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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Laurel

If you’re not a fluent Spanish speaker your first encounter with Argentinians and their breed of this latin language can be a challenging experience.  Tune into their swishes, swooshes and hard ‘j’s however, and you will get to know some charming people. More importantly though you will hopefully be introduced to their take on a good old ‘pasty’, the empanada, and to their favourite places for eating them. Namely Laurel. Conveniently located across the road from the Floridablanca cinema (one of several cinemas in Barcelona that show movies in their original version), this is the ideal place to grab a pre or post film snack or meal. Pasties, of whatever accent, can have me either drooling at the lips or turned off by the overly thick pastry. Laurel’s offerings are of the former and the rainbow of pastries naturally coloured by carrot, beetroot and spinach set the masticating juices flowing.

The fifteen variteties listed on the menu, each as enticing sounding as the next, make choosing challenging, we started with a selection with a view to ordering more if we could “fit them in”…..no prizes for guessing whether that was achieved or not. Two ‘Marron’, a ‘Billie’ and a ‘Negrita’ were the aperitivos. ‘Marron’ being cocoa pastry filled with duck, pear, pine nuts, leek, pumpkin and ginger , ‘Billie’ delighted the mouth with Aragón sausage, pear, pine nuts and red onion. As for  ‘La Negrita’, she offered the hint of blackness that its name suggests with cuttlefish ink pastry and a filling of cuttlefish, mozzarella, tomato and basil. A much more captivating combination that it may first appear.

Two 'Marrón', 'La Negrita' and a 'Billie'

 The pastry here is not thick, stodgy or over filling, but rather a light envelope to encase the flavour punching fillings.

'La Negrita' filled with cuttlefish, tomato, mozzarella and basil in cuttlefish ink pastry

'El Marron' filled with duck, pear, pine nuts, pumpkin and ginger.

The great thing, but also the problem with Laurel empanadas is that once you start you want to make your way through the whole menu. So for the ‘main course’ we managed an ‘Amarilla’, carrot pastry filled with plums, bacon, mozzarella and almonds and the crimped ‘Dino’ of diced veal, onion, sweet potato and chilli. Heavenly and enough to send me fleeing from a standard tuna empanada for the rest of my days.

'Amarilla' and 'Dino'

If I’m honest at this point we were just being greedy but I can’t resist an alfajore, these ones had a subtle hint of lemon in the crumbly biscuit.

Alfajores and brigadeiros

Laurel doesn’t just restrict itself to these flaky pastry parcels as this wouldn’t be a taste of Argentina without a selection of meaty main courses and a tempting range of salads.

No meal with Argentinians would be complete without a mention of the good old Malvinas, the Falkland Islands to you and me, although we concentrated more on why we have such different names for this archipelago than on the 80′s war. In case your wondering…”The Falkland Islands took their English name from “Falkland Sound”, the channel between the two main islands, which was in turn named after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland by Captain John Strong, who landed on the islands in 1690. The Spanish name, Islas Malvinas, is derived from the French name, Îles Malouines, named by Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1764 after the first known settlers, mariners and fishermen from the Breton port of Saint-Malo in France” ..thanks to Wikipedia for that titbit.

El Laurel, C/Floridablanca 4o, Sant Antoni

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Sesamo

Passing from the street you could be mistaken for thinking that Sesamo is just a narrow, whitewashed bar, and indeed it is, offering a sanctuary from running the gauntlet of Raval’s streets and amongst many other drinks an array of premium gin and tonics.

However, if you enter and walk through an Aladdin’s cave of vegetarian delights opens up and invites you in. Sesamo is one of few venues in Barcelona offering a ‘restaurant’ experience of meat free meals.I’ve enjoyed eating here once before but earlier last month I was lucky to be able to attend one of owner Alfredo’s tasting evenings where he was showcasing some items off their weekly changing menu. Arriving late, rushed, flustered and laiden with bags it was heavenly to walk in and find a glass of red waiting for me and some freshly cooked offerings my friends had sampled an hour or so earlier.

My first mouthful was a seeded crostini with a slice of brie topped with a rich, black olive mousse that had a super smooth texture reminiscent of a good chicken liver pâté. I make that reference because it’s what I associated it with, not that this food was in anyway trying to replace meat dishes. The crostini and all bread here is supplied by favourite of mine Baluard.

