Pep Restaurante

My favorite part of Spain cuisine is the existence of the "menu of the day". Most places will offer a midday selection of dishes (menu is usually posted outside of the restaurant): you choose a first course (primer plato), and a second course (segundo). Standard menus also include bread (pan), wine (vino) or a soft drink (refresco), and a dessert (postre).

On our second day (I think) in Barcelona, we set out looking for Casa Amalia (Passatge Mercat, 4-6 -- rumored to have a menu of the day for only 7,81€), only to find out that it was closed on Mondays. We went, instead, next door to Pep Restaurante (Passatge Pla, 11) to sample their Catalan cuisine.

The second courses (segundos) we chose were decidedly non-memorable, but the primer plato was to-die-for. Both of us got shellfish soup (sopa de mariscos) -- a tomato-based puree laced with bits of whitefish and tiny prawns. Overall the soup was a perfect balance of savory aromatics and sweet tomatoes and seafood. My only wish was that I had had two bowls. =)

The dessert (postre) we chose was crema catalana (catalan cream), a close relative of France's crème brûlée. Click here for a recipe.

きいりん (Kirin) Barcelona

If you find yourself in the need of some quick sushi, look no further than Kirin Japanese Restaurant in Barcelona, Spain.

Located on Carrer Aragó, 231, Kirin sells moving sushi -- that is, sushi that comes right to you on a conveyer belt. All you have to do is sit and wait while numerous tiny plates ride by, each holding a few bites of either rolled sushi, panfried noodles, seeweed salad, or even dessert.

It's all-you-can-eat for only 9,90€ mid-day and 14,90€ for nights and holidays.

The buffet even includes a create-your-own-meal option. Go to the raw bar and choose your seafood, meats, and veggies, and they grill it for you hibachi-style. Delicious!

For more information, check out their website here.

Tapas in Barcelona

28-Dec-2008

We got into Barcelona a little before 8 am on a Sunday... Not the prime time to get the true feel of a Spanish city. =)

After dropping our bags at the hostal, we set out to find some coffee and warm food. We settled on a small restaurant near Las Ramblas that serves both tapas and classic Spanish fare.

We started off with café con leche (coffee with milk) and a bocadillo (cold sandwich) of chorizo (garlicky pork sausage seasoned with paprika), cheese and tomato. Then we moved onto tapas: patatas bravas (fried potatoes served with a spicy sauce), warm marinated mushrooms, and txistorra (or chistorra -- chili and paprika seasoned pork sausage).

Hola de Madrid!!

Hello, all!
Nat and I are in Madrid -- wasting away endless hours navigating the cobbled streets and enjoying delicious (and some not-so-delicious) international foods. While I have many pictures to share and a handful of restaurant reviews to publish here, I am in a locutorio (aka internet cafe of sorts) and there is no USB port accessible, so my pictures and stories will have to wait.
Heading out to do some gift shopping -- right now in Madrid, the stores have already started with the "rebajas" sales -- post-holiday sales where stores cut back up to 60 or 70%. In addition, tomorrow is the Día de los Reyes (the day the three kings come, bearing gifts for all the children -- a second time!-- and marking the finale of the Christmas festivies). Therefore, eveyone and their mother is carrying around a giant box or two of roscones, the traditional bread eaten on Día de los Reyes. Needless to say, the toy stores are also packed, so if you want that new Caillou doll, you´d better be prepared to fight for it...
The kings´ parade is starting any minute now, then we´ll be meeting up with our beloved maid from last semester for a coffee or a chocolate (can´t wait!!).
Just checking in for now -- back in VT on Sunday!