Category: Travel

Posted on October 27, 2015

Paul Theroux wrote in The Great Railway Bazaar that travel is flight and pursuit in equal parts. He’s right. This trip to Spain was partly in pursuit of something new, something exciting, but also to get away from the breakneck speed of everyday life. And so on our fifth day in Spain, we made our way to the Barcelona Sants train station, bound for Madrid. The three hour AVE train ride was a breeze and we enjoyed a simple breakfast of toast, jam, and coffee from cafe on board. Coincidentally, we were on the same train as a second division Spanish football team from Catalonia, which made our ride even more exciting.

We took a taxi from Madrid’s Atocha station to our hotel in the Salamanca district and quickly set about exploring the neighborhood. First stop: Mallorca.

Mallorca is a bustling deli and pastry shop with plenty of seating for busy Madrilenos stopping to grab a quick bite. Nishan came to love Mallorca for their cream puffs; I loved them for their cured meats. We enjoyed a plate of truffled mortadella and bread while people watching the fashionably dressed along busy Calle de Velazquez.

Afterwards we headed towards Madrid’s Avenue of Art to see the Museo Nacional del Prado, one of Europe’s most prestigious museums, housing Spanish paintings from romantic to 19th century styles. Goya is the most extensively represented artist but with over 1,300 works in the main building alone, there’s no shortage of European art.

We spent the afternoon strolling around the Cortes neighborhood and grabbed an afternoon snack at Estado Puro, run by Paco Roncero, who was mentored by the esteemed Ferran Adria. Roncero also runs Madrid’s La Terraza del Casino. Estado Puro is a more casual joint with modern twists on classic tapas.

Our first tapa was the Parmesan ice cream with lemon jam. I can’t say I was a fan of this one. The sweet-savory mix was too much and the ice cream was more chalky than creamy.

Next up: potatoes with garlic aioli and herring roe. I was hoping for something with a patatas bravas vibe, but these simply had too much aioli. I like a dab of mayonnaise here and there but these babies were stuffed with it.

Finally we had the artichokes with quail egg and trout roe. Now we’re talking! The artichokes were perfectly cooked: succulent in the center and slightly crispy on the exterior. The egg added a creamy factor and the roe added just the right amount of salty pop.

We spent the rest of the day lazily heading back to the Salamanca district, where we called it an early evening. It was only our first day in Madrid but we’d soon come to learn that nearly all culinary roads lead to the legacy of El Bulli.

Posted on October 23, 2015

Barcelona is so chock full of sites to see that we were forced to pare down our itinerary on our last full day in the city. We crossed out Montjuic in favor of Casa Mila and the Eixample because really, we couldn’t get enough Gaudi. Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera, was Gaudi’s last civil work in the early 1900s.

The building’s unconventional style made it controversial to neighbors when it was first built, but what really makes the building stand out is its roof. Six skylights and staircases, twenty-eight twisted chimneys, and four domes twist and turn throughout the area, much of which is covered with fragments of marble and broken tiles and snail-shaped water tanks.

Afterwards we stopped at Cacao Sampaka in the Eixample neighborhood for a late morning snack. Cacao Sampaka is every chocolate lover’s dream. The boutique boasts high quality chocolates flavored with everything from gin and tonic to orange blossom flowers to Ibiza sea salt. We tried the liquid chocolate and churros. The cafe chocolate was too rich for our tastes but we picked up a few boxes of chocolate to take home, and these were much better.

We needed something more savory after Cacao Sampaka, so we popped in to Cornelia & Co, an adorably chic restaurant meets cafe meets picnic shop. I had the charcoal grilled Galician octopus. Served on a bed on potatoes and liberally sprinkled with pimenton, this was some of the best octopus I’ve ever had.

After a quick jaunt past Casa Batllo (Gaudi’s other work in Eixample), we made our way to Barcelona’s famed Cal Pep for dinner.

