A very quick recap of our last 24 hours, mostly to create a diary for myself for future reference. Last night was our much anticipated dinner at Bodega 1900, a restaurant owned by the chef of the former El Bulli, Ferran Adria.
A recreation of a typical 1950’s bodega featuring innovative tapas and vermuth (that’s how it is spelled here) aperitifs, it was a 35 minute walk through Las Rambla, El Raval and into Sant Antoni, which is to say touristy, pickpockety, gritty, and then somewhat more gentrified areas, in that order. Seated with all tourists at 7pm, the only spot we could get, we started with vermuth and olives - well, not really olives. They were two spheres, olive green, each on a wooden spoon to be popped in your mouth to explode with a piquant juice, a bit of molecular gastronomy.
We had razor clams, and a Russian salad, followed by an unusual cured-spiced beef, the highlight of the meal ( served cold and sliced tissue-thin, like a Spanish Jamon...)
At the time I was a bit underwhelmed, perhaps I had a different expectation, but after thinking about it, each dish was pretty amazing.
From there we walked up the Gran Via to meet up with our friend Laurent for a hug, a kiss and a rooftop drink at his hotel. A last walk home took us over 16,000 steps for the day. Friday was Montjuic, or Mount of the Jews, a large hill in the city chock full of museums and palaces and parks. Again, much to Steve’s chagrin, I insisted on walking, this time through and past Sant Antoni, stopping in their amazing old train station turned newly renovated market, into the Arabic neighborhood and then up, up, up the hill to the National Catalan Museum of Art.
We took in only the second floor modern art collection before heading over to the Miro Foundation for lunch and more art.
We were in luck to arrive just as Laurent was ready to break for lunch (he was working there on a photo shoot) and we got to spend a bit more time over some surprisingly beautiful and delicious food.
I expected my dish to be cubes of potato with a tuna salad. What came out was a molded dome of cold gold potato stuffed with a light capered tuna and egg salad swimming in a citrus cream sauce. Oooh, I want this recipe! The museum was a perfect ninety minute stop. The Miro collection was comprehensive but one of the stars of the show was an Alexander Calder fountain of moving,dripping mercury! A short walk before taking the funicular down to the metro and back to the hotel, though Steve was shaking his head as to why we hadn’t taken it UP instead. Tonight packing, a last Spanish dinner and then tomorrow off to Paris!
PS. Though I meant to end the blog there, we are experiencing a lag, not on writing but on publishing, having to give up a day or two to the WTF and the WTF answer. And, I thought last night we might head back to El Chigre so there would be no food porn to add. However, a change of plans had us at a highly recommended Eater** restaurant, “a” in the Hotel Neri, five minutes away.
Briefly in words and pix- Cheese croquette, pork belly sausage rolled in a cigar with an apple yogurt dipping sauce, shrimp carpaccio, russian salad with smoked fish, tuna tartare, and ended with pain perdu (a eggy block of French toast sautéed in lots of butter and crispy outside) with smoked milk ice cream, berries - And -
And I love France, but Spain’s food is THE BEST!
**Eater is a great restaurant recommendation website if you have never used it.
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