Daily Dinner #4 -- in Barcelona and London!

2015-08-02 

It's Sunday night, late, 10pm in fact, and we haven't had dinner. We'd just arrived in Barcelona the day before and checked into our flat on the Rambla del Raval, right above Botero's big cat sculpture. And we were hungry.  It was a beautiful night, cool and clear. It would have been immoral to sit inside. We walked up and down the cafe tables on the Rambla and -- shockingly -- all were full. We finally found a 2-top and asked the cafe if we could sit down; of course. The name was Suculent; we didn't even look at the menu.  OMG, what a stunning meal from beginning to end.

I started with an anguilla -- sea eel -- that had been dried then rehydrated and grilled, bacalao-style.  It was presented in a bowl with a raw egg yolk, then the waitress poured over it a hot rich broth. Great texture from the eel, intense flavor, then turned up to 11 by breaking the yolk into the hot broth.  OK, someone in the kitchen knows what they're doing!

Irene decided to go for something more mainstream: cock's comb. You know, that red wattle-thing that sits on a rooster's head? I know, you see 'em every day. It has a profile like Lisa Simpson's head. This was beautifully cooked -- tender, a bit gelatinous, rich rich rich. Served on a slice of chicken skin that had been fried to the crispness of a potato chip, further amplifying the chicken-ness of the dish.

Next up, Irene again decided to play it safe. Pigeon with beets and foie gras. It was half the bird, a breast a leg and a wing. As is classically done with duck, the breast was cooked rare, while the leg was cooked to a higher temperature, to provide a variety of textures on the plate. The beet root were shaved thin creating a boat into which they'd layered the foie. Enclosing it on the plate was a drizzle of intensely colored beet root juice.

Chris chose rabe (monkfish) but they were out so I had to settle for a second choice: squid with foie gras. They were tender baby squid, and between each was a generous lump or rich foie.  The intensely golden sauce put it over the top; I could have eaten that for hours... with enough crisp white wine.

We had a bottle of local white wine, I think bottled for the restaurant.  It cost as much as the Aussie-animal themed things in the States, but was far far better.

We could only choke down one dessert between us, and picked a fun one.  Fresh strawberries with white chocolate mousse, and the occasional rose petals, and a few wild strawberries to accompany. At the base of the dish was a rose-water gelée, which was super light and clear tasting.

We've mentioned this elsewhere, but it brought out Irene's Tourette's, in full throated voice sitting outside: "Fuck, I can't believe we just walked downstairs and got a world-class meal!". It's true, we didn't seek this out. We finally wrapped up a bit after midnight, just steps from our flat's door, after spending a surprisingly small amount.

Our second day in Barcelona, with two excellent meals, and both almost unreasonably affordable.

2015-08-03

We can't eat like kings/queens every night. At least not out. We hit the Mercat de Sant Antoni, under 10 minutes from the house to pick up some fresh local produce and some beans that looked appealing. Irene put together a refreshing salad: small white beans, red bell pepper, endive, spring onions, avocado, and a generous glug of local olive oil and Jerez sherry vinegar. Refreshing, cooling, and simple.

This she accompanied with some bread, Pyrenees sheep's cheese, and local figs. Looks like we also had some our table wine from Rioja. We ate this on our rooftop deck, overlooking the Ravel where we had dinner the night before.

2015-08-04

While we were at Mercat Sant Antoni yesterday, I wanted to get some bacalao. Here, there are specialized vendors who handle this, as well as other preserved fish like anchovies -- different than the fresh fishmongers.  Before we were allowed to purchase a hunk of this beautiful loin, reposing in its bath to rehydrate, we were asked: when do you plan to eat this? Tonight, I answered, why? [ok, this conversation was a bit complicated by my inability to talk about such things in Catalan or Castillian. She said it would not be ready today, no way: I was to take it home, change the water at 6pm then again at midnight, then the next morning, then it would be perfect for dinner the next day.  OK, so we had the salad last night, and now we're ready for the bacalao.

I did my interpretation of a classic cod salad, an esquiexada de bacalao. I cut this hydrated and preserved but raw fish thinly, mixed with bright ripe oranges, deeply flavored cured olives, some sweet local tomatoes, and some mild bulbing onions for crunch. Doused it with good olive oil and a bit of sherry vinegar, and we're good to go. Simple, cool, refreshing.

We found a local place selling wine from giant wooden casks. We picked up a white from Penedes and a red from Rioja. Under €7 for 4 liters of wine. Not stunning, but fine table wine. The red did need a chill, as it was a bit sweet at cellar temperature. It's good to have everyday wine around. Especially when it's cheaper than soda.

