Over the last week I have been starting my day with a walk. I'm trying to hit 10,000 steps per day, while exploring the neighborhoods, museums, architecture and food establishments.
After enjoying La Boquerie market earlier in the day, I had planned to end my night at this outdoor bar, but the bar and restaurant were closed. So I modified the plan. This place is connected to Antic Theatre and supposedly local actors frequent this place.
Chocolate and churros- a Barcelona favorite. Thick hot chocolate and churros for dunking. Although this isn’t the complete recipe. There should be whipped cream on the chocolate and a filling inside the churro. My search continues.
After having breakfast I explored Las Ramblas and found it very busy in the afternoon
This huge square connecting to Las Ramblas reminds me of a square in Warsaw.
After a long day of walking I had tapas for dinner at the Colom Restaurant. Bread with baked tomatoes - sort of a take on bruschetta, Catalan anchovies which were amazing, octopus on onion and potato medallions - pretty tasty and Catalan sausages- not too spicy, but not amazing. And some wine. .
Yes for the observants out there, I did eat some meat. The Catalan cuisine features a lot of meat dishes and I want to experience what it has to offer
This morning I walked through the neighborhood of El Born, a historic residential neighborhood. The streets are narrower with not much commercial space, instead it had many small plazas and open spaces.
Milk Bar and Bistro is a popular breakfast place near my apartment. The owners are from San Francisco and started the restaurant in 2006 with the mission of creating healthy meals.
They boast the Recovery Brunch for anyone needing a pick me up after a night out. Small place with about 30 seats. I had the Salmon Royal Eggs Benedict and a cafe americano. Cost was 16 Euros which so far is the best value to flavor ratio for breakfast. Bonus points for fun atmosphere and very friendly staff.
My new favorite bar - the rooftop of the Serras Hotel located 45 seconds from my apartment. Today it is 63 degrees - the promise of what is to come.
From the Rooftop
The next day I explored the Barceloneta neighborhood, which was built after and outside of the medieval city. No narrow winding streets. Here the streets are wider and feature a grid pattern. The waterfront is a key feature of this neighborhood.
The Brunch and Cake restaurant located in the Barceloneta Neighborhood, about 5 minutes from my apartment, is a peninsula and leads to the beach. I splurged on their breakfast specialty- CONFETTI PANCAKE. “Home made ricotta hotcake, banana, strawberries, good for you seeds, granola, berries and organic yogurt ice cream”. I also added a side of scrambled eggs. The pancake was more like a cookie, the seeds added crunch, the fruit added sweetness and the ice cream … well you know. 15 Euros
Continuing the exploration of Barceloneta, Can Ramonet is a restaurant located in the first home built in the neighborhood in 1753. The restaurant was originally a wine cellar, but quickly became a popular tavern frequented by local fishermen.
In 1956, it reopened its doors as a restaurant and has been updated. Still in the family. It’s small - only three tables set up in the front. More tables in the back and they can expand outside when they need to.
I had a large mixed green salad, a ham “bomba” (potatoes and ham fried and covered with sauce). And Fideua, paella made with small Italian noodles instead of rice. Lemon sorbet for dessert. Everything was really good. And of course, a bottle of wine. It was a great meal and a piece of history. 55 Euros.
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