Seeded crostini with brie and black olive mousse

This was followed by a salad of slivers of carrot, sweetcorn kernals, radicchio and seeds in a light dressing which provided a tasty, clean crunch.

Salad of carrot, sweetcorn, radicchio and seeds

Next came the tortellini with gorgonzole in a sage butter, the said butter was very moreish if ever so slightly too overpowering for the cheese inside the pasta.

Tortellini with gorgonzole in sage butter

These were then followed by a couple of different risottos. The first of the two was with radicchio,  toasted almonds and roquefort which was packed with loads of flavour and was really set off by the toasted almonds and the rice which had that required bit of bite.

Risotto with radicchio, toasted almonds and roquefort

However the dish of the evening for me was the second risotto with green apple and taleggio. Of course cheese and apple are a perfect match but it wouldn’t have occurred to me to combine them in risotto, however it worked wonderfully, I shall definitely be trying to produce something similar at home.

Risotto with green apple and taleggio

With a self-confessed cheese adoring owner it’s hardly surprising that the menu is heavily cheese influenced, although some would argue you can never have too much cheese. That said there are vegan options so there should be something for everyone, such as the dish of coconut curry with basmati rice, a picante coconut curry of courgette and green beans with a hint of madras about it served with perfectly cooked, fluffy rice. Oh if only I could master the same with rice at home.

Coconut curry with courgette and green beans

 My flusteredness on my first visit meant I left without adequate photos and a few lingering questions, as such I was invited back a second time. What a treat! So on Tuesday night I sat down to round two. This time we started with an appetiser of  healthy baked tortilla topped with gorgonzola, roasted vegetables and pistachio oil.

Baked tortilla with gorgonzola, roasted courgette, fennel, carrot and pistachio oil

Next came a plate of papas arrugadas, a Canary Island dish of wrinkled potatoes with dual sauces of red pepper and surprisingly tasty and complimentary mango.

Papas arrugadas with mango and red pepper sauces

Another appetiser of tofu and miso paste topped with olive tapenade was too salty and lacked a bit of alternative texture to the two pastes so wasn’t quite to my personal taste.

Tofu and miso mousse with olive tapenade

Now beetroot is one of my ‘most hated’ ingredients but from time to time someone succeeds in getting me to enjoy it, and that’s what happened here with gorgonzola filled gnocchi in beetroot sauce. I’m not sure the addition of mozzarella was needed to but the dish was delicious nonetheless.

Gorgonzola filled gnocchi with beetroot sauce, mozzarella and toasted almonds

I’ve often wondered what to do with an abundance of mint as those plants can grow crazily at times but inspiration was provided with rigatoni in mint pesto, just subtle and not overpowering for the other ingredients.

Rigatoni with mint pesto, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts and pecorino

Wild green asparagus, which I’ve seen many people foraging in the small town outside Barcelona where I work, made an appearance in the risotto that came next, served with goat’s cheese.

Goat's cheese and wild green asparagus risotto

The risotto, however, was completely outshone by the asparagus salad with basil, toasted pistachios and lime and ginger dressing which was the outstanding star of the evening’s show.

Asparagus salad with toasted pistachios, lime and ginger dressing with basil

A mushroom lasagne with smoked mozzarella was next, maybe slightly more suited for the preceeding months but still a winner.

Mushroom lasagne with smoked mozzarella

Sadly we turned down a couple of curries waiting in the kitchen for us to satisfy our sweet cravings and chose three desserts to share. The brownie with strong Bailey’s sauce had us all reaching to wipe the plate.

Chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and Bailey's sauce

The peanut butter cheesecake was overbaked and crumbly but was tasty and didn’t stop us fighting with our forks for the last mouthful.

Peanut butter cheesecake

And finally, a rich, sticky triple chocolate cake layered with mascarpone cream and that favourite of Alfredo’s native Argentina, dulce de leche.

Triple chocolate cake layered with mascarpone cream and dulce de leche

Sesamo leaves you satisified and meat eaters confessing that they didn’t miss the carne. It’s also easy on the wallet, starters start at around 3€ and no main course is more than 12€, desserts are about 5€.