2015-08-05

The gorgeous old Hotel España's restaurant Fonda had a fabulous-sounding menu degustacacion for a very reasonable price; it's a 5 minute walk from our flat, so we scored a reservation. The kitchen was under the direction of Martín Berasategui, an alumnus of El Bulli, who runs the hottest ticket in the city, the restaurant Tickets. The dining room was designed in Barcelona's "modernista" style, similar to Art Nouveau and Vienna Secession style of the same period: stunning, with detailed craftsmanship wherever you turned, from the woodwork to the copious stained glass, to light fittings.

First up, Vermut and olives; I'm really diggin' this vermouth thing, it's refreshing, not too alcoholic, and affordable. This one was very local, but I neglected to get a name from the label. 

The first starter was a raw but cured salmon on a bed of guacamole, topped with salmon roe and some micro-greens. The texture of the salmon was terrific -- somewhere between raw and cooked.

Next up was a steamed bread dumpling stuffed with a blood sausage mixture, topped with pesto and some candied pine nuts.  The dumplings were like miniature Chinese "bao" dumplings.

It's too bad we didn't get a video of this presentation, as the bowls came out with the ingredients and a gazpacho was poured over it. The base was a quenelle of tomato ice cream, an anchovy filet,  a plump ripe cherry. The gazpacho itself seemed to be boosted with something besides tomato, perhaps more cherry, or perhaps they used a local super-sweet cherry tomato.

Next up was a flatbread cracker topped with eggplant, horse mackerel tartar, and a green basil ice cream. This was Irene's favorite.

Following was a super-rich dish with morel mushrooms, foie gras cream sauce,  candied peanuts, something red and sweet and little bread cubes that we thought were croutons but turned out to not be toasted.

Next up was a bacalao (cod) dish with an Idiazábal cheese sauce and white asparagus. This was the killer dish for Chris.  In Spain, "bacalao" is usually salt cod -- dried and salted, hard like wood; it's then hydrated for days before eating. When prepared, it presents a slight funk that gives it depth of flavor not present in fresh cod. This fish didn't evidence the funk of the rehydrated dried fish, so I asked our waiter -- in Spanish no less -- if it was "bacala fresca", fresh (not dried), fish. She confirmed it was fresh fish, cooked at a very low temperature. It was unctuous, delicious.  The Idiazábal cheese did have a funk to the aroma, and Irene surmised this was the chef riffing on the funk of dried bacalao -- combining fresh fish with funky cheese to present an experience like dried bacalao: it worked beautifully.

The asparagus too was very unusual. Instead of being chewy with fibers, it had a crunch, a snap. It must have been cooked in highly sugared water as it had a sweet taste, and it had a distinct vanilla flavor. We have no idea how they got the snap texture.

The next course was the first served with a red wine. The waitress said that the "fricandó" preparation is traditional but only done with meats; this sauce was accompanying a gorgeous hunk of raw tuna. The tuna itself was the best I've had in at least a decade: I simply can not get any flavorful tuna in the States, all the good stuff is sold off to other countries. The sauce reminded me (don't snicker) of a good American barbecue sauce: rich with meaty goodness, complicated with complementary spices, and sweet with something like a raison-y fruitiness. It was topped by raw trumpet mushrooms. It was almost too rich.

Dammit, I missed a dish. Suckling lamb with green apples.  We both thought this was the least successful of the dishes. Perhaps a hunk of meat because people expected meat.  Nothing wrong with it, just not stunning like the others.

The dessert -- er, the first dessert: in the back is a cream-colored mandarin "air". This is echoed on the left with a mandarin "supreme", a segment of the citrus cut away from its membrane -- a real pain in the ass to do but classic technique. On top, there are two fresh basil leaves; a number of the dishes celebrated this seasonal herb.

Dessert #2 had a pearly white citrus cream that was silky smooth. In the center was an egg-yolk shaped thing that -- surprise, had the texture of cooked egg yolk: but it was in fact a citrus gel, contrasting texture with the citrus quenelle to the right, and fresh citrus to the front right. On the left was a granita of contrasting fennel flavors. The textures in this were really playful.

The third dessert was an exceptionally rich chocolate soufflé. Under the crust it was molten liquid, intensely chocolate-y. This was a bit too rich for me, but somehow, I couldn't bear to waste a drop. Note the chef's name inscribed in the ceramic.

