Rekons

I’m not quite sure how it’s happened that I’ve been writing this blog for over two years and have only merely hinted at Rekons up to now. It’s a true Argentinian treasure that needs to be shared and not locked in my secret chest. The counter of empanadas , embutidos and enticing cakes, muffins and alfajores seduces you to enter and what was previously a small space has recently been ‘renovated’ (read ‘bashed a wall out’) and has opened up the capacity downstairs. If full there’s also the terrace outside or a shimmy past crates of milk and beers to some upstairs seating. It’s also the only place I’ve ever been where I’ve had to sit sideways on the toilet.

Not sure if it’s the Yorkshire genes or limited budget but regular readers of this blog will know I like to trumpet places that offer great food at reasonable prices and there are few places I’ve come across that achieve that more successfully than here.

Starting with a fruity glass of red I went for the grilled chicken sandwich leaving off the cheese, just adding a dollop of mayo. Unless you are seriously hungry then order the half sandwich, you’ll also pay less than 3€ for this beauty. When I have a sandwich like this I always wonder why on earth international chains with their fake bread, warm limp salad, soggy breaded chicken and not exactly bargain prices are so popular.

Grilled chicken salad sandwich

My companions shared a plate of varied empanadas, one of beef and pumpkin with an unusual but complimentary sugary topping, another of celery, roquefort and walnuts and the others that slip my mind but the full selection is available on the menu here. Each costs between 1.50 – 3€ depending on your choice and they still have a crispy, flakiness after reheating which is a failing of some of the empanada joints in the city.

What I haven’t captured here are the mountainous, varied salads they serve which have a plethora of ingredients that work even when you sometimes think they wouldn’t. Check out their ‘rekomendaciones’ here for more tantalising options.

A bouncy sponge with a fluffy meringue topping drew us to dessert and had an unexpectedly pleasurable hint of orange running through the sponge and filling which left us with that uncomfortable moment in dessert sharing where noone wants to take the last spoonful but secretly everyone’s hoping it can be theirs.

Orange cake

You can easily enjoy lunch or a light supper, some dessert and a glass of wine here for under 10€, so now my secret’s out go forth and enjoy the riches of Rekons.

Rekons, C/Urgell 32 (corner of C/Floridblanca), Sant Antoní

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La Malinche

They say a bad workman always blames his tools. In my case I have a decent tool but am lacking in the appropriate skills to use it. I’m referring to photography and despite having a high end pocket camera, the quality of photographs sometimes posted to this blog are definitely low end and do not do justice to the dishes I’ve eaten and where I’ve enjoyed them. I’m hoping 2012 will be the year I eradicate this weakness.

Sadly this post about La Malinche suffers from those lack of skills and I apologise to them in advance for such a weak pictoral representation. The recent opening by a Geordie and his Mexican partner is named after an iconic female figure in Mexican culture and brings yet more colour and vibrancy to this corner of the Gaixample area of the city.

They also have a large room on the upstairs floor which would be perfect for hosting a group or private party, something warm and attentive co-owner Ross said they would be more than happy to accomodate.

The dishes we shared were lively and flavoursome, the guacamole norteño was refreshingly not straight from the fridge and you could taste the richness of the avocado and the ripeness of the tomatoes because of that. The portion was very generous and just a few extra chips to scoop up the remainder wouldn’t have gone a miss.

Guacamole norteño

We followed this with tacos de pollo con achiote, the breast meat was juicy and had been marinated in anchiote which I have since discovered is a spice common to the Central America region and used extensively in Mexican kitchens. The grilled pineapple added a fruity sourness and crunch which I really enjoyed.

Chicken tacos with 'achiote'

The mushroom and cheese stuffed quesadillas with homemade bean sauce was the only weak dish of the evening, not only in terms of the lack of flavour and seasoning that the previous dishes had offered, but also the plate of overwhelming bean sauce did not entice you to dive in. More than half the sauce remained on the plate once the quesadillas had gone. Less would’ve lifted the dish and surely saved the kitchen a few pennies on wasted ingredients.

Mushroom and cheese quesadillas with homemade bean sauce

We finished with the chocoflan which was a fun combination of half chocolate sponge, which had that wonderful homemade flavour about it, and half a classic Spanish custard flan of dulce de leche. The drizzle of raspberry sauce provided the tangy compliment to chocolate it always does.

Chocoflan

As I we sipped the last of our fruity mojitos, mango daiquiri and beers we were surprised to be entertained by mariachi and the buzz of a restaurant that had filled up dramatically since we dipped that first tortilla in the avocado.

First impressions of this new venture were very promising and I wish my fellow northerner and his partner best wishes for it in the months to come. And a big apology for the grainy photos.

La Malinche, C/Muntaner 51, Eixample

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Cooking – The Kitchen Company

Another slight let down this week (although not quite as miserable as the Ikea cooking department I passed through yesterday) was 20 minutes spent in ‘Cooking – The Kitchen Company’, an anticipated cook’s pleasure palace just off Passeig de Gracia.