Many thanks to Alfredo and staff for the invitation and hospitality.

Sesamo, C/Sant Antoni Abat 52, Raval

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Federal

Federal has undoubtedly been the hottest, new kid on the block since it opened in the sticky summer months of last year. If you wandered past Federal in north London you probably wouldn’t give it a second glance, but in Barcelona it’s something of a rarity, strikingly different from the other café offerings with it’s paired back, muted, airy style and offering that other Barcelona rarity, brunch. The weekend mornings throng with friends getting together, couples sharing breakfast and the morning papers, solo eaters with their heads also buried in the global updates of the day. It can be difficult to get a table on a Saturday or Sunday morning but once you’ve succeeded you can enjoy the light streaming in and in the warmer months enjoy your meal on the roof terrace or with your legs  slung onto the street when they peel back the ground level windows and doors.  My friend Vera, fellow Barcelona blogger and much more proficient photographer than myself, has captured the feeling of Federal here.

I try not to be a creature of habit, but where eggs are concerned, there’s only one thing for breakfast. And I love these eggs, baked in a Staub cast iron dish with slices of pancetta according to the menu, to me it’s good old back bacon, some crème fraîche and finely sliced spring onion.

Baked eggs with bacon, crème fraîche and spring onion

The two slices of lightly toasted and buttered sourdough loaf are begging to be dunked into that runny egg and undeniably rich and calorific creamy mixture but the sharpness of the onion stops it just short of being too much.  My freshly squeezed orange juice, swimming with bits which I love, washed it all down. This is not a dish for those watching their waistlines but indulgence  is what weekend’s are for aren’t they? Unlike previous occasions (and there have been many), the bacon on this particular day was very salty and left me with a thirst all morning.

My companion started with the breakfast seeded muffin, but for her breakfast isn’t breakfast without something sweet so had ‘seconds’ of the back forest cupcake, and so resumed our usual cupcake ‘love them/hate them’ debate.

Black forest cup cake

Federal shouldn’t just be a destination for breakfast or brunch, they have an evening menu of light meals and salads, check the opening times as I believe the kitchen closes for a period between the morning and evening services but your hunger gap can be filled and weary legs rested with the coffee, tea and cake selection throughout the day. Sadly, my one and only cake experience has been disappointing, a slice of carrot cake that beneath the icing could only be described as a ‘cakey-jelly’, I can’t even imagine how that was created.

Regardless of their success, their beautiful setting and my own enjoyment of their venture I hope these small flaws will be ironed out, along with the repeated comments I ‘ve heard about less than friendly welcomes at busy times. It’s especially easy for things to fall below par when you are riding high on a wave of popularity

Our farewell was nothing other than warm, two kisses goodbye from the owner and a handful of childhood sweet shop treats from the jars behind the cash register. Surprised at my immediate identification of all the confection, my first Saturday job at a ‘pick and mix’ market stall still etched on my memory, he had us leaving with a pocketful of butterscotch tablets, cinder toffee and jelly babies.

Federal, C/Parlament 39 (with Comte Borrell), Sant Antoní

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Alfajores

Like my dad I’m rather partial to a biscuit, especially with a steaming cup of tea or a freshly brewed coffee. I can hear him now, saying in his broad Huddersfield accent “this brew’s a bit wet Claire” which indicates the biscuit tin needs to come out and soak up the liquid with his mug.

Alfajores are a biscuit I think my dad might approve of. I’d never come across them until coming to Barcelona, they originate in Argentina and considering the high concentration of their countrymen in the city it’s no surprise they pop up everywhere here.

They have similarites with shortcake, two discs sandwiched together with that Argentinian staple dulce de leche, a thick caramel from a sweetened vanilla milk boiled down until concentrated. An easier way than standing over a pan of milk and constantly stirring for nearly an hour is to use condensed milk and the method described by fellow London based food blogger Milly here. The edges of the sandwich are then usually dusted with desiccated coconut.

