Udon

Let's forget about Catalan cuisine for the time being, let's try something more exotic. There is plenty of offer around Barcelona, and we decided to go for Japanese food. We went to the Udon which is not really a traditional Japanese restaurant, but not quite the fast-foody versions you now find in many places. The restaurant is located in the ever busy Carrer Princesa, the decoration looks smart and functional and there was a Bruce Lee movie being projected on a white wall. We were five this time and ordered as follows:

Starters
Gyoza
Marinated salmon
Good roll
Very good roll

Main Courses
Tempura udon
Nabeyaki udon
Beef yaki soba
Tori nanba udon

Dessert
Banana & Co
Mochi
Chocolate cup

We can guarantee that the taste of the starters was much better than their choice for names! From the gyoza dumplings, stuffed with pork and vegetables, to the the noodle rolls with salmon, avocado and mango (good roll), the tempura rolls with salmon, avocado, cheese and sesame seeds (very good roll) and the marinated salmon, they were all delicious and filled with the tastes of Japan.
For the main dishes we went mostly for Udon, traditional thick white noodles which were served as soups and with Japanese soya broth and vegetable and prawn tempura, chicken slices, eggs, spinaches, leek and bamboo shoots. The beef yaki soba was also quite good, with buckwheat noodles cooked in the wok with green and red peppers, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, soya sprouts, marinated beef and yaki soba sauce. Of course everything was helped down with Japanese beer: Kirin and Asahi.

The desserts were also quite nice, but awfully small. Fried banana with coconut ice cream, chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and the always strange mochi, Japanese rice cakes with strawberry filling.
We recommend this restaurant if you are looking for good quality and tasty Japanese food with a price tag that is not to extravagant.
めしあがれ！

Price: 19 euros/person
Address: Carrer Princesa 23, 08003 Barcelona
Phone Number: +34 933105969


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Nou Celler

A few days ago we felt like going out for dinner. With no particular place in mind, we walked around the Born district looking to find a restaurant that would catch our attention. After crossing a few narrow cobbled streets we walked by the Nou Celler. It is a small, cosy, old-fashioned restaurant, with wooden tables, white walls and old furniture, bottles and amphorae for decoration. The local old men having dinner in a table by the door told us this was the right place to stay for dinner. We went in and had:

Starter
Esqueixada

Main Course
Estofat de vedella a vi blanc
Pollastre a la catalana

Dessert
Crema catalana

Once again we chose esqueixada as a starter. This time we got a lot more fresh cod, delicious tomatoes and onions, instead of the pile of lettuce you sometimes get... A lot better like this. In fact this was the best esqueixada we've had so far!

Pollastre is Catalan for chicken. For this recipe, the chicken is cooked with dry fruits (prunes,raisins and pine seeds), which gives it a tasty, sweet flavour. You get 1/4 chicken in one piece covered with the sweet sauce and also a small sausage that honestly didn't really add much to the dish.
The other dish is a veal stew that was served together with chestnut purée. The meat was quite tasty and together with the chestnut flavour felt a bit exotic. Both dishes were very good and we most certainly recommend them. Only one complaint: our Portuguese stomachs tend to expect a bit more garnishing with the meat, we still have to get more used to Spanish/Catalan habits. Next time we order a side dish of patatas bravas!

For dessert we went for the typical crema catalana. This is simply a Catalan version of crème brûlée. Quite tasty. Overall, we were very happy with our dinner at Nou Celler, the food was good, the serving staff welcoming. Another very good experience with Catalan cuisine.

Price: 17 euros/person
Address: Carrer de la Barra de Ferro 3, 08003 Barcelona
Phone Number: +34 93 3104773


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