a “kiwi cookie”, which I think is actually an Afghan cookie but we don’t call them that anymore because it’s problematic. They’ve run out so we go for the brownie, which comes with a nice coffee cream to balance the richness of the chocolate.
I had a great yarn with Mike, who was manning the kitchen, and his wife, who was manning the brewery and drinks. He's from New Zealand and she's a Catalonian who lived in NZ and is a Kiwi at heart, and they're both in Costa Brava to escape Brexit. What a great time here! Marc is super impressed and also slightly shocked that he's never noticed this brewery, considering he passes this way relatively often. He says he'll be back.
Posted by Jeremy at 6:53pm on Monday January 17, 2022 :: 0 comments ::
Bocam
Where? Bocam (Figueres, Spain) Map Menu
When? Wednesday December 29, 2021
Who? Marc
Food Style? Modern European
We spent the day touring around Costa Brava's best scenery, and even skipped over to Perpignan in France for an hour since it was so close. On the way home, we stopped by the Dali Museum in Figueres and decided to have dinner there. This place is a stone’s throw from the museum and serves modern food with influences from different parts of the world.
Mains
Platillo Mar i Muntanya de Calamars i Mandoguilles
I’ve gone for the mar i muntanya, literally “sea and mountain”, or surf and turf. It's a mix of squid and meatballs with a magnificent sauce that I have to soak up with some bread, so I get Marc to order some for me. It comes with some authentic, full flavoured olive oil and is absolutely delicious. The squid is cooked perfectly and melts in my mouth, the meatballs are soft and juicy, and there’s crunchy croutons with squid ink that add a wonderful texture to the dish. I’ve completely emptied the plate and its sauce because it’s so good.
We can’t pass up desserts called “Dali’s Egg” and “Gala’s Lips” considering we are in Dali’s home town.
Dessert #1
Dali's Egg: White chocolate and mango cream
Dali’s Egg breaks open and reveals this stunning mango cream with white chocolate, there’s some amazing flavours and textures on the plate and the presentation is absolutely beautiful.
Dessert #2
Gala's Lips: Cheese mousse and red berries
Named after Dali's wife, Gala’s Lips have that vibrant, inviting red colour and a wonderful raspberry flavour to match. It’s refreshing and tart, and also beautifully presented.
Posted by Jeremy at 6:41pm on Monday January 17, 2022 :: 0 comments ::