BARCELONA

Food & Wine:

Catalan Cuisine:

Catalan cuisine, Mediterranean cooking at its best, is based on natural, seasonal products and the perfect marriage of the myriad ingredients and the style of cooking, often simple but also intriguing, over a low flame and with just the right final touch: chopped garlic and almonds, a dash of vi ranci, a sprig of thyme or essence of lemon for dishes that appeal to the nose, taste buds and eyes.

Olive oil, vegetables and greens, fruit, fresh fish and shellfish, salt cod, beans, nuts and dried fruits, pork, herbs and a wide range of baked goods are the staple ingredients in the Catalan diet.

The Catalan table is also blessed with a diversity of still wines and sparkling caves, their quality guaranteed by our certificates of appellation: wines from the Priorat, the Penedès or Alella, all made from a unique blend of the most traditional Catalan grapes -Peralada, Samsó and Garró- or using such internationally renown varieties as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

The quality of these basic products and the way in which they are combined make Catalan cuisine rich and healthy, simple and varied, natural and refined, local and worldly, modern and traditional, subtle and contrasted in its flavours, as well as appetising and seductive.

Remember that:

Eating à la carte in Barcelona, in a decent restaurant, costs at least €20-24, although many offer prix fixe lunches (menús), from Monday to Friday, simple but tasty, for less than €10. With the exception of the European restaurants (mostly French and Italian), Argentinean and Uruguayan, Chinese, the odd Thai, and of course Japanese, all the fashion today, the foreign eating establishments, especially the more exotic ones, tend toward simplicity, and meant to satisfy their fellow immigrants.

Wines:

The Spanish wine region of Penedès lies a short distance to the south of the Catalan capital of Barcelona offering the opportunity for fascinating wine tours. The area is renowned as home to Cava, Spanish champagne, but also produces outstanding white wines and good quality reds.

The European Commission (under pressure from the French Champagne lobby) ruled some years ago that Cava producers were not allowed to label their bottles "Méthode hampenoise" even though their sparkling wine is made in exactly the same way. The result was that Cava became a household name and reduced the market share of French champagne producers considerably. The two main producers are Codorniu whose production dates back to 1551 and Freixenet who only began production in 1915 in Sant Sadurni D'Noia, the same town as Codorniu. Although sales within Spain are very similar, Freixenet accounts for 67% of the export market.

Given the proximity of Barcelona the Penedes region is an ideal destination for full day wine excursions to the region with visits to the vineyards of wine and cava producers.

Restaurants:

Travimar
Moll de Espanya s/n. Maremagnum, local 110, 1er piso
Tel: 93 225 81 36
Great seafood & Mediterranean cuisine
Website: www.barcelonarestaurant.com

El Tragaluz
Passatge de la Concepció, 5, Barcelona
Tel: 93 487 06 21
Great trendy restaurant
Website: www.grupotragaluz.com

7 Portes
Passeig d'Isabel II 14
Tel: 93 319 30 33
Opened in 1836, this is one of barcelona's top restaurants, a classic and a challenge to get reservations!

Talaia Mar
Marina 16
Vila Olympica
Tel: 93 221 90 90
One of the most innovative menus in Catalonia.

Els Quatre Gats
C/Montsió 3bis
Tel: 93 302 41 40
Website: http://www.4gats.com/
Good Catalan and Mediterranean dishes served up in the surroundings of copies of work by artists who formerly frequented the place.

Can Culleretes
C/ Quintana, 5
Tel: 93 317 30 22 and 93 317 64 85
Founded in 1786 this gem is Spain's second oldest restaurant after Botins in Madrid.

Mi Burrito y Yo
Paso de la Enseñanza, 2
Tel: 93 318 27 42 and 93 302 10 00
This restaurant in English is called "My Donkey and I". It is centrally located just off C/ Ferran from La Rambla.

Lasani
C/ Nou de la Rambla, 22
Tel: 93 412 59 44
Great for curry lovers

Cal Pep
Placa de les Olles, 8
Tel: 93 310 79 61
This is a well known restaurant in the La Ribera district which is most famous for its outstanding tapas which people eat at the bar.

Suquet de l'Almirall
Passeig Joan de Borbó, 63
Tel: 93 221 62 33
Between the new Olympic Port and Port Vell lies the traditional residential area of Barceloneta where you will find a large choice of excellent seafood establishments with views out to sea.

