Cerveceria Catalana - a perfect meal

To me, there's no place in the world that encapsulates joie de vivre as much as Barcelona. It's a city that doesn't start to wake up until 10 am, enjoys a long leisurely lunch followed by a nice afternoon siesta, then really starts to come alive after 6 pm. It's a city where wine is literally cheaper than water, where jamon refers to fresh slices of rich, salty Serrano or Iberico ham cut straight from the hindleg of a pig that sits on a counter, hoof and all (rather than processed, oversalty, oversweet Oscar Meyer American ham), and where even the humblest loaf of bread is made magically delicious with a little bit of tomato, olive oil and salt. 

What I love best about Barcelona is its approach to food: simple, fresh, pure in flavor. One of my favorite places to eat in Barcelona is Cerveceria Catalana, an insanely popular casual eatery among locals and tourists alike. If you get here after 9 pm, you will have to wait outside with legions of other people waiting to grab a seat at the counter or a table. If you're used to eating at more "normal" hours (i.e, dinner before 8 pm), you'll fare better and should be able to snag a seat at the counter. Cerveceria Catalana is also open for breakfast and lunch - you can't go wrong any time of day, but for some of the best tapas in Barcelona, try to fit in at least one lunch or dinner.

Montaditos (mini sandwiches) available at breakfast. The full menu is not available at breakfast, just sandwiches, pastries, fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee (and wine and beer, if you want)


Tapas offerings at the bar during lunch and dinner - if it's your first time, the best seat in the house is at the counter where you can simply point to the dishes you want (most of them are not listed on the printed English menu). You choose what you want, and the servers will start cooking/preparing your tapas - the green peppers above (pimientos de padron) would be fried with olive oil and sea salt, the goat cheese skewers covered with almonds would be deep-fried into a lollipop with soft gooey cheese covered by raspberry jam - decadent and delicious.

Pimientos de padron

 Marinated vegetables topped with goat cheese disc - the cheese is torched before being served so that it is soft and melty.

 Mini hamburguesa with cheese and caramelized onion - absolutely recommended!

Food rating: *****
Bang for buck rating: 5

The essentials:
No website
Location: 236 C/Mallorca, Eixample, Barcelona, Spain
Average price of meal for two (including drinks): 30 euros

Gazpacho, a taste of summer in Spain

I fell in love with Spain from the moment I arrived in Barcelona the first time, back in 2006. Since then, I've tried to visit at least once a year - my trips always include a new part of Spain I haven't been to previously, but also always include at least a couple days in Barcelona, my happiest place on earth. This past summer, my annual pilgrimage to Spain included a drive down to, then back up to Barcelona from, the Costa Blanca, with stops in Alicante, Denia and Valencia, and ended with the requisite couple days in Barcelona.

Gazpacho is the ultimate summer food in Spain - refreshing, light yet deeply satisfying. There are many variations to gazpacho, but my favorite is a nice and simple traditional version made with day-old bread that cuts the acidity of the tomato and vinegar and makes the cool soup creamy and smooth.

My recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver's jamie does...spain, italy, sweden, morocco, greece, france. After fiddling with the recipe, I found that adding a handful of marcona almonds to the blend makes the soup even creamier, and really gives the dish a nice richness.

Ingredients:

2 2-inch slices of day-old bread (I like to use rustic country bread - cut the crust off and just use the white part)

5 or 6 medium ripe tomatoes, the sweetest ones you can find

1/3 of an English cucumber or 1 kirby cucumber

1 bell pepper of any color, deseeded and chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed roughly with the side of your knife

A glug of good-quality Spanish EVOO

Apple cider vinegar

Maldon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

A small handful of marcona almonds

Garnishes: mini mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes, olives, chopped boiled egg, hardboiled quail egg, herbs, croutons, Iberico or Serrano ham

Sources for ingredients in HK:

• Bread - I love Po's Atelier, tucked away in a secluded, cozy corner of Sheung Wan. The fromage stick accompanying the gazpacho in the photo above is from Po's Atelier. 62 Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan http://www.facebook.com/posatelier
• Tomatoes  - I usually buy tomatoes still on the vine from CitySuper at IFC or Oliver's in the Prince's Building
• Cucumber - buy organic, the firmest and freshest cucumber you can find. You can usually find decent ones at CitySuper
• Bell pepper - most of the international grocery stores around town stock organic green, red and yellow bell peppers
• Spanish EVOO - ok, so it doesn't have to be Spanish, but if you're making gazpacho, it just seems more authentic to use Spanish olive oil. You can find good variety at CitySuper
• Apple cider vinegar  - I like the bio-dynamic apple cider vinegar from Mock Red Hill stocked at 360 in the Landmark
• Maldon sea salt - you can find this at any of the gourmet international grocers (Oliver's, 360, CitySuper)
• Marcona almonds - CitySuper stocks these. I suppose you could use regular almonds, but make sure they are skinless

Preparation:

Cut off the crust of the bread and soak in a bowl of water. Prick each of the tomatoes with a sharp knife, then put in a bowl and cover with boiling water for about 20-30 seconds. Drain, then peel the skins off the tomatoes. In a food processor or mixer, add the tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper and garlic. Top with the soaked bread, and pour in a generous glug of EVOO and a little apple cider vinegar. Go easy on the vinegar - you can add more later if you like it more tart. Blend until smooth, add salt and pepper to taste. If you really need to, you can add a pinch of sugar, but if the tomatoes are sweet, it will not be necessary. Add in the almonds and blend again until smooth. The color will be a cool orangeish pink, slightly creamy looking. Add more EVOO or vinegar to your liking and blend. Put into a bowl or jug and cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

I like to serve this topped with a little bit of chopped hardboiled egg or half a hardboiled quail egg, a bamboo stick skewer of sweet cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls and olives, and a freshly baked crouton or fromage stick from Po's, as pictured above.

Moovida

Moovida, located inside the uber-wonderful, modern oasis known as Hotel Omm in Barcelona, is owned by the same restaurant group (Grupo Tragaluz) that manages Cuines Santa Caterina. It's no wonder I instantly fell in love with everything about it - the modern, laid back decor and vibe and the perfectly presented and executed dishes.


Jamon iberico - buttery smoky saltiness that melts in your mouth


Requisite pa amb tomaquet


Moovida's signature steak tartar with mustard ice cream


Pasta carbonara, topped with a perfectly poached egg


Creme catalan


Molten chocolate cake

Food rating: **** and a half
Bang for buck rating: 4.5

The essentials:
www.hotelomm.es/moovida-en
Location: inside Hotel Omm, close to La Pedrera in Barcelona
Average price for meal for 2, excluding wine: 90 euros

Cuines Santa Caterina

My first entry had to be about my happiest place on earth, Cuines Santa Caterina in Barcelona. It's the bar-restaurant I wish existed in SF because if it did, I would actually buy a place close to it so I could make it my watering hole (my watering hole in SF was actually Koh Samui & the Monkey but that's another blog, another day).

The food is representative of everything I love about modern Spanish cuisine - fresh ingredients cooked quickly and simply, flavored with plenty of good olive oil and sea salt.


Special of the day: peas and squid cooked in clay dish and beef carpaccio rolled with foie gras


No meal in Catalunya is complete without a wedge of tortilla and some pa amb tomaquet (bread rubbed with tomato and olive oil)


Fried chorizitos - chewy nuggets of salty fatty goodness


Grilled pickled pearl onions and artichoke hearts with pesto

Wash it all down with a glass or two of rioja or cava and....bliss.

Food rating: **** and a half
Bang for buck rating: 5

The essentials:
www.cuinessantacaterina.com
Location: adjacent to Mercat Santa Caterina in El Born district in Barcelona
Best dishes: fried chorizitos, jamon iberico, grilled artichokes and onions, grilled assorted vegetables
Avoid: I hate to say anything negative about my happiest place on earth but their daily specials can sometimes be oversalted
Average price for meal for 2, excluding wine: 50 euros