The quality of alfajores varies, I’ve had some where the biscuit has been heavy like shortbread and paired with the extremely sweet filling were a step too far even for my sweet tooth. Others have a coating of white icing on top, again unnecessary extra sugar in my opinion. My current favourites are the ones pictured from the charming little cafe Rekons (more about that another time). Crumbly, slightly pillowy biscuit that’s not overly cloying like some and lets the chestnut coloured dulce de leche play that role. Just remember to dust the crumbs off when you’ve enjoyed it in the street like I did.

If you fancy making your own here is a recipe (thus far untested I must add) taken from a book given to me as a gift from friends returning from a trip to Buenos Aires, called simply ‘Argentine Cooking’ by Mónica Hoss de la Comte.

600g plain flour

pinch of salt

4 egg yolks

200ml water

120g fat (butter or lard)

1 x can of cheat’s dulce de leche

The recipe suggests a cold water icing but I’m going to omit it so you can have them the Rekons way.

Method

Put the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the centre. Then put the yolks, salt, water and melted fat in the centre. Knead well for some minutes and allow the mixture to rest for a while, then knead it again.  Roll out, cut the round biscuits and put them in the oven on a greased baking sheet. (The recipe doesn’t give a temperature, I would suggest about 180°c but keep an eye on them). When they are cooked and cool, stick them together with the dulce de leche and sprinkle a dusting of desiccated coconut round the outer edges.

Alfajores Rekons, C/Comte d’Urgell 32 (Comte d’Urgell with Floridablanca), Sant Antoní

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Inopia becomes Lolita Tapería

So back to Barcelona and what could be a better welcome than being invited to a free dinner at Inopia the minute you return? And as if that wasn’t good enough, there was also the stipulation that my friend and I HAD to spend a certain amount per head, a target which wasn’t going to be achieved easily. Any pangs of homesickness and leaving my family and friends were quickly going to be eaten away.

I was instantly struck by the fact that something had changed. I didn’t instantly put my finger on it, but the polaroids and comments that had adorned the tiled walls were gone and something just felt a bit different. Then everything came into focus, we were no longer in Inopia, we were now in Lolita Tapería.

How I didn't notice the change on the way in I don't know!

I’ve since checked the former Inopia website which has this message:

‘The 30^th July was the last day of service for Inopia. After 5 years of exploring the world of classic tapas, Albert Adrià is handing over the bar to his partner Joan Martinez, the bar is set on a new course with a change of concept and under the new name ‘Lolita’, the girl who enjoys tapas and mini-sandwiches. We are grateful for all the affection we have received from our customers over during these years and we hope you will be filled with the same excitement for our new concept on the 1^st September. As always we hope to provide you with small portions of happiness. Forever, Inopia.’ See the message on their site here.

As it happens, this week’s copy of Barcelona ‘Time Out‘ has an interview with Joan Martinez, whose comments I will shamelessly (Disclaimer: maybe not 100% accurately) translate and post here, especially as the magazine is only published in Catalan. The article states that Inopia has “died of success” and Joan says that “with Albert we sought to create a neighbourhood bar but it turned into a monster. It wasn’t normal that a bar with a capacity for 40 people should mean having to queue for two hours. We had to kill it and start again”. “I want to make it more canalla (I think this means lively), at midnight we will change the lighting, serve drinks and we intend to make some cocktails”. Inopia used to close at around 11pm. He ends the article by saying “Now everything is easier, the pressure with Inopia was excessive”.

I suppose anywhere associated with the Adrià name was always going to attract more than just a neighbourhood crowd, it certainly pulled me there not long after arriving here and those polaroids and messages showed that people were visiting from all corners of the globe. Was it possibly naive to think that a bar with the Adrià connection could just be a local haunt and not suffer from food tourism? However, it seems from the Time Out article that Albert has still had some slight involvement with the new venture, giving a hand designing the menu for the new bar and as we found some of the items from Inopia’s menu are still here.

So how is the new bar? Apart from the cosmetic changes, mainly the signage, it doesn’t feel a whole lot different. Which is a good thing. The bull’s head still looms over the bar area, the staff’s faces were familiar and the food was equally as good as last time.

What I love about this place is the light, airy feel, the white tiles and smoke free environment lift it into a different realm from the thousands of dark, slightly grubby looking tapas bars around the city.

