Posts Tagged ‘y Food’
Don’t you know what to prepare for supper or are you not really in the mood for a vegetable, healthy meal?? Here is a Fast Food Top 10 you will find in Barcelona:
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10. Dionisios – It is a fastfood stop on the George Orwell plaza in the Gotic district. It is a rather small, but cosy and friendly shop serving ‘gyros’, a traditional Greek fastfood with tomato, feta and tzatziki. If you fancy some Greek food tonight (or any other night) you should go to Plaça de George Orwell, near metro station Liceu.
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9. Even though I think fast food should be fat and unhealthy, I occasionally visit the rather new Fast Good. Why?? Because of the thought I want to satisfy my need for a snack with food of good quality. Fast Good is the result of the cooperation between top chef Ferran Adría and the NH Hotels. Food is served quickly and it is healthy, cheap and really good. If you love spicy food, you should get the chicken with couscous. The panini’s are really good as well. In the mood for a healthy snack? Fast Good is located on ‘Calle Balmes 127′ and is open from noon till midnight.
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8. Pizza is the perfect and quick snack and on the Ramblas, near Plaça Catalunya, you can find the Pizza Grill. The pizza looks good, smells good and tastes good!
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7. Looking for a quick bite, you should go to Fidel Bar and order one of its ‘bocadillos’. The sandwich Camembert + Roquefort is a classic, but you should also try out the gazpacho in the summermonths and the more than delicious couscous-salad. The little restaurant is a bit crowded, but nevertheless very cosy. Visit the ‘Carrer de Ferlandina 24′, near metro station Universitat.
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6. For me ‘King Doner’ does honour to its name: it is indeed the King of the Doners. The meat is chopped, the bread is good and the fillings include lots of salad, onion, tomato and of course yoghurt- or spicy sauce. Head to the ‘Rambla del Raval’, order and get seated on the terrace.
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5. Located on one of the oldest and most important plaza’s of the Catalonian capital you will find the little ‘Can Conesa’, which is since 1951 the number one spot for lots of people from Barcelona to get their bocadillo. You can pick out of 50 different sandwiches and during lunch breaks it is more than normal to see a long queue in front of the door. But it is worth it, the service is really friendly and extremely quick. Curious to try some? Then you should get on the orange metro line and get out at ‘Jaume 1′. You can find the little store on Llibreteria 1 (Plaça de Sant Jaume).
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4. If you want to snack and sit in a cosy bar, you should go to Pepe Pizza in Barrio El Raval. You order the pizza per slice or when you are there with a group you can order one in its whole. It will cost you a just a couple of Euros and you are ready. You can stay the whole evening in the bar and in the back you will be able the find vintage-pillows. It is open after 17.00 and you can find it at ‘Valdonzell 38′, near metro station Universitat.
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3. Coming to the top three, lots of students in Barcelona agree that ‘Bella Istanbul’ is doner kebab at its best. This is mainly due the perfect price-to-quality ratio. Here you’ll find good and quick food for under 5 euros. My favorite is the ‘iskender kebab’, a traditional Turkish meat dish with tomato sauce and yoghurt. You should get out at metro Barceloneta and from there it is a quick 2 minute walk to the ‘Passeig the Joan de Borbó 2′.
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2. I like the Spanish empanadas quite alot, but for me nothing can compete with the Argentinian version. But luckily for me, you can get the empanadas at ‘Empanadas Argentinas’ in the district Gràcia. They offer up to 20 different flavours (spicy meat, ham and cheese of tomato with mozarella and basil) and if it is not too crowded, you can find a nice table. On the other hand, if you are not in the mood for empanadas, you can order Argentinian schnitzel or chicken wings. In desperate need for some Argentine food? Go the ‘Torrent de L’Olla 132′!
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1. Okay, here it is! The number one! The Argentine pizzeria, located in the heart of the fancy district El Borne, is easy to find. Here is a wonderful place for quickly eating a pizza slice or taking away a whole one. There is a big selection of pizza’s. Starting with elementary (mushrooms, onion, 4 cheeses) to something more adventurous (corn with bacon, spinach and shrimps and lots more). The only downside of this place: serious overbooking! Especially on the weekends. Go to El Borne and find the pizzeria called ‘La Pizza del Borne’, it is on ‘Passeig del Borne 22′.
