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Silly Disciple

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Everything posted by Silly Disciple

  1. Thanks for the info Pedro. I'm eagerly awaiting your review of Can Roca. btw, you mentioned staying in Pals. do you know any good hotels or places to stay in the area that you would recommend? Our plan is to leave BCN Friday night and return Monday morning. We want to visit Girona and the surrounding areas. Since we've already been to most beaches in the area, as well as Figueres, we are looking to do more historical/interesting sightseeing than just sitting on a beach. Thanks again, Silly.
  2. Can anyone provide me with a url for El Celler de Can Roca and an approximation on price for the tasting menu? My father is coming to visit in September and I'm planning on taking him there. Thanks. Silly.
  3. Jordi, don't be enigmatic and share this recomendation with us please. I second the request!!!!! C'mon Jordi, spit it out! Silly.
  4. We went to Can Majo for lunch today. I really had high expectations, given all the good comments here and elsewhere. There were four of us, and we order a bunch of appetizers (mostly seafood, of course), and then 2 kinds of seafood paella. While the appetizers where ok (the seafood was very fresh, I'll give you that), the paella was, I thought, overcooked and not impressive at all. Since I know many of you have been there, I'd like to know what others think. Was I just unlucky? We ordered 2 paellas, and we thought both were average... We did on the other hand come across a great Ribera del Duero: Hacienda el Monasterio 2000. Great wine. Also, but on a side note, I've found another gelateria worth visiting. Helados Fratello, on Joan de Borbo, had excellent ice cream. Silly.
  5. A friend of mine from Argentina and his wife came to visit by surprise yesterday. We had already eaten, and they were looking for "an interesting culinary experience", so I sent them Jordi's way. This morning they were all compliments. Keep up the good work, Jordi ! Silly.
  6. Esqueixada de Bacalao. I can't get enough of it, and don't seem to get bored of it. it seems very similar to the cod salad you describe, Chloe. Simply raw cod fish salad, with tomatoes, peppers and olives. Silly.
  7. Keeping up with the spirit of discovering interesting places in Barcelona which are not always "the usual suspects", I decided to start with an exploration my new neighbourhood, the Esquerra Eixample, which seems to have a lot to offer. I had started with groceries (you might have seen the thread here ), and now I'm slowly moving to restaurants and such. After our visit last night to Jordi's new restaurant, we decided to have a light fare and headed off to a restaurant recommended by a friend of ours, a tapas place called Paco Meralgo (a play with words, since Pa' Comer Algo means "something to eat" or "to eat something"). The place seems to be oriented to a "chic" clientele, with prices being moderate. They have a pretty decent selection of seafood, some traditional tapas and a few "innovative" choices. We had tuna carpaccio which was pretty good, a cod fish eisqueixada (a salad with cod fish, tomato, red peppers, black olives and olive oil, fairly common in Barcelona and a great choice for the Summer), seared baby calamari with beans and paprika, a foie gras "montadito", pan seared steak cubes, a zuchini flower filled with mozarella cheese, a prawn tortilla and a glass of gazpacho. The quality was fairly good, but nothing to loose your sleep over. It's not a place I would plan to go to, but a good option if you're in the nighbourhood looking for an interesting option for a light fare. We then crossed over the street to "Cremeria Toscana" , an italian ice cream shop which has amazing gelato. The owner is from Milano but grew up in the toscana, and he was nice enough to let me try most of their choices. The gelato is made on the premises, and it was great. This one I do recommend if you like italian ice cream. Alta Taberna Paco Meralgo Muntaner 171 c/Corsega 93 430 90 27 http://www.pacomeralgo.com Cremeria Toscana Muntaner 161 93 539 38 25
