Tapas Bar Crawl
We have what Jeni Barnett would call a “nearasdammit” son who is Catalan (note: I do not say Spanish). This has given us the advantage of having the address of our boy’s (well into his 30s now) favourite tapas bar in Barcelona.
It’s one of the most popular tapas bars with the locals, and it seems like a few tourists have found it as well. A bit of advice here....eat early or late to avoid the crush. Whilst the waiting staff do their best it’s obvious that lunchtime demands a few extra hands. I don’t blame waiters for not speaking English, why should they? But you would expect a reasonable fluency in Spanish!
The tapas here are some of the best you will find, with the long list of the usual suspects but also lots of specials of the day. We nibbled on anchovies, deep fried whitebait and a delicious little dish of pig’s feet. We ordered that one because we didn’t know what it was and, ok, I admit it doesn’t sound fantastic but the flavour was aromatic and the texture was silky and succulent. A couple of dishes come to about 10€ per person including a beer, which is reasonable for the quality both of food and authentic atmosphere.
Evening is the traditional tapas time and we tried the contemporary version at Celler de Tapas (Placa Universitat). Now this isn’t a cheap option, but full of innovation and thoughtful combinations. The black interior and white dishes gives this restaurant a Zen feel. Quite agreeable but not the traditional tapas bar. There are interesting savoury tapas with choices such as duck croquettes with plum sauce, and chicken skewers. My dessert (it's the first time I have had one of those with tapas) was amazing: Three Textures of Chocolate with Oil and Salt. It sounded so awful that I had to try it! It works! The light olive oil was almost creamy under a sponge with melting chocolate, topped with chocolate ice cream and a sprinkle of Malvern salt. The bill for four of us was 88€ with no alcohol.
All tourists will want to spend some time walking along Las Ramblas. Whilst it’s true that the local “colour” is there, you should be warned that it’s not the best place to find good tapas, or indeed good food of any description.
It’s logical that bars and restaurants that don’t need to try hard to find customers will do the minimum to stay full of paying tourists. It’s the same in London, Paris and Rome, a fact of culinary life. You could say that we all, us tourists that is, contribute to the problem by choosing the picturesque little bar, cafe or restaurant with the best view of whatever attraction that particular city has to offer. Well, the view might be nice but we, dear reader, are here for the food!
Just one block from Las Ramblas and you find La Viena Blanca (Carrer Pintor Fortuny) with only a few tables, a high counter and a comforting list of tapas that, after a few days of careful study, we were able to understand. This little bar sticks to the traditional, such as Patatas Bravas (potatoes with a spicy mayonnaise), Bombs of mashed potato filled with minced meat, and chicken croquettes. You will still expect to pay 10€ for a couple of tapas and a small beer, but enjoy it. This is the nearest to good value that you will find this close to Las Ramblas.
Tapas
Who wouldn’t love little dishes of delectable morsels? That’s the charm of tapas, lots of different tastes and textures. Tapas, the book that is, has pictures by one of my favourite food photographers. Any book that Gus Filgate is associated with is bound to be stunning.
Tapas is the flagship book of the celebrated restaurant El Parador. Both authors can cook every dish on the restaurant menu so it’s safe to say they know what they are talking about. Carlos Horrillo and Patrick Morcas have penned these lovely recipes that transport me back to Spain, to tapas bars with high counters groaning under the weight of an amazing variety of dishes.
Presenting a meal of tapas is just about the most casual form of entertaining. It’s convivial and a real ice-breaker, with everyone taking a little of this, a spoonful of that. It’s the culinary version of painting by numbers with each guest eating their choices in different combinations. It’s an ideal way of feeding lots of people with diverse tastes.
If you or your friends are vegetarian then you might feel that you have been short-changed with regard to dinner parties. There often seems to be a rather naff veggie option for non-meat eaters, and there are plenty of carnivores who don’t feel as though they have eaten unless an animal of some description had been sacrificed. Tapas, however, offers such a fantastic selection of dishes that you are bound to find lots to satisfy every dietary, cultural or ethical need.
It’s no surprise to see Tortilla Espanola (potato omelette) in the Vegetables chapter and this is lovely when made well. Serve it hot and fresh from the pan. Patatas Bravas are another staple of tapas bars and they are always popular and simple. Spinach and Cheese Parcels are a favourite at El Parador but this version uses ready-rolled pastry so it’s an easy one for the home cook.
There is so much here that is stylish and seriously easy and that’s got to be good. Purée de Habas Verdes (puréed broad beans with pan-fried garlic, rosemary and olive oil) has a real flavour of southern sunshine. It has eight cloves of garlic - don’t be tempted to cut down on that number. Even easier are the Fresh Marinated Anchovies which only demand a little chopping of garlic and parsley. That’s two tapas quickly sorted long before your guests arrive.
The fish dishes in Tapas are just as I remember them. There are plenty of squid but, for the less adventurous, mussels, prawns, scallops and even smoked haddock which could be welcomed by those who get anxious about “foreign food”. Hake Deep-fried in a Light Beer Batter is so good that you’ll be advised to make a double batch, and Char-grilled Sardines will tempt almost anyone when that distinctive and mouth-watering aroma wafts from the barbeque.
My favourite recipe in Tapas is for Chicken Croquettes. They will be familiar to anyone who has eaten in tapas bars either in Spain or the UK. It’s authentic and comforting and a dish that works well as part of a regular meal with a green salad and some tomatoes. Ham can be substituted for the chicken, or even vegetables - a flexible and delicious dish.
Tapas is a cracker of a cookbook. I am so impressed that I’ll probably be having tapas parties for quite a while. The recipes are suitable for summer al fresco eating, but equally for cold nights in with some fine sherry or a nice bottle of red. Hope we hear more from Carlos Horrillo and Patrick Morcas in the future.
Tapas
Authors: Carlos Horrillo and Patrick Morcas
Published by Kyle Cathie
Price: £16.99
ISBN 978-1-85626-806-6