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For more information on what the various districts of Barcelona have to offer, click here!
A trip to Barcelona is not complete without a visit to La Boqueria on Las Ramblas. The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, usually referred to as La Boqueria, is a large fresh produce market in Barcelona. The market has every fruit imaginable, as well as fresh juices, which are my favorite. They sell everything from vegtables, to eggs, fresh seafood and meat, and candy.
All the fruits are beautifully colored, and they have an assortment of seafood. All the products are neatly displayed on the stands. The best time to go is during the morning, when all the stands are stocked with food. The market can quit busy during the day, and overcrowded, so make sure to watch your belongings. The food is reasonably priced, and is actually cheaper than the super markets. The stands in the front are a bit more pricier than the stands in the back. So if you do not give into the delicous fruit, wait until you are in the back to save some money. There is also many restaurants in the market, they serve freshly prepared food with items from the market. The market dates back to 1217, when tables were installed nead the door of the city to sell meat. In 1470, pigs were sold at the market. However the market was not built and recognized until 1836-1840. Like most things in Barcelona, La Boqueria is closed on Sundays. The market is located on Las Ramblas infront of the metro stop Liceu (green line). For more information you can visit their website here.
The region of Catalunya is known for its wine and cava as well as their traditional and innovataive cooking techniques. In the Catalan culture, that are many staple ingredients as well as traditional food. One of these traditional foods are Calcotada.
A calcotada is a chargrilled special white/green onion. The long onion that looks very similar to a leek, is placed on large roof tiles in an open fire. They are cooked once the outside is completely blackened. Once cooked, the onion is then dipped in a a traditional sauce. The sauce is similar to a garlv, nutty, Romesco sauce. The most fun and messy part is eating it! It is necessary to have many napkins, and a bib is not a bad idea. You hold the top of the onion and then peel back the outside, to get rid of the charcoaled part. The next thing you do is dip in in the sauce, and then lean your head back and place the calcot in your whole mouth. It is a messy experience, but a delicous one. The calcots are usally accompanied by some types of meat such as sausages, artichokes, potatoes, and vegtables, as well as cava or wine. During the months towards the end of winter and March and April, calcots are consumed in bulk. There are contest how can eat the most, and the winner usually consumes around 200 calctos. Unfortunately calcot season is not a year around, only from January to April. However if you miss calcot season, it is just another excuse to come back to Barcelona! To experience the real taste of Catalunya, one must try a calcot and wine tasting tour. Outside of Barcelona, there are many places where you can go on a wine tasting tour, and then head over to the local restaurant and enjoy calcats with a glass of wine or cava.
You have not been to Spain, until you try their olives, even if you do not like them. Before staying here in Barcelona, my mother told me “If you do not like olives now, you will,” and she was right. Some say Spanish olives are the best in the world. The warm Spanish climate makes the perfect conditions to grow olives, as many olive trees in France and Italy may freeze during the winter time.
The country of Spain is recognized as being number one in producing and exporting excellent olives and oils. Many associate olives with Italy, but in fact the Roman Empire made Spain the supplier of olives, and even today Italy buys tons of olives each year from Spain. Spain produces over 260 different types of olives and also has the largest number of olive trees than any other country. So it is no wonder, why olives are staple ingredients and food in the Spanish culture. Olives are not only yummy, but they are also very healthy with sources of iron, vitamin E, calcium, dietary fiber, and are also considered an aphrodisiac. Maybe that is why the Spanish swear by them, and eat them or have olive oil with everything! Olives are found in everything; olive oil on your toast for breakfast, food cooked in olive oil for lunch, olives for snack, olives for tapas, olive oil in the pastries, and even olive/olive oil ice cream. Every restaurant and market will have olives available for purchase, which makes them perfect to eat for a snack. It is impossible to go wrong with eating Spanish olives, which is why you should eat 7 olives a day!