So, what did we eat? Well, more than I have pictures for seeing as soon as each plate arrived we couldn’t wait to taste it and then realised that, erm, I was supposed to be trying to photograph it first. However, it would be a shame to ruin every eating out adventure with constant snapping so here’s some of the delights.

We started with some of the pan amb tomaquet, a staple for every tapas session, this was light and crisp with lovely ripe tomatoes and drizzled with lots of fruity olive oil and some thin slices of cured Wagyu beef, which reminded me slightly in texture of South African biltong which is slightly chewy and was a welcome change from the usualy sliced chorizo, salchichon or fuet.

 

Pan amb tomaquet

Cecina de Wagyu

 

Next came cubes of aubergine, lightly crisped on the outside, soft in the middle and drizzled with a sauce of honey and molasses, which worked really well together and was gone before the flash could go on the camera. Then in no particular order, the Pintxo charrua above, a fatty, melt in the mouth ham lightly sprinkled with crystals of salt and La Plantxada, slices of chorizo cooked on the grill and drizzled with a herby (sorry to not be more specific, I need to start making notes instead of relying on my memory) dressing.

Pintxo charrua

La Plantxada

One of my favourite dishes, which has been carried over from the Inopia menu is la Bomba d’Eixample, a sphere of ultra-smooth mashed potato surrounding minced beef and a buttery centre and sitting on their divine spicy sauce with a dollop of mayonnaise on top. I spotted a huge tub of Hellman’s sitting on one of the fridges in the kitchen, I was very surprised to see they don’t make their own, but then again they’re probably concentrating more time on getting that bomba into an exact sphere, how do they do that?

La Bomba d'Eixample

My photo of the calamare doesn’t do them justice, the batter was much crunchier, tastier and sweet squid tasting than my pale, insipid picture would have you believe and I really liked the cute paper cone presentation .

Calamars a la romana

Then probably the highlight of the savoury dishes was the burrata Lolita, a ball of that Italian cheese which is made from mozzarella and cream, when you break into it a creamy liquid oozes out of the centre, paired with the rocket, really ripe tomatoes, olive tapenade and drizzled with more of that fruity olive oil it was fantastic and the creamiest, milky cheese I’ve ever eaten.

La Burrata Lolita

The Gos d’Atura, hot dog to you and me, was yet another example of how Lolita and Inopia before it are doing tapas that you would find in thousands of other tapas bars around the city, but with good ingredients or slight twists, again here the bread surrounding the salchitxa was light and crispy and spread with the ubiquitous ripe tomato that comes on every sandwich you eat here.

El Gos d'Atura

In all honesty I didn’t really have space for dessert, but I’d been thinking about that amazing sorbet de mandarin I’d had last time all day and was pretty gutted to not see it on the menu. However, as always it pays to ask and they had some in the chiller, whether this is something they are continuing off menu or a remnant of the Inopia days I don’t know, but I snapped up the chance to have one of those little tubs. This sorbet is silky smooth, like it’s almost never had any water in it, not an ice crystal in sight and the tangy yet sweet mandarin flavour is perfect to end the meal.

Sorbet de mandarin

But, the figs were also looking very appealing so we made space to have those as well. Sweet, ripe, white figs with a dollop of creamy yogurt, sprinkled with grated orange zest and cinnamon, heavenly.

Figues amb iogurt

With coffees on order we were persuaded to have a txupito (shot) each of Lolita’s patxaran, a drink that is typically from the Navarre region of Spain but also drunk in the Basque country and other areas, it is usually made from sloe berries and contains aniseed, coffee and vanilla. This one, called Sang de Drac (dragon’s blood) was made from strawberries, peach and anisette. It was delicious and curious to drink, first you taste the strawberries, then the peach, followed by the anisette and finally all the flavours together. Magic.

Lolita Tapería, C/Tamarit 104 (corner of C/Tamarit with C/Rocafort), Eixample – non smoking

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Inopia

Being slightly obsessed with the creations of the Adria brothers at El Bulli, having a tapas bar owned by Albert only a short walk from my flat is a real treat. I had lunch there one Saturday just before Christmas and keen to not have to queue or be disappointed at there not being a seat for me I turned up  almost as soon as it had opened, a move which proved canny as the place filled very quickly and as I left there was a line outside.

