Ramblero

Where? Ramblero de la Boqueria (Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Spain) Map Menu

When? Thursday May 18, 2017

Who? Me

Food Style? Tapas and Seafood

In the chaos of the Mercado de La Boqueria on La Rambla is a kitchen called Ramblero. Walking by, it smells amazing. They have all this fresh produce mere metres away and my mouth drops open as I watch platters of seafood leaving for tables off to the side. I'm sitting the bar and probably can't eat a whole platter to myself, so I've ordered a few dishes to try.

Solo Tapas. Is there anything more sad :( Just let me down the white wine and I'll drop my inhibitions. I should have ordered sangria.

Tapas #1

Iberican Chorizo
The iberico chorizo is solid and meaty, but isn't very spicy. I like it though. I can see it matching with some bread and cheese.

Tapas #2

Croquettes
The croquettes are very good. Perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. In fact, they balance the saltiness of the chorizo.

Tapas #3

Grilled Prawns
The final dish to arrive is the prawns. They're surrounded by mushrooms and I involuntarily grimace. Despite that, the prawns are fantastic and melt in my mouth. They're so full of flavour. I even try the mushrooms. Nope. Not for me. There's a bit of chilli in the dish and I accidentally take a bite - it's hot!

It's a bit expensive for what I ate but the quality is there. I got a free shot of some traditional liquor too, but I'm not sure what it is.

Posted by Jeremy at 9:20am on Saturday June 10, 2017 :: 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 ::

Cafe Creperie Saint Pierre

Where? Cafe Creperie Saint Pierre (Geneva, Switzerland) Map

When? Tuesday May 16, 2017

Who? Me

Food Style? Crepes

I haven't eaten out much in Switzerland, it's very expensive here and they inconveniently do not use the Euro, but also I'm staying with friends so we've opted for some convenient options, like a picnic by the river instead. Today though, I was wandering around the city centre and made my way to the cathedral. Next door is a small creperie recommended by a friend who used to live here. It's very expensive at over CHF10, but I'm hungry so I give it a go.

Crepe

Purée de Pommes Cannelle
The crepe has the perfect texture. Slightly crispy on the bottom and soft and fluffy on the top. There's plenty of cinnamon and icing sugar to go with the stewed apple in the middle. I wouldn't have minded a little bit more sweetness but I'm quite happy with what I have.

They have a huge list of other crepes that I would have liked to try - ones with bananas, pineapple, chocolate, Grand Marnier, rum - next time!

Posted by Jeremy at 8:51am on Saturday June 10, 2017 :: 0 comments ::

Brasserie Georges

Where? Brasserie Georges (Lyon, France) Map Menu

When? Saturday May 13, 2017

Who? Me

Food Style? French

Literally across the road from my hotel is a very large restaurant, capable of sitting hundreds of people. It's very well rated on various websites and I couldn't be bothered walking far for food, so here I am. It's a bit intimidating as the staff to patron ratio is very high at the moment; there's at least 10 waiters...waiting. I'm hoping for something memorable to finish my time in France.

Entree

French Onion Soup with egg yolk and madeira
This first dish says it is prepared in front of me. I'm not sure what to expect. A glass of something is put on my table and I have no idea what it is supposed to be. It almost looks like a lemon honey ginger drink. I hope it's part of the first course.


Well I'm glad I didn't drink it because it's egg yolk and wine, and it's poured into my soup and mixed. That wasn't much preparation at all. The egg cooks in an instant. There's also melted cheese, baguette soaked inside and lots of onions, but I think the wine is perhaps a bit too strong for me. It will be really embarrassing if I get drunk off this soup. Otherwise it's quite good, I love the taste combination of the cheese and onion.

Mains

Rossini-style duck and potatoes with parsley
A plate of duck appears. It smells delicious, all that duck fat is definitely what I am smelling. There is perhaps a bit too much, the sauce tastes quite oily and the skin on the two pieces of breast is a bit soggy, not as crispy as I would have liked. But it's cooked nicely, with pink still on the inside. The foie gras is amazing though, such a beautiful smooth texture, and the potatoes are also masterfully done. The dish really needs a salad to balance the oil and fat though, I don't think I can eat all of the duck skin.

Dessert

Iced nougat with red fruit coulis
I wasn't going to have dessert but I feel like I should have something to rinse the taste of fat out of my mouth, and what better way to do that than with sugar. My iced nougat arrives with a sea of berry coulis. I go to cut a bit off the corner and my heart almost stops when it chips off suddenly, almost flying off the plate. It stops just short of the edge. It's very good though, lots of nut and fruit flavours, and not too sweet. A pleasant way to finish the meal.

Posted by Jeremy at 8:37am on Saturday June 10, 2017 :: 0 comments ::

Chez Leon

Where? Chez Leon (Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, France) Map

When? Friday May 12, 2017

Who? Me

Food Style? French

I'm famished after a day of kayaking 32km down the Ardeche River. Lunch consisted of a banana and several chocolate chip cookies. I want good food and lots of it.

Entree

Assortment of Ardeche charcuterie
A decent sized plate of charcuterie arrives. It bears much similarity to the platters I got when I was in Italy, sans cheese. I don't care, I dive in. The terrine and meat are great with the baguette, but I'm not sold on the salad dressing. I think it's too strong and doesn't go with the other items on the plate; something light like a vinaigrette would be perfect. I'm feeling far less hangry now, thankfully.

Mains

Joue de Boeuf
A thick, meaty smell is the first thing I notice about the beef cheek. It's from the sauce, and it's absolutely delicious. The meat is a bit tough, but it's so appetising that I'm willing to let that slide. I love the chestnuts on the plate, they've soaked up that amazing sauce. The boiled vegetables are the unfortunate disappointment, I think they're purposefully bland to counterbalance the richness of the sauce.

There is quite a lot of food and I have definitely over ordered, but I have already committed to dessert. Time to get that second stomach into action.

Dessert

Le Coucouru
I can't see the dessert underneath the massive mound of cream. I remove the top half and see the meringue base, a slathering of chestnut jam, and some ice cream. I drizzle a bit of the raspberry coulis on the top and dig in. Wow, that chestnut is amazing. Why haven't more people caught onto this? The dessert is tending towards the sickly sweet side though, the meringue just being that little bit over the top.

I am well and truly stuffed. I think I need to lie down.

Posted by Jeremy at 10:52pm on Friday June 9, 2017 :: 0 comments ::