Les Quinze Nits
Placa Reial, 6
Tel: 93 317 30 75
Perfectly located on the Placa Reial just off la Rambla, this elegant restaurant offers an impressive selection of Catalan style dishes.

Taxidermista
Placa Reial, 8
Tel: 93 412 45 36
Situated right next to Les Quinze Nits this former taxidermist shop serves up high quality Mediterranean dishes with a French influence in a stylish restaurant.

Tast d'Argenteria
Carrer de l'Argenteria 27,
Tel: 93 319 34 23
This excellent restaurant is recommended for its fresh seafood.

Bars:

Barcelona does not have the bar culture associated with the rest of Spain. However, with a little research there are plenty to satisfy all tastes.

Cafè de l'Opera:
The last real 19th century grand café in the city lies directly opposite the Liceu Opera House. It is the best of the cafés on the Rambla.

Cafè Zurich:
Lying on the corner of Plaça Catalunya from the Ramblas, this bar has one of Barcelona's largest café terraces. For years this was one of the city's top meeting-points. Outside tables are great for watching the comings and goings of the Rambla.

London Bar:
A former hangout of the Picasso and Miró crowd, this atmospheric bar is well worth a visit. Large screen in the back room and live music some nights. Good prices but they rise after 9.30pm.

Bar Pastís:
Down a tiny alley off the bottom end of La Rambla, this is another of Barcelona's 'bar-institutions'. It was opened in the 1940s by Quimet and Carme, a Catalan couple who'd lived in Marseilles, and the pictures around the walls were painted by Quimet himself, apparently always when drunk. They began the tradition of playing exclusively French music, and serving only pastís, and the bar became a favourite of boxers, French sailors, Barrio Chino-types and the Franco-era intelligentsia.

La Vinya del Senyor:
A wine taster's café with a front-row view of the glorious façade of Santa Maria del Mar. Wooden chairs and tables distinguish it from nearby competition, as does a superb list of over 300 wines. There's also a listing of selected wines, cavas, sherries and moscatels, changed every 15 days. Fine Iberian ham and other delicacies can accompany your sips.

El Vaso de Oro:
A very narrow cervecería (beer-bar), one of few in Barcelona that makes their own (excellent) brew. Don't go expecting a table (there aren't any); there is, though, a long, often crowded bar that will test your dexterity as you try not to elbow your neighbour's patatas bravas. Tapas-lovers' heaven.

El Xampanyet:
This 'little champagne bar' is one of the eternal attractions of C/Montcada. It's lined with coloured tiles, barrels and antique curios, has a few marble tables, and there are three specialities: anchovies, cider and 'Champagne' (a pretty plain cava, if truth be told, but very refreshing), served by the glass or bottle.

Boadas:
One of Barcelona's institutions, a genuine 1933 art deco cocktail bar opened by Miquel Boadas after he learned his trade in the famed Floridita Bar in Havana. Huge variety of cocktails on offer.

Cava Universal:
A landmark bar at the foot of the Rambla, beneath the statue of Columbus pointing the way to the New World. Tables outside where you can watch the world go by.

Les Tapes:
Anglo-Hispanic bar with UK football on the TV, shelves of English books to browse through and a noticeboard for foreigners looking for contacts, rooms, jobs and so on.

Bar Celta & La Plata:
Among the survivors of old Barcelona is the line of tascas along C/Mercè, near the port, small traditional bars ever-popular for a drinks-and-tapas crawl. One of the best is the Galician Bar Celta at No.16. Huge trays of (mostly) seafood line the bar: particularly recommended are the patatas bravas and rabas (deep-fried chunks of squid), washed down with Galician white wine served, as is traditional, in white ceramic cups. At No.28 is La Plata, a tiny tile-lined bar that serves only deep-fried whitebait, tomato and onion salads, anchovies and wines from the barrel.

Taverna Basca Irati:
A very busy place serving excellent Basque-style tapas, with a long, long bar displaying the wealth of Basque imagination when it comes to designing delicious bite-size combinations. Note: the selection dwindles dramatically the later it gets, so don't miss out. There's also a good, full-service restaurant at the back of the bar.

Euskal Etxea:
Catalonia may not be famous for tapas, but the Basque Country certainly is, and this bar has the best Basque tapas in Barcelona, a mouth-watering array of small pinchos (from chunks of tuna and pickles to deep-fried crab claws and complicated mixed tapas) that make a grand entrance at midday and at 7pm.