Friday, April 29, 2011

Inopia over 2 nights, Barcelona Spain

Unfortunately, Inopia has recently closed .. Albert and his brother Ferran seem to have another interesting tapas bar project in the works, which I am sure will be as exciting as what we thought Inopia was. The 2 meals we had there on our last visit to Spain, eating our way almost through the entire menu including specials, was just too good not to share!

Inopia was a must on our Barcelona-eats list. A tapas bar owned by Albert Adria, the brother of Ferran from El Bulli. He has published a book, Natura, and is famed for his amazing pastry work done at El Bulli. We had scribbled the address down on a scrap of paper, and jump in a taxi .... We get dropped off reasonably close, but it was actually quite hard to find. 20 minutes later we spot the quaint little bar. It's just opened, and already the door area is roped off & there's a doorman with a clipboard. It's then we know these tapas must be serious!

Barcelona

We get past the doorman, and are ushered to a pair of stools at one of the oddly shaped benches. It's bright, with exposed fluorescent light tubes. The white tiles that line the walls are scribbled with autographs from celebrities and chefs, with polaroids tacked to the wall as well. There are glasses filled with fresh herbs on the counters. Baskets of fresh vegetables. Fake flowers. Marble countertops. Specials scrawled on blackboards. Pictures hanging from the ceiling. It is actually a lot to take in ...

Barcelona

We comb the menu, including the specials on the blackboards, and just start firing away dishes. The first to arrive is the Russian Salad (it's everywhere in Barcelona!). The potatoes coated in a rich mayonnaise, with some tuna, roasted pepper & capers is a small oval dish spiked with a few bread sticks.

Barcelona

Dried tuna with salted almonds comes out and initially I think this is the salt cured dry aged beef. It's so dark, the sliced looking like a cured meat. It's salty and dry, but still with enough of the fish oils to make it succulent. The salted, blanched almonds add texture and depth.

Barcelona

Next is the salt cured dry aged beef. The slices are about the same size as the tuna, but the fat marbling is definitely visible.

Barcelona

Tinned mussels. Divine. The tinned seafood in Spain is caught in it's prime, and packaged and processed to contain as much of the flavor as possible. These mussels have been sitting under a spicy oil, and were full of flavor.

Barcelona

We then have a few little toasts, the first; white anchovy with tomato seeds, and the second; salmon, cream cheese and honey.

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Chicken chupa chups appear on today specials and are a must for us. The little chicken drumettes have a super crispy coating and are golden in colour, with a very spicy red sauce. Even the golden / red colour reminds me of a chupa chup!

Barcelona

The patatas bravas are a fine example of this staple, the rustic cutting of the potatoes adding an interesting element, and both the sauces were divine. (They even sold the red sauce in jars when we were there).

Barcelona

Chicken Pintxo comes out on a very very long stick. The thin pieces of chicken threaded onto the long stick, and one end sitting on a slice of baguette.

Barcelona

The mini burger is just that, mini - I knew we should have ordered 2. The little bun has black & white sesame seeds, a juicy little beef patty, pickles and cheese.

Barcelona

Fried eggplant with sweet molasses are little triangles of the crumbed and fried eggplant with the sweet drizzle. A nice sweet and savory combination, perfect to lead us into the cheese course ....

Barcelona

Ah, the cheese course. A whole wheel of soft, baked, mild white cheese coated in a truffle honey. Oh .. My.

Barcelona

Caramel vodka comes with a super crispy tuille straw - one you can eat afterwards.

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And such a simple, home-style dessert. Pears poached in red wine, served in a bag with the spice & wine swimming amongst the tender chunks of pear.

Barcelona

On our first visit, we manage to spot Albert sitting and chatting to group of people. We just start talking to our waiter when we pay the bill and ask if there was any chance to have a photo with him... He ducks over and asks Albert, who graciously comes over and introduces himself, talks with us about our Spain travels and living in Japan, and is happy to have his photo with us. Very cool!

