Lemongrass | Grynbodgatan 9
Cost for 2-course tasting menu of appetizers/mains: 325kr

So this is one of those times when it’s not a bad thing to be so indecisive…. Tasting Menus are a great way to get a little bit of everything.  Lemongrass also offers a  2-course mains/desserts menu for 285kr, and a 3-course appetizers/mains/desserts menu for 405kr.  Wine pairings are also available for all courses. Adding wine, beer, coffee and dessert wine to the bill does make this a bit of a luxury dinner.

Appetizers are: Miso ribs, prawn croquette, tartar of tuna and butterfish, and spicy beef salad. The single solitary flaw in the entire evening might have been the Miso rib, for its somewhat dry texture. I would, however, be willing to order this as a full appetizer because I feel that it is a difficult dish to serve fresh on a tasting menu.

Mains are: Crispy beef with rice, duck breast, bok choy, and salad.

Sometimes a restaurant is too expensive to try for dinner… lucky for us, some of them also serve lunch.  Vendel at Sturehof is one of those restaurants. The daily lunch special is 135kr and is accompanied by their own organic bread and a lovely fresh starter (today: a cauliflower salad with cilantro and pimento). Everything was exquisitely prepared and seasoned. The delicate fish entree was not overpowered by the sauce — even with horseradish and lemon. Sure, this is a luxury lunch. But who doesn’t deserve that every now and then?

Esqueixada de bacallà

Day 5: We almost didn’t make it out for dinner at Café de L’Academia, another LUXE City Guide recommendation. It had been snowing all day, and we weren’t looking forward to going out in the melting slush. I’m glad we did! It was the perfect ending to a short-but-sweet vacation. This small, quiet, romantic restaurant is another place you’ll want to book in advance. We arrived without reservations 15 minutes after opening, and were offered either a seat at the bar or right by the door. We opted for the bar, and ordered a bottle of red wine bottled exclusively for the Café. For dinner, we split the Esqueixada de bacallà (raw cod with romesco sauce) and Fideuà (Catalan noodles with seafood). Again… the seafood is as fresh as it gets, and the presentation is beautiful.

Café de L’Academia
Carrer Lledó 1
+ 93 319 82 53
Metro:  Jaume I

Quimet & Quimet: Mussels w/ caviar

Day 5: Lunch at Quimet & Quimet was definitely a huge surprise hidden-gem. It is mostly full of locals: this is what a true Spanish tapas bar feels like.  Recommended by LUXE City Guide, this extremely small bar specializes in canned produce and seafood.  Don’t be put off by the cans:  Spain is known for having the highest quality canned goods. In fact, the canning just makes everything *better*.  Anchovies, salmon, dried tuna, sardines, pate, shrimp, caviar and mussels…. everything was high-quality and served with a smile.  Don’t pass up the assorted cheese plate — you won’t be disappointed.  It was a beautiful meal — and to add to the already special ambiance, it started snowing (which eventually  made the news).  I’ll never forget this amazing afternoon.

Quimet & Quimet
Calle del Poeta Cabanyes 25
+93 442 31 42
Metro: Paral·lel

Caelum: pastries

Day 4: Afternoon coffee and pastries at the tiny shop Caelum, a patisserie that sells sweets made by Spanish Monasteries and Nunneries. You can’t go wrong here. It’s all as tasty as it is beautiful. Caelum also features a vast assortment of teas in addition to great coffee.  The atmosphere here is quiet, even if there are people lined up, waiting for one of the 7 tables available.  Another LUXE City Guide recommendation.

Caelum
Carrer Palla 8
+ 93 302 69 93
Metro: Liceu

Euskal Etxea: Pintxos!

Day 4: Lunch at the Basque restaurant Euskal Etxea, where they serve pintxos, the basque version of tapas. Plates of pintxos with toothpicks line the bar, which is self-serve. When you are done, give your plate with toothpicks to a server and pay 1.80€ per piece. Not bad! We also had several glasses of txakoli, a slightly sparkling, low alcohol basque white wine. Overall, Euskal Etxea is a great value on food with a basque flair.

Euskal Etxea
Placeta de Montcada 1
+ 93 310 21 85
Metro:  Jaume I

Cheriff: Paella

Day 3: Dinner at Cheriff, arguably one of the best places in Barcelona to get paella, which is technically more authentic to Valencia. Please note that we had the seafood paella, which is not typical of Valencia. Our recommendation came from the LUXE City Guide. Cheriff’s fisherman motif is somewhat tacky, but oddly endearing. One downfall of the restaurant is that smoking is permitted.  As with most places, book in advance to ensure your table.  We started with the anchovies, which were by far the best we had during our trip to Barcelona. The paella was presented in a paellera, then placed on plates by the servers. The seafood was fresh and the rice had just the right consistency.  The night was ended with a couple of cortados and by our waiter giving us a complementary glass of orujo (although he introduced it as “water”, with a wink).  Orujo is similar to the Italian drink grappa — often referred to as a “coffee killer”.  Overall a wonderful experience, and a great place to go if you want to get paella outside of Valencia.

Cheriff
Carrer de Ginebra 15
+ 93 310 07 60‎
Metro: Barceloneta

Cuines Santa Caterina: Suckling Pig

Day 3: Lunch at Cuines Santa Caterina, at the Mercado de Santa Caterina, recommended by LUXE City Guide.  The atmosphere of CSC is family-friendly and tables fill quickly, so arrive early!  We started with the melted Provalone cheese spread with bread and followed it up with the razor clams.  Again, the seafood is so good, don’t pass it up!  The star of the meal however, was the suckling pig with tomato jam. This was just….. amazing. The crispiness of the outside balanced with the tender delicateness of the meat inside made this one of the best pieces of pork I’ve ever eaten in my life. This is the type of dish that you remember fondly, and I am quite comfortable knowing that there is no way that I could ever recreate it.  I guess I’ll just have to come back to Barcelona again, won’t I?

Cuines Santa Caterina
Avinguda Francesc Cambó 16
+ 93 268 99 18
Metro: Jaume I

Cal Pep: Clams

Day 1: Our first dinner in Barcelona was at Cal Pep, which came highly recommended by the LUXE City Guide and close friends.  We waited about 40 minutes for a seat at the bar, which is open to the “kitchen” of the restaurant.  I must warn you that this is an easy place to splurge and spend more than you might have planned.  The atmosphere of Cal Pep is lively, and Pep is at the bar, making a point to speak with every party that sits down.  He recommended a very nice bottle of wine (Cérvoles (2005)) and the Tapas Menu — a full service from start to finish.  In order: Bread, sauteed clams w/ garlic, fried calamari, chicken and cod croquetas, tuna tartare, fried green peppers, truita trempera, botifarra w/ beans, and crema catalan.   The highlight of the meal was definitely the tuna tartare. If you on a budget, this is definitely the one to get.  The seafood here is top-notch; take advantage of it!

Cal Pep
Plaza Olles 8
+ 93 310 79 61
Metro: Barceloneta