Beck's Modern Life: Eating Barcelona

First night arrived was also my first experience for airbnb, I arrived somewhat unexpected (my hosts knew I was coming but were expecting me later in the week, they were having friends and family over for a holiday in Barcelona and welcomed me to join them for some wine and BBQ.

I am always excited to see how folk in countries I am new to entertain with food at home.

Firstly we had some spicy sausages and mushrooms done on the grill.

Before too long my hosts brought out a side of lamb they had been slow roasting, and were going to put on the BBQ to get the smokey flavour through- YUMMM!

A platter of sauteed onion, courgette (zuccini) and aubergine (eggplant)

Also served was a beautiful salad and the most wonderful sweet potatoes roasted in the coals.

The lamb was simply to-die-for. And what a great idea!

Morning coffee at the beach.

Dinner Night one: beer.

A beautiful outlook.

Grilled prawns in Garlic Oil. Unfortunately these were either overcooked or from-frozen. In either case not the perfect texture, but still delicious.

Pizza Costa Brava: with anchovi, olive and capers. For a salt lover such as myself, this was truely amazing. Great amount of cheese too!

Lunch Day 2: Spinach, cheese and kernel potato croquettes.

Served simply and as stated (I found this to be the case in Barca... on the menu it would generally state what the item was, and that is just what you got). These were damn tasty tho. I think the 'kernel' was maybe pine nuts (can anyone confirm this for me?) very flavoursome.

Check out this ham sandwich! I tried a few sandwiches in my time there, and all were made so well. The Spanish are very proud of their cured meats and sandwiches seem to be the way they present this for the world to see. Warm freshly baked bread, olive oil, seasoned with paprika. Yummo.

My first try of Spanish Sangria in the very touristy Las Ramblas. I had heard Sangria is a tourist trap, I don't care, it is yum and always got me through the next 3 miles of walking ahead of me.

Lunch Day 3: Decided to treat myself to somewhere really special and saw this restaurant in Port Vill- Cal Pinxo.

Reasonable enough outlook over Montjuic. I noticed after I has sat that the other clientele were locals- a great sign!

My choice- platter of assorted shellfish including mussels, razorclam, cockles, sea snails and clams.

This may very well be the best seafood I have ever tried in my life. Everything was cooked to perfection, it was so fresh and the broth is came in, itself, was a masterpiece. I requested bread so I could daub up every last bit.

Accompanying green salad.

All gone.

Dessert: 'oh I couldn't fit in another... oh okay show me the menu'. Catalina cream, very similar to creme brulee...such a great dessert!

Dinner Day 4: La Gambeta. A recommendation from my hosts. Beautiful interior.

Wine and olives to start. Olives are so good over here!

Starter: Octopus and potato. This was a fairly intensely flavoured dish. I can't remember if I've ever eaten proper octopus before, but i worked out the right amount of potato to octo ratio made for a delicious mouthful.

Main: large grilled prawns with garlic. Unlike the earlier prawns these were perfectly fresh. Very, very good. But in the eyes of a Queenslander these aren't large enough to justify only 6 on a plate, especially for a main (and especially for euro19!)

Dessert: lemon sorbet with cava- AMAZING!

I love when a restaurant puts their produce on display.

Friday Lunch:

From Wiki:

A pintxo (Basque: [ˈpintʃo]) or pincho (Spanish: [ˈpintʃo], literally "thorn" or "spike") is a snack typically eaten in bars, traditional in northern Spain and especially popular in the Basque country. They are usually eaten in bars or taverns as a small snack while hanging out with friends or relatives; thus, they have a strong socializing component, and they are usually regarded as a cornerstone of Basque culture and society. They are related to tapas, the main difference being that pintxos are usually 'spiked' with a skewer or toothpick, often to a piece of bread. They are served in individual portions and always ordered and paid for independently from the drinks. It is not impossible, however, to have the same item called "pintxo" in the Basque Country and "tapa" elsewhere.