Barcelona

Our second visit at least we don't waste time trying to find it. We get out of the cab, and head straight to the little roped off tapas bar. It's already full, we actually have to wait about 15 minutes for a few chairs to free up. This time we are seated right in the open window, which is lovely. Also looking straight into one part of the little open kitchen and having a very nice barman to talk to. Glasses of sparkling rose and lardo on toast kicks off meal no. 2.

Barcelona

Tomato salad with onions and tuna belly is divine. The tuna is so succulent and salty, and the tomatoes plump and fresh with no skins. The little tresses of pickled onion sprout out of the top and look oh-so cute, but also add a very much needed kick of acidity that harmonises the whole dish.

Barcelona

Ah, chicken coated in Xips. Xips are a Spanish potato chip cooked in olive oil that we had enjoyed on a few occasions (I took some on the flight to Singapore). The chicken tenders were coated in the smashed Xips, giving the tender meat a shattering coating. A yellow honey & mustard aioli on the side for dipping.

Barcelona

Bombas were little fried, meat and cheese filled balls, with aioli and bravas sauce.

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Boiled Iberian shoulder ham is served a little wooden board, drizzled with good olive oil and sprinkled with paprika.

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Seared and marinated tuna with a roast tomato sauce and baby leaves is robust and filling.

Barcelona

We sample 2 varieties of anchovies; the pickled white anchovies and plump San Fillipo anchovies.

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In a food coma at this state, I know we had another of the caramel vodka, but there was also another alcoholic concoction.

Barcelona

The first dessert for the evening was fresh sliced pineapple with a thick molasses. The tartness of the pineapple and the rich sweetness of the molasses a perfect match.

Barcelona

The last dish to complete our epic, 2 part feast at the late Inopia was candied strawberries with chardonnay vinegar.

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We feel lucky that we were able to experience Inopia before it closed, and will be definitely keep an eye out for what the brothers are up to in the future ....

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Can Ravell, Barcelona Spain

We stumbled across Can Ravell when surfing the interwebs for Barcelona eats, instantly attracted to the fried Calaf eggs with grilled fresh foie and fried potatoes. The promotion this month was buy one portion and get two portions. Sounds like a good idea to me.

When we first arrived in Barcelona Can Ravell was closed for Easter.. luckily for us it was open second time around. This small grocer opened in 1929 and soon after began cooking some of their own produce in a small restaurant up stairs. A little while after that we came for lunch.

Barcelona

The small stores shelves are overflowing with all sorts of amazing produce we could have easily stocked up on months worth of supplies but we resist temptation and ask for the restaurant which is not easily seen.

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Asking was the trick, we are led into the back of the store, then into and through the kitchen to a staircase that then leads upstairs to the dining room.

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We were only thinking of the foie but as we eyed the menu there were so many seasonal specials and dishes we had to rethink our position and in the end we opt for the tapas sampler menu. First up seven starter tapas;

Smoked sardines with onions and olives; brined and lightly smoked with a burst of raw onion and a good splash of olive oil.

Barcelona

The White asparagus was huge, I can't get over the monster size of the asparagus favored in Spain. It had been expertly canned and served simply with a dollop of good mayonnaise.

Barcelona

We still got our foie fix with the sheets of seasoned foie

Barcelona

Plus four small plates consisting of confit tuna belly topped with roasted peppers, the ever present Russian salad, small cuttlefish in their own ink, and tiny cockles from Rias Gallegas.

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None of these seemed particularly small so our eyes opened wide when seven large tapas were then whipped in front of us.

The days rice - a calamari and ink risotto, Chick peas with slices of fat spicy chorizo, lentils braised with pork double chin (wow!), onion soup served in wine glasses, creamy jamon croquettes , a granitated cannelloni filled with cheese and veal,and two fat grilled scallops topped with a slice of nutty fried garlic.