Cal Pep is perhaps Barcelona’s most famous seafood restaurant. Seating is extremely limited and there is no menu. Rather, the idea is to tell the server what types of food you like and dislike, and they serve you accordingly until you’re full. We began with some sardines on tomato.

Next came some tuna tartare, followed by fried artichokes, a tortilla, jamon iberico, and tomato bread, but my favorite courses were the fried squid and the razor clams. Both were seasoned so simply but they were tender and tasted outstanding. We also sampled the sauteed clams and the sauteed cockles, but I thought these were too salty. I appreciate Cal Pep’s dedication to simplicity, but sometimes extra flavor can be a good thing! (And I don’t just mean salt.)

The real star of Cal Pep is the chef owner, Pep Manubens. When he’s not running the restaurant, he’s joking around with the patrons, laughing boisterously throughout the small space, and being super affable. And I have the selfie he took on my phone to prove it.

Posted on October 21, 2015

Barcelona is synonymous with Gaudi. Antoni Gaudi is everywhere, and I don’t just mean at the souvenir shops. Many of Gaudi’s architectural works have been granted UNESCO World Heritage status, not least of which is the Sagrada Familia.

I don’t think I was prepared for how overwhelmingly stunning the Sagrada Familia would be. Honestly, I still can’t process it. I don’t care what religion or creed you belong to. Now this, I thought to myself, is a house of God. The columns are designed to mirror trees and branches; Gaudi was famous for an organic style inspired by natural forms. Even the rooftop affords a panoramic view of Barcelona, from the sea to its famous hills. What audacity he must have had to have designed his interpretation of a basilica — and I mean that in the best way possible.

Afterwards, we took a taxi to the Barceloneta district for lunch at Xiringuito Escriba, a breezy Mediterranean beachfront seafood restaurant.

I had to get the grilled Galician razor clams. The only thing better than grilled seafood is grilled seafood doused with excellent olive oil — and Spain has no shortage of that.

I also had the fideua, a Catalan specialty. Similar to paella, these toasty noodles were cooked with seafood and seasoned with a bit of lemon. The seafood was top notch but the dish was too salty. Too bad.

We weren’t done with Gaudi just yet, though. After lunch we took the train to Park Guell, an expansive hilltop park overlooking the city and yet another of Gaudi’s gifts to Barcelonians.

It was time for dinner, so we hightailed it to the Poble-sec neighborhood for what was to be my favorite meal in Spain: tapas at Quimet y Quimet. This postage stamp sized bar is standing room only, but it’s more than worth it to squeeze in for a meal. Service is straightforward and no nonsense. I don’t speak Catalan, but I can get by just fine in Spanish, so I did all right. If you’re not sure what to order, point at what looks good and dig in.

To begin, we had the cured beef cecina and sweet tomato montadito. I’m pretty sure my eyes rolled back in pleasure at this one.

Next up was the anchovy and baked red pepper montadito. This was as wonderfully delicious as it looks.

Third, we tasted the asparagus with olive, pepper, and caviar garnish. I am in love with Spain’s super soft canned asparagus spears. Also this dish comprised roughly fifty percent of my vegetable intake during this trip.

Next we had Quimet y Quimet’s most famous dish: the salmon, yogurt, and truffled honey montadito. I enjoyed this but strangely enough preferred the others. I can probably assemble this at home.

We then had the scallops with caviar montadito. Along with the cecina and anchovy montaditos, this was my favorite. Catalan tinned scallops are out of this world.

Are you still with me? Good, because we’re wrapping up. The stuffed baby squid was fine but my least favorite dish of the meal. More flavor, please. Our last dish of the evening was the foie gras and mushrooms. Nishan loved the foie gras, I loved the mushrooms. Everyone was happy. Everyone won.

Quimet y Quimet, I salute you.

Posted on October 12, 2015

I don’t know what it is but the cava in Spain is a million times better than the cava I find here in California. What’s going on? It’s less fizzy (in a good way) and more flavorful.