The final dessert was playful. They brought to the table a polystyrene box with a lid, and when we removed the cover, there were petit fours on a bed of indoor-outdoor carpet.  It almost felt like these were misfit golf balls. Home made marshmallows in pink on the left, biscuits, and white chocolate with coconut. Well executed, and fun.

The service was impeccable, professional but not stuffy. The staff did a great job of explaining these complex dishes in a combination of English and Spanish. Each course came with a glass of wine paired to the dish. The cost was ridiculously low, given the many dishes, the complexity and skill of the kitchen, the professionalism of the waiters, the sumptuousness of the place. At the very end, the chef came out to talk with us... or to listen to us say how much we liked the meal, but we had quite a bit of difficulty as he launched into a long reply.  

If you visit Barcelona, do go. 

2015-08-06

I guess I'm crazy for navajas, razor clams, or so annoyed I can't find 'em in the States that I eat them out wherever I can find them. We hit the famous (and crowded with selfie-stick-brandishing  tourists) Boqueria early in the morning, starting at the back to avoid the crowds and picked up some fresh live specimens. 

We also got some local peppers that -- when I asked "Como se concinar, como padrones?" was told that's the way, just like the more famous padrones, sautéed with good olive oil and served with coarse salt.  I also got a big vermouth, and had this with a wedge of orange on ice while cooking.

 Hot and fast, and super simple. We're making the most of our compact kitchen.

Too bad our table outside has a food-hostile-colored table cloth.

I probably should not have combined these dishes: they were prepared the same way -- very simply with olive oil and salt. The navajas had just a bit of unpleasant grit: we had seen one vendor offering "navajas sin arena", free of sand; maybe we should have tried theirs.

2015-08-07

On Friday we went to London for our friends' wedding. We were invited to the family dinner at a delightful place, Marmelo in Leyton. Super friendly, cozy, and only open on weekends for now. They did a great job of feeding us a huge variety of dishes, with lots of veggie-frienldly mains, as well as some stunning lamb with couscous, kale with fig and goat cheese, and a sea bass that was to die for. No photos, wouldn't have been polite. 

2015-08-08

Ann and Paul's wedding and a delightful fine reception were at the the Vestry House Museum in the same town that William Morris did his work. There was a seemingly unending spread with some fantastic smoked fish, shrimp and prawns (as big your hand!), ham, turkey, various savory pies, on and on. It would have been churlish to take food photos at such a solemn event (snicker!) but I did like the pluck of this young foodie.

The wedding party adjourned to the Village Kitchen pub where we could sit outside in the delightful weather and chill, then headed next door to line our stomachs at the Nuovo Mondragone restaurant, which seems strangely comfortable serving a hoard of jubilant and more-than-tipsy friends. 

I did get a couple of pics here. I had a hankering for some rich beef and the Manzo didn't disappoint, rich in flavor, with arugula and shaved parm:

Irene got fancy with liver with "proper bacon" and mashed potatoes. Great presentation.

We've been eating out way too much this week, with all the traveling. Next week we hope to do some more cooking as we return to our flat in Barcelona and explore the other markets throughout the city. 

Daily Dinner #3

Our friend Shannon challenged us to post about our regular meals, not just the eloaborate ones we sometimes to. We're trying to do a weekly post.

2015-07-26 Sunday

I find rolling pasta therapeutic: after a long day of coding, it  helps me relax.  Irene makes the dough with half and half all purpose and a coarser semolina for texture and bite. You need to let it rest to hydrate, and it can happily live in the freezer.  I divide the dough into a manageable size and start running it through the roller, folding it over itself several times on the widest setting to knead it.

Then pass it through successively finer settings to thin it and stretch it out. Dust with flour if it tries to stick to the rollers.

For fettucini, we run it down #7; if we were doing spaghetti, I'd only go as far as #5 to give it some body.

 Dust the sheet well with flour and run it through the cutter.

We sauced it with a pesto made from garden arugula.

Irene made a salad of different varieties of garden tomatoes that have good acid, and some sun-dried tomatoes as a counterpoint, with bright tomato juice, some good oil, Maldon sea salt, and sumac.

2015-07-27 Monday

Irene's riff on a Salade Niçoise including the last of our cold-smoked pork loin and a soft-boiled egg, beans and tomatoes from the garden.

2015-07-28 Tuesday

Packing for a trip, we raided the freezer for whatever we could find: home made meatballs, garden tomatoes, shaved parmesan, and (not home made!) spaghetti. The  tomatoes, fresh off the vine, had an intense flavor.

