When you are visiting a city as a tourist you often run the risk of making tourist mistakes. Wasting a meal on a crap restaurant or getting ripped off by a taxi driver are two things that come to mind. So it is always great when you visit a foreign city that has a friend who lives there. Continuing our hyper-Euro-tourism we spent last weekend in Barcelona, complete with local guide. Not born and bred in Barcelona, but a fellow pastry chef who is also exploring what Europe has to offer and currently stationed at Bubo in Barcelona.
More like an edible art gallery than pastry shop, Bubo is a feast for the eyes.
And every flavor of marshmallow you could ever want to eat...
Barcelona is probably best known for its Gaudi architecture, its location along the Mediterranean Sea, and its Catalan cuisine. Among the foodie world its no secret that Spain has not only a rich food history, but also leads in food trends and innovation. The likes of Ferran Adria and Oriol Balaguer all strut their stuff near Barcelona.
As Barcelona is right along the water and as the summer heat leaves you in a daze its clear why dinner is eaten super late and seafood tapas are king. One of our favorite Mediterranean treats - Grilled Cuttlefish.
And a our new favorite tapa...sauteed spinach with spanish bacon and chickpeas.
Two of our best meals, recommended by our local guide, came from Carles Abellan's two ventures. Chef Abellan trained under Ferran Adria for nearly a decade and we had dinner at each of his restaurants. One was informal, rustic, and just plain good. Here was the menu at TAPAS, 24 the day we were there...
And then, the following evening we had dinner at comerç, 24. I wish I could tantalize your tastebuds with pictures but I've never been successful at taking pictures of food at dimly lit restaurants. And trying to use flash never makes anything look appetizing, which is a real shame. So, I'll just share with you my meal titled the Festival Menu by the Chef. I jotted everything we ate so not to forget one bit. Most courses came with multiple different tastes.
Enjoy.
Course 1: Gold dusted macadamias. Green Olives. Vichyssoise with summer truffle. Parmesan-lemon mousse cannelloni.
Course 2: Monkfish with black sesame + squid ink paste. Tuna tartare on egg yolk with salmon caviar.
Course 3: Sardines with blood orange + microgreens + fresh wasabi + crunched caramelized nuts. Consomme with spherified egg + cheese + truffle.
Course 4: Cod with pinenut foam + sherry. Artichoke ice cream with warm cod foam + sherry reduction + toasted pinenuts.
Course 5: Duck + foie rice with crunchy corn. Black rice with cuttlefish.
Course 6: Seabass with potato, vinegar foam, caramelized onion, and garlic flowers.
Course 7: Chicken with prawn and cauliflower puree.
Just when you thought it was done...dessert.
Course 8: Oreo cookie of black sesame cookie and whipped cream. Pineapple sable with flambeed meringue. Greek yogurt foam with puffed rice + mango + raspberry. Passionfruit and mandarin foam over mint tea puree. Chocolate mousse with sea salt + olive oil + tuile. Nougat espuma coated in chocolate with marcona almonds + coffee gelee.
Jealous? =)