One of my favorite lunches in Barcelona included a lovely bottle of said cava at El Xampanyet in La Ribera neighborhood. El Xampanyet became one of my favorite tapas haunts, not only for the boisterous crowds but for the delicious nibbles. Especially the canned seafood and cured meats.

The anchovy boquerones were vinegary, briny, and tasted of the sea. How can something so good come out of a can?

The cockles were my favorite tapa at El Xampanyet. They tasted like clams on overdrive, doused in an incredibly savory sauce. I wish I could source these in the states.

I love razor clams but they can be difficult to find here in California, so I ordered them every chance I had in Spain. These were also canned, and yet they had none of that tinny, flat flavor you taste in canned seafood so often. No chicken of the sea here, no siree.

But it wasn’t all seafood and cava. We snacked on wonderfully meaty fuet too. Fuet is a Catalan dry, thin cured sausage flavored with black pepper and garlic. We also noshed on an eggy tortilla and melt-in-your-mouth asparagus at El Xampanyet. A sip of cava here, a bite of meat there. Perfect.

Afterwards we headed to the Barcelona Cathedral in the Gothic Quarter. Built between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, it’s a sight to be seen, even in a country where grandiose cathedrals are always a stone’s throw away.

This is also where we discovered Nishan had been the almost-victim of the pigeon poop scam. Barcelona is supposedly the pickpocket capital of the world, and a couple of blocks before the cathedral, he was “bumped into” by a man who tried to grab our attention to “help” us. We weren’t having it. The aim was for us to drop what we’re carrying to attend to the situation unfolding or for the “helpful” person to get their hands in our pockets. Sure enough, Nishan had a huge stain of faux bird doo doo on his back when we reached the cathedral. Thankfully it was just watered down concealer. We got well acquainted with the cathedral’s bathroom trying to remove the stain.

In addition to a less than stellar bathroom, the Barcelona Cathedral boasts an incredible interior and a rooftop with stunning views.

We were hungry after that adventure, so we stopped at Caelum for an afternoon snack. Caelum is a beautiful teahouse converted from a medieval Jewish bathhouse. The sweets left something to be desired, but the tea, coffee, and ambiance made the stop well worth it.

We capped off the evening with Spain’s national cocktail: the gin and tonic. Mine was made with saffron gin, because you know, Persianity.

Posted on October 2, 2015

It’s been nearly a year and I’m still not quite sure how we ended up in Spain. Nishan and I were in the throes of planning a wedding and we kept feeling the pull of the Mediterranean. Tapas, cava, and train rides galore. What’s not to love about Spain? Plus, I was excited to practice my rusty Spanish skills. After a quick stop in Toronto, we flew in to Barcelona and went straight to the market. I was determined to get to Mercat de la Boqueria before the early evening closing time and I wasn’t going to let any jet lag get to me.

Brimming with cured meats, fresh seafood, and loads of produce, Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, or La Boqueria for short, is near La Rambla, the city’s main pedestrian street. Avoid La Rambla and go straight to La Boqueria. The market has been around since the early eleventh century and while it’s overrun with tourists these days, it’s still a beautiful sight to see. The fish! The jamon! The fresh pressed juices!

Afterwards we headed to the El Raval district, where we skipped dinner and went straight for dessert at the famed Granja M. Viader.

This chocolateria has held its own since 1870 and their chocolate and churros were by far the best we’d have during our week in Spain. If you go, get the Suis. The thick, ethereal tuft of whipped cream atop piping hot chocolate is a sight and taste to behold.

All that eating made us, uh, hungry, so we decided to go for a late night tapas dinner at the famed Tapas 24 in the Eixample district near our hotel. The line to get a table snaked down the street but our wait was worth it, despite the icy service.

Highlights included the playful McFoie Burger (yes, that is a ball of foie gras butter) and the costelle de concil arresbossades (rabbit ribs). Sorry, Bugs.