  8. So we went to Cinc Sentits yesterday for a wonderful eating experience, thanks to Jordi and the great staff he has put together. Both my wife and I took the spring gourmet tasting menu (which will change to a Summer menu in about 2 weeks, Jordi told us) and shared the different options as to try every single dish on it save for one of the desserts. I got some wine pairing recommedations from Amelia, the maitre, while my wife stayed away from alcohol, which ended up being a good decision since, being San Juan here, we wen't partying till this morning . My overall impression is that a lot of thought went into each preparation, using 2 or 3 main ingredients at most, combining and complementing for taste, texture and presentation. A clear example was the sabayon of tapioca. The smooth tapioca pearls, contrasted with the salty caviar and the sour reduction just complemented perfectly in every sense. so, we had: - 3 layer txupito (shot): unfortunately I didn't write down the ingredients since I was sure I had seen it on the menu... sorry. -jamón "pincho" with mascarpone cheese, date, pear and fresh mint. As I said before, 3 or 4 ingredients combined perfectly. The fresh pear and the mint were great for a hot Summer night. I started at this point with a fruity sauvignon blanc... din't get to write down what it was though -sabayon of pearl tapioca arenque caviar, butter-enriched shellfish (cigalas) reduction. I think this one, along with the foie gras, where my two favorite dishes of the night. -soft-poached farm-fresh egg panceta foam and toasted panceta (two textures), creamy potato purée. I switched to a red Ribera del Duero Crianza (Arco del Curiel Crianza 2000). Great for the meat, but I shouldn't have had it with the fish and prawns... just a tad too strong. -pan-seared monkfish filet wild rice risotto, bacon dust, priorat red wine reduction. This one was cooked perfectly, the wild rice made for a very subtle combination with the fish. - pan-seared prawn (cigala) brochettes « bomba illa de riu» risotto with caramelised onions, romesco sauce. Jordi later told us that the risotto entailed a quite intensive onion reduction. The dish was delicions, and Jordi mentioned this one being his favorite. I found the rice to be a bit too sweetish for the prawns. -pan seared foie-gras terrine , maracuja (passion fruit?) foam, moscatel syrup, alea salt from Hawaii. This one was just perfect. The foie gras, which Jordi gets from a small farm in France, was extremely fresh and tasty. The maracuja foam was also great, although a bit to acid I thought. The detail of having the salt next to the Foie, since it was cooked unsalted, was great. -filet mignon sauteed asparagus, caramelized leek purée. My wife had most of this one, so I can't comment much. -dried porcini-encrusted rack of lamb, sweet ñora pepper infusion. This was another plate that surprised me for it's subtlety and how well ingrediented complemented each other. The dried porcini "dust" made a perfect combination with the lamb for texture and flavor, and the sweet pepper, presented as a sort of creamy puree finished the whole thing perfectly. Both my wife and I loved it. - We had a second txupito here: Ruibarb, strawberry, creme fraich and mint oil. I also switched again to a Schmitges 2003 Riesling. -vanilla bean panna cotta sparkling wine « mirror », maresme strawberry sorbet. Just wonderful. -peasant-bread pudding almond pastry cream, coffee and rum semifreddo. Also great. My wife found the coffe ice cream a bit too strong. I order some scotch here, and we were invited with Cava and San Juan "Coca", a traditional pastry, to celebrate the evening. I think Jordi will quickly join the troupe of great chefs here in Barcelona. the overall experience was wonderful, and things ran smoothly, especially considering he opened about three weeks ago. The one (minor) problem I found was that waiting times between dishes was uneven, but we later found out that a waiter was missing. As I said, just a minor detail, considering they just started. Jordi is planning on having a more formal wine pairing menu, and a "chef table" as well, and since he's only 7 blocks from my place, I'm pretty sure I'll quickly become a regular. Thanks, Jordi, for a wonderful dinner. Silly. Cinc Sentits Aribau 58 - Barcelona - +34 93 323 94 90 http://www.cincsentits.com/
  9. Going tonight at 10pm. Will report asap. Silly
  10. I was looking for a good place to take my wife out to celebrate (I owe her a celebration dinner, but cant remember why :) )... Cinc Sentits might be a good idea. I plan on going out on Wednesday, will report sometime after that. Silly.
