Recently in Barcelona Category

The thing I loved most about being in Barcelona is that as you walk around the corner or further down the lane you are suddenly confronted by incredible history and immense beauty.

I went on a bit of a door and balcony photo frenzy while I was in Malta and Spain. This photo was taken one afternoon while walking around the El Born district  - it's such a great place!

Earlier on in the year when we were planning our trip to Europe we found it incredibly difficult to decide were to go to after Malta. The two real contenders were always Barcelona and Umbria. Hence, the pull towards Umbria was huge, as Deb from Italian Food Forever had invited us to come stay with her and her husband at their glorious farmhouse in Umbria.

Have you not seen their amazing farmhouse? Go take a look and then you can appreciate the dilemma we found ourselves in trying to decide.

Yet, long before my friendship with Deb there was my love and intrigue for beautiful Barcelona. That's not to say I don't value and cherish our friendship Deb, but in terms of 'bucket lists' Barcelona, Gaudi, Picasso and the Mercat de la Boqueria have been high up on my list for well over two decades. So after much debating and to-ing and fro-ing we decided that Spain it would be!

The Pinotxo bar is probably one of the best tapas bars in Barcelona. It's located to the right of the main entrance of the Mercat de la Boqueria. The ever-jovial Juanito runs the front of house, so to speak while his nephew Albert cooks up a storm in the narrow kitchen behind the bar.



If you get there early enough and are fortunate  to nab yourself a prized stool order a cortado and a xuxo de crema and spare a thought for me - sigh!

La Llavor dels Origens offers four gastronomic spaces in the heart of Barcelona and their aim is to take their patrons on a 'culinary and cultural journey through the different parts of Catalonia, without leaving the city'. Hence, their concept is simple - to provide a 'restaurant-bar, take-away food, shop and bakery where one can find authentic products used in Catalonia cooking'.

The restaurant spaces offer a dining area where you can taste traditional dishes from all over Catalonia and learn about the history of their origins through an extensive menu-magazine with descriptions and pictures of all their dishes, wines and desserts. The menu-magazine is printed in Castilian, Catalan, French and English and the staff at Origens are more than happy to give you a copy to take home to read at your leisure.

As well as the restaurant, Origens also provide their patrons with a speciality food store where you can readily buy all the products on offer in their restaurants and other wonderful artisan products from Catalonia. In doing so, Origens aspire to evoke the 'tradition of the old cellars, so alive historically in villages and neighbourhoods in our towns, where at affordable prices, and at ease you can buy, eat and get to know our tradition'.

Well one tradition I was determined to experience was Crema Catalana. And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record - this particular Crema Catalana has got to be the best one I have ever had! You're absolutely free to disagree with me on this one, and as a result we will probably have to part our different ways, but I'm standing my ground here - this Crema Catalana was exceptional!

Barri Gòtic - the 'Gothic Quarter' is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to Ronda de Sant Pere. Many of the buildings date back to the Medieval times and some as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona.

Some people dream about lying on a secluded beach with a gorgeous view and a great novel. I on the other hand fantasise about running away for a couple of weeks to Italy, France or Spain and learn to cook like a local. But having recently dumped my two children with my mother for two weeks while Mr Man and I flitted off to Malta and Italy, I think I am deluding myself into believing that I will be on a plane again any time soon!

Hence, I have been hinting to Mr Man for some time now that I am not interested in him getting me an eternity ring as I would much prefer if he gifted me with a ticket to Spain and sent me on my merry way for a couple of weeks to cook with Alicia at the Catacurian in Barcelona. My logic is that an eternity ring would just sit on 'my' hand for only 'me' to admire, but the advantage of me going to Spain would be far reaching and would in turn benefit the whole family!

So - the eternity ring or the Catacurian Cooking School, that is the million dollar question that is currently being debated at our house at the moment? I know what I want but how about you take a look at this captivating video and decide for yourself (and then maybe help me convince Mr Man that the only real answer is Spain)!

 

And then after I have stuffed myself senseless in Barcelona and learnt to cook and eat like a local, and filled my suitcase with one too many pairs of shoes I could head back home (via Roma of course) to do a little more shopping at ZARA. That reminds me again - why don't we have ZARA in Australia?