I’d seen an advert for this store recently, after perusing their website I was eager to check it out and was expecting floor to ceiling utensils, cookware, books to pore over and an imaginary, mental, unaffordable shopping list to be created in my head for the new flat I am aquiring in two weeks time.

Unfortunately for me, but luckily for my pocket, the shopping list never got off the ground. Well, maybe for the Magimix or Kitchen Aid but these desires are ever present and they were stocked in the store along with other undoubtably high quality items such as knives from companies including ‘Zwilling”and ‘Wüsthof’ as well as wonderful pans and ceramics from suppliers such as ‘Staub’.  The problem was that ‘Cooking – the Kitchen Company’ just doesn’t sell enough of these kinds of goods and seems to concentrate on kitsch, novelty items such as the ‘Revol’ porcelain ramikin modelled to have the appearance of a crushed disposable plastic cup ( incidently one of which featured on the fish course of Tim Bilton in this week’s Great British Menu). These items have a place in a cookery store, but for me they should be in addition to the high quality staples needed in any kitchen, not tipping the balance over to the side of a novelty kitchen shop. Where was the wide selection of books I was expecting? Where was the choice of kitchen basics?

Sadly I left feeling rather disappointed, I’d given myself a good hour to spend enjoying their wares before meeting a friend but left after the aforementioned 20 minutes feeling rather uninspired. However, the store has an island kitchen at the back of the store and it appears they hold demonstrations and other events, having signed up for their newsletter I will try and attend one of these at some point and will hopefully find some inspiration there instead.

Cooking – The Kitchen Company, C/Provenza 249 http://www.cookingtkc.com

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My first calçots – La Dolceta 2

I have read much about calçots and the calçotada and have been awaiting the season, my chance to experience them and the occasion of eating them with much anticipation.

The calçot is a vegetable of the onion family, it’s appearance resembling a cross between a small leek and a large spring onion. They are traditional cooked on a barbecue until the outside is charred and the inside soft,  are served in a clay roof tile and are then to be dipped into romesco sauce (made of roasted almonds, hazelnuts, tomato, olive oil, garlic, parsley, red wine vinegar and cayenne), before being lowered into your mouth.

With my first experience to be in a restaurant in the Eixample I had been preparing myself for a disappointment. How could they reproduce the barbecue experience in a restaurant setting? Luckily, being advised to go to La Dolceta 2 by a local aquaintance of my accompanying friend  meant the disappointment never materialised.

La Dolceta 2 is a restaurant serving traditional Catalan food, and it’s rustic, in fact antiquated interior seemed almost perfect for the occasion. My friend and I ordered a portion of calçots, some grilled artichokes (also in season), a potato and onion tortilla and in hindsight stupidly, a portion of pan amb tomaquet (Catalan tomato bread), this wasn’t needed considering the quantity of food which arrived.

Whilst waiting for the food I saw the kitchen was well equipped to provide calçots in a restaurant, as they had a charcoal grill in the kitchen and my excitement and anticipation grew about the meal ahead. Whilst we were waiting our waiter brought us paper bibs and plastic gloves of the kind that come with hair dye, to protect our hands and clothes from the mess. I had heard about the bibs, but plastic gloves? We decided against the gloves but happily put on the bibs after being told that the romesco sauce is a bugger to get out of your clothing.

And so, they arrived charred and blackened just as I had imagined, although not in a roof tile, the only slight let down, but probably not practical in a restaurant kitchen.

The waiter gave us a quick demonstration on how to remove the calcot from it’s charred sleeve and insisted that it must be dipped in the sauce, and away we go…..

And what a joy they were, the barbecued, leeky flavour of the calçot with the rich creamy sauce was divine, and whilst my friend managed to eat her entire half of the portion without getting a drop of charred skin or sauce on her bib, I took great delight in getting stuck in with my fingers and being able to wipe them down my front after each mouthful. We also had two artichokes cooked in the same way which we ate petal by petal, dipping some in the sauce also, but they were delicious and buttery on there own.

We also shared a potato and onion tortilla which was also excellent, very soft, creamy and ever so slightly runny, maybe not to everyone’s taste but as someone who enjoys there eggs only just cooked this was spot on for me.

The pan amb tomaquet was a slight let down, mainly as it was a little too charred from the grill, but it was useful for mopping up of the romesco sauce which I was unable to leave.

Eating calçots is not a dignified affair, probably why I enjoyed it so much, and I challenge anyone to try it without at least making mess around their plate. Here is the aftermath of our feast;

The restaurant staff were friendly and welcoming from the outset and throughout our meal, although perhaps a little clichéd and like the decor, antiquated in their service style. I’m also sure there are better restaurants to eat this seasonal cuisine and that the restaurant setting is incomparable to the masia outdoor barbeque, but for taking my calçot virginity, this was near as damn it perfect.

La Dolceta 2, Comte d’Urgell 266, Eixample – non-smoking section

http://www.dolceta2.com

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