Barcelona

We were now glad we didn't add the foie dishes as a supplement to lunch, although tempting.

The end of the meal came in four parts. A drained yogurt with a berry sauce, creme Catalan, a fat slice of panatone French toast and a fruit and almond paste.

Barcelona

Finished off with an espresso it was a pretty awesome grocery store lunch. We wandered back down through the kitchen with a big thanks to the chefs and back into the store. Adding the foie with egg as well as the cow hamburger to our considerable next time list.

Can Ravel
Carrer Arago 313
Barcelona, Spain
ph 93 457 51 14

tues - wed 10am-9pm
thurs-sat 10am-10pm
sun 10am-4pm
mon off


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Mid-day Moo Menu at the Omm, Barcelona Spain

Moo Restaurant in the Omm hotel, something a little bit fancy. This 1 Michelin star Gastronomic Restaurant offers a range of tasting menus, but the Mid-day Moo at 45€ is unbeatable! We are super eager, and arrive a little early. We are taken through to the Moovida lounge and offered a drink ... well, it's 11:40am, don't mind if we do. I have a Cava cocktail, & Kim a Hendricks tonic concoction. A little plate of crisps is placed on the table, and disappears in no time.

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The mid-day menu menu starts with a progression of appetisers. The first amuse bouche include a mushroom cream, truffled cookie, cheese gougeres and nut bread.

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Rabbit with orange & red shiso is the next thing to excite our palate. A little brick of tender, white rabbit meat, with an intense orange reduction, lightly blanched Spring vegetables and baby shiso leaf. There is also a fluff with all the same flavours.

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Truffle rock ... arrives to the table and looks amazing. There's a flick of bronze paint, and a black 'rock' sitting on some shining little pebbles.

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After we look at it in awe for a while, it is gently cracked open with a fork. It's a very light candy coating, painted with truffle, with a salty, decadent and unctuous cream contained inside. As pleasing on the palate as it was intriguing on the eye.

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Foie = ♥. Foie with strawberries is all about textures... There is a smooth foie mousse on the bottom, but with a chunk of fresh foie on top. Strawberries come in the form of jelly, fresh & flakes of the dried fruit. Cracked pepper and a few borage flowers complete the dish.

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The next bowl reminds me of a record .... no tunes to be spun, just our taste buds out of control again! Razor clam meat, pork, fresh green baby broad beans, fresh herbs & a bread crisp.

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The plate of salt cod is possibly the finest example of this fish we tried in Spain (and we ate a fair bit of it!). The fish was so moist and silky, but still with the salty taste-of-the-sea. The smoked rice, oh wow. So .. much .. flavour! A simple sprinkling again of the little flowers, and a few chive batons finish this delightful fish dish off.

Barcelona

Ah, things served on a piece of slate are just so cool ... A piece of seared white fish with Spring greens. The Spring greens are so vibrant, and again all about the textures. There is a green pea flan, pieces of raw green apple, snow pea shoots and fresh peas and beans.

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The food just keeps on coming, which we certainly aren't complaining about, especially when it's suckling pig. A slab of pig, with an earth-shattering crackle and some fresh green leaves.

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The dessert is a beautiful ice bowl filled with deep, red fruits. There are some pieces of cake, and a goat's milk ice-cream and a red-berry perfume is poured at the table.

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The mid-day Moo menu included mineral water, a glass of wine, and coffee which is accompanied by a little plate of petit fors.

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.... and just when we think this amazing, 1 Michelin star lunch extravaganza is over, our server appears back at the table with a box of handmade chocolates. We pick 2 of each, of course;)

This lunch was amazing, if we had more time, or even 1 free night, for the rest of our stay, we would have loved to get back there for dinner.

Hotel Omm
Rosselló 265
08008 Barcelona, Spain
T: +34 93 445 40 00

Monday to Saturday 1:30-4pm and 8:30-11pm
Closed In August


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