Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Welcome to Catalunya.

We had spent the morning walking the street of L'Example taking in Els Encants Vells, a huge sprawling flea market - there's something in there for every one. We also took a wander past the massive Sagrada familia 116 years in construction and still counting, it's ornate towers reaching for the sky are beautiful but we just can't bear the wait in the que that snakes out of sight around the block to view the inside, perhaps next time.

Barcelona

Having been walking for a while we had built up a bit of an appetite and now were in the mood for a bit of our-style tourism, local eats.

Bodega la Sepulveda is a classic old Catalan eatery. Not much to look at from the outside, we probably would have walked on by if we had not been looking out for it.

Barcelona

Once inside though it's all yellow and terracotta walls and piles of fresh oysters sitting in seaweed, we ask the possibility of a table for two, must have been our lucky day we got the last table to spare and it had only just opened.

Barcelona

Barcelona

After a quick look over the menu we decide on ordering a few small plates and go from there. First off we have pan con tomate, the Catalan staple of lightly toasted bread rubbed with a ripe tomato, so simple so very delicious.

Barcelona

The morcilla arrives and is just that - a plate of fat Spanish blood sausage filled with rice it's rich and earthy.

Barcelona

Next were two different plates of chorizo sausage, a smaller one with fried eggs and a fatter spicier one simmer in red wine.

Barcelona

Wow, our first chorizo in Spain, the sausage and eggs is awesome but the chorizo in the red wine is awsome-er there's so much spice not just the paprika and chilli, and it's all leeched into the wine as it's cooked creating a sublime broth. I just want to pick up the bowl and drink it. Ok maybe I did, but it was worth every bit of etiquette breech.

Barcelona

Then on to the table was placed the reason we had scoured out this little eatery, zucchini carpaccio with salt cod and parmesan. Thin overlapping scales of zucchini scattered with pieces of salt cod and covered with shaved parmesan, dressed with vinegar and olive oil and three black olives. It was quite ridiculous how good it was the cheese and the cod serving to season the zucchini, good olive oil making it buttery and the great vinegar cutting through it all. It was a perfect dish, just perfect.

Barcelona

On the heels of the carpaccio came a small plate of veal meatballs with wild mushrooms. Really good but we were still in carpaccio heaven.

Barcelona

We pass on coffee and drift out into the afternoon sun, with all the shops starting to close up for siesta it seemed like a good time to join them.

Bodega Sepulveda

Sepúlveda 173 bis
08011 Barcelona
Phone 93 323 59 44 - 93 454 70 94

Open
Monday to Friday, lunch 13.00 - 16.30 dinner 20.00 - 1.00
Saturdays, dinner 20.00 - 1.00.
Sundays, closed

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