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Plaça de les Olles 8, 08003 Barcelona
ricard67
last updated on 25-05-2009:
Ah, Cal Pep, Cal Pep! The mother of all tapas bars, the true original. Well, not quite. Barcelona, being the Catalan capital and having a distinct and completely different gastronomic tradition to other regions of Spain, is not the origin of tapas or the best place to find or eat them. That would be Seville in Andalusia and San Sebastián in the Basque Country. And possibly Madrid. But Cal Pep is world famous, even, rather incongruously, appearing at no. 31 in the 2005 San Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurants awards and winning the award for “Outstanding Value”, and also at no. 66 in 2007. Its fame is so widespread that people queue outside for however long it takes to get a place at the bar. Celebrities, famous chefs and critics the world over mention Cal Pep in hushed tones.
The queue moves slowly along the back inside. From door to sit-down, at lunchtime, the wait is about an hour long. Perfectly reasaonable when you’re about to have one of the world’s finest and freshest seafood tapas experiences.
Pep Manubens himself is always there, after three decades of hard work. The staff always smile and always help. Given the pressure, and the high number of non-local visitors who are excited and anxious, you’d think staff would be grumpy and surly, but the mood is cheeful. The speed with which dishes are made to order, and the industrial discipline of the kitchen are deeply impressive.
Cal Pep is a Mecca for foodies for a simple reason: it’s honest, fresh and simple. And it’s not expensive. It has inspired legions of imitators, not least London’s Barrafina. If you have one day to spend in Barcelona, this would be a perfect lunch option. An hour waiting? An hour well spent.
2 people thought this review was helpful
Calle Assaonadors 13, 08003 Barcelona
ricard67
last updated on 22-12-2008:
(updated on 25-05-2009)
Pla de la Garsa is an amazing little place, practically unknown to visitors or even to many people from Barcelona, with authentic Catalan peasant food (for example rabbit, snails, mushrooms, duck, artisanal cheeses) and an unusual range of wines, a gorgeous 19th Century interior with beautiful tiles and a wrought-iron spiral staircase, tucked away off carrer Princesa in the Medieval street of Assaonadors. The building is 15th Century. Highly recommendable and original. It’s been going as a restaurant for more than 30 years.
4 people thought this review was helpful
Can Sunyer 48, 17007 Gerona
ricard67
last updated on 24-05-2009:
El Celler de Can Roca was this year’s highest climber in the San Pellegrino Awards (Restaurant Magazine), to 5th position in the world rankings. I have known about this restaurant for a few years, and, from first-hand reports, have been convinced this place was a major contender. Its third Michelin star is surely imminent.
El Celler is run by the three Roca brothers. It is a venture born of passion and poetry. Passion for the land and sea, and poetry to express its beauty. The food is unmistakeably Catalan in essence and inspiration, and has a distinctly nostalgic and sometimes childlike and playful dimension.
We had the Festival Menu, which is the restaurant’s most extensive tasting menu (there are three tasting menus), consisting of the restaurant’s latest creations.
We had the good fortune afterwards to be taken on a tour of the cellar, in which wine regions are presented through music (seriously) and bowls with different contents to feel represent the aromas and sensations typical of the wines of those regions.
The chef also asked us what we thought of the menu and we had a very pleasant discussion about its high points and its less accomplished or more uncertain moments.
We were looked after extremely well. There is no doubt that El Celler de Can Roca deserves all the media attention it is getting. However, one of its finest virtues is its humility and simplicity, and one hopes that its growing fame will not compromise those values.
High point(s): the Herring Caviar Omelette (one of the most accomplished, amusing and interesting dishes I have had in my entire life); the wine list (the most extensive and mind-boggling I have ever seen); the service (kind, graceful, discreet, affectionate)
Low point(s): practically none - the sea bass was not much of a dish at all and therefore a little disappointing
Here is the Festival Menu in its entirety in English:
Snacks
Black sesame cracker with cocoa grué
Carrot with truffle
Caramelised olives
Pigeon bon-bon with Bristol Cream
Cucumber skin soup with smoked eel
Morels with foie gras cream
Anchovy bone
Menu
Cuttlefish broth with cuttlefish and pea dim sum
Charcoal-grilled oysters with citrus marinade
King prawn, king prawn sand and essence of king prawn
Smoked herring caviar omelette
Catalan cod pot-au-feu
Sea bass with olives and savory
Spring lamb with pa amb tomàquet
Goose royale with peach
Wild mushroom consommé with charcoal-grilled wild mushroom ice-cream
Desserts
Chromatism of orange
Lactic dessert
We had the following wines (deep breath…)
Nun 2005 D.O. Penedès
Ferrer Bobet Selecció 2006 D.O.Q. Priorat
Westhofener Morstein Spätlese Trocken 2004 Rheinhessen
Oloroso Abocado Lustau 1990 D.O. Jerez
Oremus Late Harvest 2006 Tokaji
La Bota PX D.O. Jerez
1 people thought this review was helpful
Calle Ferraz 36, 28008 Madrid
ricard67
last updated on 19-12-2008:
(updated on 19-05-2009)
Entrevinos deserves a lot of praise. It’s an informal place which to all appearances has little to offer, in a slightly out-of-the way location, but it has what must be one of the finest, most extensive and thoughtful wine lists in Madrid. And what’s more, the mark-ups are very modest, so you can taste and learn about a large number of Spanish wines without breaking the bank. The food is great - based on traditional tapas, but mostly “raciones”, you can have a serious feast here on inventive, delicious, creative food, and drink loads of superb wine. I’m a huge fan of Entrevinos. One major flaw: SMOKING. It’s very, very smoky. But you have to accept that in Spain, you just can’t get away from it. It’s infuriating and deeply unpleasant, but it’s part of the live-and-let live (or in this case, die-and-force-others-to-die-with-you) culture. Still, if you’ve only got one night in Madrid and you want to eat great food with friends and try some top Spanish wines, this is the place to go. Take away the smoke and I give it five stars.
3 people thought this review was helpful
11 Black Lion Street, Brighton BN1 1ND
ricard67
last updated on 23-04-2009:
I very rarely go to anything resembling a chain. And I’m wary of Jamie’s HUGE branding operation. He’s practically steamrollering the whole country with his image and presence. So naturally, liking small, independent, boutiquey type places, I’d think twice before trying this leviathan. However, if you can get pass the ridiculous queue outside due to the no booking policy (we waited 40 minutes in nice weather, but I’ve heard reports of over two hours), the atmosphere and style inside is nothing short of fantastic.
It’s immediately obvious that, recession or not, serious amounts of money have been pumped into this venture. It’s very stylish, mixing an Italian feel (hams and classic Italian food products visible on the walls) with a modern design interior combining expensive wood panelling, dark ceramic tiles and funky lighting, and a very sexy bar in the entrance. There is also a wood-fired oven in a half-open kitchen/deli counter downstairs, and tables for at least 100 covers, and more upstairs.
It’s a bit like Bill’s (I wonder how many ideas they took from there…) but with 10 times the investment.
I can barely fault the food: superb antipasti with freshly roasted peppers and artichokes and pretty good (though not sensational) cold cuts, excellent pasta (the truffle tagliatelle particularly sexy and lipsmacking) and not a bad little wine list. It’s hugely popular and for good reason: great atmposhere, fresh and simple food, very trendy, and competitively priced. One downside: the booking policy. It would help if at very busy times booking was a possibility for even some tables. Otherwise, highly recommendable.
4 people thought this review was helpful
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