Inopia is a tapas bar; light, airy and a rarity in Barcelona, smoke free. The welcome was warm, friendly and very relaxed, I initially mistook the host seating me as a customer as he was dressed so casually in jeans, T-shirt and cap. There is even a wall mounted TV on low volume, a common tapas bar feature but not intrusive here.

When I was seated my initial excitement was with the polaroid photos on the white tiled walls above my stool, a veritable ‘who’s who’ of the culinary world who have visited the bar, including the guys from The Fat Duck and Harold McGee amongst many others.

I was also green with envy at the person who had written the following message on the tiles;

Mounted on the wall near the entrance to the bar is a copy of the bull’s head from the kitchen of El Bulli with the statement written underneath ‘Cualquier parecido con la realidad es puro coincidencia’ (‘Any similarity with the original is pure coincidence’), a nod to El Bulli or just a joke about the similarity to a real bull? Either way, amusing.

And so to the food, the delicious, well presented lunch I enjoyed. I started with the mini harburguesa, soft beef topped with a dash of mustard and rocket leaves. I then sampled the patatas bravas which were sliced quite thinly, crisp yet soft inside and topped in a devine spicy sauce, so good I used the potatoes to wipe up every last drop. I then had the Bomba d’Eixample, a spherical croqueta of soft, creamy potato with a minced beef centre which also oozed butter when I broke into it, this was topped with more of the spicy sauce and a small dollop of mayonnaise. La Bomba was so good I stopped the waiter to ask her for a second one when she was passing.

For a sweet hit I had the Sorbete de mandarina which surprised me when it arrived pre-packaged in a small plastic tub, although on closer inspection it thankful had the Inopia logo and not that of one of the ubiquitous Spanish ice cream brands. The sorbete was my favourite part of lunch, completely smooth and free of crystals and pure, fresh mandarin flavour, so good I might even ask for one to para llevar next time I’m passing.

The 4 dishes, sorbet and a glass of the house red set me back only 20 euros, well worth it for the quality of the food and surroundings and I look forward to returning to sample more of their menu.

Inopia, C/Tamarit 104 (corner of C/Tamarit with C/Rocafort), Eixample – non smoking

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Els Ocellets

Choosing a restaurant at 11.15pm on a Friday night when you have to meet friends a short time later and haven’t looked at the menu should’ve been warning signs that this meal might be a disaster.

On the surface it appeared to be an acceptable choice considering we were in a rush. The restaurant was pretty full and the staff were initially welcoming. But that’s where the good points end.

Our table near the kitchen gave us a clear view of one of the chefs impatiently tapping the counter as we perused the menu and waited for our drinks. It became clear that he must’ve been about to start the end of evening clean up when my slightly merry friend and I tipped up wanting to be fed.

My starter of catalan tomato bread with anchovies was nothing special, it filled a gap whilst I waited for my calamares, although the anchovies could’ve be better drained of their oil before being laid across my bread. My companion’s mussels a la plancha however had been purged of any ocean flavour due to them being drowned in the sunflower oil that the agitated chef had felt the need to pour over them whilst on the grill. Either that or it was the remnants of the evening’s cooking oil which chef had been about to scrub off the grill before our arrival.

As our main course arrived we realised that things weren’t going to improve. My anaemic looking rings of tepid calamares sat on a paper doily without any garnish and the baby lamb ribs chosen by my friend must’ve come from a poor animal whose owner hadn’t fed it for months, the ribs resembling skeletal fingers. After digesting three rings of calamares purely out of ravenous hunger I decided to fill myself with the bread and wine and accept the fact that the rum and cokes to follow in the bar were going to go straight to my head, whilst my friend attempted to scrape a taste of lamb off the ribs and filled a gap with the limp chips and raw tomato that accompanied them.

We didn’t stick around for coffee or dessert and luckily my friend’s company’s expense account picked up the bill, which did go some way to alleviating the huge disappointment of this meal.

I have researched this restaurant a little since our visit and have been surprised to find it has some good reviews, maybe we just hit unlucky, but I won’t be risking giving it a second chance.

Els Ocellets, Ronda Sant Pau 55 (Sant Antoni) – Smoking permitted

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