  11. Went to Ravell this afternoon, hoping to get some foie and eggs. The place is really charming, I talked to the owner for a while and they have a somewhat impressive pure malt selection for local standards. However, with the foie and eggs dish at a frightening 21 euros and the menu (3 dishes) at 39, it was a bit out of my league. I promise to come back for my birthday though :).
  12. Question for the locals: Where would you go to get foie? I've been going more and more to the Boqueria lately, getting to know the different stalls (and still working on my catalan!). It's amazing how quality, variety and price change depending on time and day. Saturday afternoon is my favorite to find bargains! I haven't discovered Petras yet, but since both my wife and I love mushrooms, I will definitely try and find it next time. thanks for the good tips. Silly.
  13. Unlike other people in this forum I haven't been terribly impressed by either Xocoa or Cacao Sampaka. The latter, while imaginative in theory, fails to deliver the punch you would expect from such ideas. I've tried a fair variety of their products, and nothing has blown my mind yet. Regarding other places, I've recently found these two which I think are fairly interesting and worth a visit: E&A Gispert is a 150-year-old shop which sells dried fruit and toasted nuts (dried and toasted on premises). The place has a lovely, cozy ambiance and delicious treats: E&A Gispert - Mestres Torradors Sombrerers 23 - Barcelona 93.319.75.35 www.casagispert.com the second one is a more traditional pastry shop which sells cava and traditional (I think) local pastries: Pasteleria Brunells Princesa 22 c/Montcada 93.319.68.25 They are both located in the Jaume I area, going towards Barceloneta. Enjoy! (and let me know your opinion if you do go).
  14. from http://www.asiacuisine.com.sg/Nacws/2003/7/1208/ Estudio De Chocolate Y Pasteleria Morales 21-27 Baixos b 08029, Barcelona Tel: (34) 933 632 298 E-mail: oriolbalaguer@terra.es http://www.oriolbalaguer.com I just called their number (8:30pm here in BCN) and there's no answer, not even an answering machine.
  15. That is indeed the Mercat del Ninot, the one close to my place. I just came back from the Mercat the Sagrada Familia, and while it is indeed a bit cheaper than the El Ninot, I prefer the latter both in quality and variety... but this is probably quite subjective, and some of the shops were already closed when I got there. I didn't get to visit the Colmado... will try maybe tomorrow.
  16. Thanks for the tip. I'm currently working a couple of blocks away from Sagrada Familia, so I'll stop by the mercat and report back tonight. I'll try to visit the Colmado as well.
  17. I assume they are the Mercat del Ninot, which is the one 4 blocks from my place, and the other one might be Mercat de Sant Antoni, in the Sant Antoni neighbourhood, closer to the Gran Via and the Raval area (about 10 blocks from here). Bux, would you mind cheking in the guide? For the kind of stuff you mention (preserved stuff, etc) I've found a great place in Barceloneta called La Ribera, they have olives by the 1/2 kg and a very extensive array of preserves of all kinds, including meats, and fishes. I noticed they had some cheese, but didn't take a close look. Their prices are excellent. A few weeks ago I went there and got 4 or 5 full bags of goodies for no more than 60 EUR. La Ribera Plaça Comercial, 11 (behind the old Mercat del Born) tel: 93.319.52.06 http://www.laribera-sa.es email: laribero@laribera-sa.es
  18. There's no shortage of food purveyors in Barcelona, ranging from the neighbour meat, poultry and fish shops to the famous and tourist-packed Mercat de la Boqueria. Since I moved here I've been slowly discovering more and more possibilities on where to get my stuff. Now what I would like to know from more experienced locals is what options they favor. Do you always go local, or run a couple of times a week to the Boqueria? I went there a couple of times but it can get busy and I'm not a big fan of crowds. I live a couple of blocks away from el Mercat El Ninot and I usually favor that one. I'd like to hear from other people's experiences, where do you find the freshest products, opinions on price, etc. Mariano
  19. Although I didn't have the opportunity to go, while in Donostia (San Sebastian), someone recommended me Karlos Arguiñano's restaurant. He is a celebrity chef a la Emeril, but you might still want to take a look. http://www.hotelka.com
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