2015-07-29 Wednesday

Our stores are depleted so we went out to Kapnos in Arlington. Cocktails, the one in front was Don't Worry About It with rye, fernet and spices was a bit ... well, sweet-spicy for summer, the other, The Hannibal was  a mezcal marguerita with spots of harissa.

We've rarely seen navajas (razor clams, in the US called jack-knife clams) in the states so jumped on these. The were outstanding: fresh, vividly flavored, with a great texture. This was the stand-out dish of the evening.

Lamb tartar with smoked egg yolk, but we really couldn't discern any smokiness; the lamb was brightly seasoned, a good texture, and refreshing. Unfortunately, the grilled bread felt a bit stale, like it had been sitting around too long.

Octopus was tender was pleasantly charred, but not as flavorful as we would have liked.

2015-07-30 Thursday

My parents, who are staying at our house while we're away, took us out to Water and Wall (our choice) in Arlington and we were underwhelmed by the menu: the description of the dishes was intriguing but the food didn't live up to the promise. It was short but had two chicken dishes, and many were inappropriate for the season. The porchetta came with cold ramen, but it wasn't integrated into the dish in anyway. The duck confit was the only other adventurous dish on the menu, but too heavy for a hot July day. The steelhead trout was overwhelmed by a spicy sauce. 

On this quiet night, with less than half the tables occupied, the service was way too slow. We finished our cocktails and sat around for 10 minutes before the waitress returned to ask if we'd like another round of drinks: no, we'd like the appetizers, please! I can't imagine how this restaurant would fare on a busy night.

2015-07-31 Friday

Airplane food, baby!  An overnight flight from Toronto to Barcelona offered the usual "pasta or chicken".  My Mac and Cheese was OK, I figure pasta's a safe bet on an airplane: it had a bright sauce base, and was cheesy enough. Irene's chicken came with Israeli couscous studded with fava beans, sweet corn and carrots. The chicken was tender and juicy in a sweetish tomato sauce. The bread, as always, was too cold and gummy. The salad was made with cabbage rather than the usual iceberg lettuce, and the tomatoes were surprisingly flavorful. We were separated by 16 rows and I had to pay for my wine but Irene got away without paying. :-)

2015-08-01 Saturday

We picked a flat in Barcelona with a roof-top terrace and are really enjoying it. We hit the Mercat de Sant Antoni, about 5 minutes from our place, and picked up some sausage, and stopped for a liter of wine right from the cask and some bread for an alfresco dinner; since our body clocks were confused, we needed a pre-dinner much earlier than the Spanish 9-11pm time.

Since we'd spent the morning roaming the east side of Las Ramblas, we decided to wander the west side before returning for a dinner near our flat; that never happened :-). After drinks at a couple gothic bars (no, not the type with goth kids), we stumbled upon Bar Celta; this was a delight as it's the first place our friend Ann took us to on our first visit to Spain.  We knew it was a fish tapas place, but didn't realize it specialized in octopus (pulpo, so it's a pulpería).

So of course, the first dish was an outstanding octopus. They bring out steamed octopus, whole, and let them cool on the counter. When you select it, they take it back to the kitchen where they cut it up, sauté in good olive oil then anoint with lemon juice, garlic, and pimentón (smoked paprika). 

Woo hoo, we're in Spain, we can get razor-clams (here, called navajas). These were grilled in their shell, and were smoky and a little crunchy, again with good olive oil, garlic and lemon. They had a definite sweetness and a taste of the sea. 

More octopi, baby ones this time, cooked whole. They had a crunch to them, a little chewy, but not like rubber bands: a really pleasant toothsomeness then a yield as we bit through them. They also waited in the cool display case, and were grilled from raw (not pre-steamed) to order.

For a little variety, we rounded out the meal with a garlicky chorizo (sausage), redolent with pimentón. It was somewhat dried then sliced and cooked to order, it had an engaging chew to it.  Irene can't resist croquetas, so we had bacala (Catalan, "bacalao" in Spanish, salt cod) "fritters": creamy on the inside, with a thin shell -- not bad but not as stunning as the seafood dishes; something we should have expected from a pulpería, I suppose.

We ordered a couple glasses of a local rosé wine: you order a glass and they put the bottle on the bar and you fill up as needed; at the end of the meal, you're only charged for how much you drink. Of course we finished it. :-)

This was an outstanding casual meal, a steal at about $50, and I really enjoyed closing the loop with our first visit to Spain.