Can Majo

Address: Almirall Aixada 23, 08003 Barcelona, Spain

Phone: 93-221-5455

Why we dined here: Can Majo came up consistently in our Google search for the best paella in Barcelona.

In a Nutshell: Delicious paella!

We went to Can Majo as a last day stop in search for Barcelona's best paella after scouring the web for reviews and recommendations. We couldn't leave Spain without having an authentic paella experience. The restaurant was located in the harbor are but right at the waterfront so you have to navigate some small streets to find it. We arrived there very late (near 11pm) but it was still bustling with patrons. The paella was the best I've had - very flavorful and the rice had good texture. This was the only paella I had in Spain though. All my other paella experiences were from Canada or the Philippines.

I docked one point off my review for the price and the service. I found the service to be spotty. Sometimes, you'd have to wait a while to get service and the servers weren't as friendly as in other restaurants in Barcelona.

Olives, bread and Rose wine

Seafood soup

Paella

Creme brulee

Montiel Restaurante

Address: C/ Flassaders 19, 08003 Barcelona, Spain

Phone: +34 932 683 729

Why we dined here: At our time of travel, Montiel was the #1 rated restaurant in TripAdvisor.

In a Nutshell: Montiel is a top-notch restaurant and the suckling pig is definitely a must-try!

I visited Montiel after researching online and seeing its rank and positive reviews on TripAdvisor. Despite my high expectations, it managed to exceed it. When we visited, there was a football (soccer, for US and Canada) game going on so it was not very busy. But this did not affect the quality of food and service we received. The waiters were very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about the menu they offer. The food was impeccable - especially the suckling pig! Very crispy skin and the meat is tender, juicy and flavorful. We also ordered duck and ravioli, both of which were also superb. I am typically a picky foodie but I have nothing to complain about with this restaurant. The food and service is top notch and definitely up to par to high-end fine dining.

Rice crisps provided at the end of meal

Olives and olive oil provided with bread

Wild mushroom ravioli

Suckling pig leg

Lacquered pigeon with creamy rice

Warm chocolate melting cake with mango ice cream

Dos Palilos

Address: Elisabets 9, 08002 Barcelona, Spain

Phone: 933040513

Why we dined here: Albert Raurich, the chef and owner of Dos Palillos, was a chef de cuisine at El Bulli (which garnered the #1 World's Best restaurant award consistently before it closed down).

In a Nutshell: Great (but not spectacular) Asian fusion food

We went for the lunch menu so we got 4 small courses for a more reasonable price than their a la carte menu. The tuna sushi was the best of the meal and it was one of the best sushi I've ever had. That's a high compliment since I eat a lot of Japanese food and it's one of my favorite cuisines. The rest of the meal - wonton, yakitori and others were not very memorable. They taste similar to what you'd get in an authentic Asian restaurant. The portions were small since the dishes are tapas, so it is a bit pricey for the amount of food you get. Overall, the experience was still great so I'm happy I tried it; but it's not special enough for me to return to when I go visit Barcelona again.

open-concept kitchen

crispy fried meat-filled wonton

tuna sushi

free range chicken yakitori

fluffy almond sponge cake with yuzu marmalade

Eat List: Barcelona, Spain

Here's a list of what kind of food to look for while touring Barcelona, Spain.

1.  Tapas  

It will be next to impossible to avoid tapas when you visit Barcelona. Most restaurants offer specials and a great selection of tapas.These small courses go well with sangria, wine, beer or <insert favorite alcoholic drink here>.

Assorted cold tapas

Chopitos (Fried tiny squid)

Chicharron (fried pork rinds)

2. Cava

Wine in Barcelona was so much cheaper than in Toronto and I know that this area of Spain is famous for their wineries. So definitely try some of their local wines. Our hotel offered us Cava (sparkling wine) upon check-in to welcome us into Barcelona so we were off to a great start in our trip. Cava is to Spain what Champagne is to France. Drink, be merry and you'll have an even more pleasant vacation :)

Privat Cava 2009

 3.  Cochinillo (Suckling Pig)

I'm a huge pork eater since I originally hailed from the Philippines which was a Spanish colony for 333 years. So a lot of our food actually has Spanish influences. We do have amazing cochinillo in Manila too. Try Casa Armas if you ever visit Manila but you'd have to call a day in advance so they can prepare the whole pig.

During our trip, El Celler de Can Roca had roasted suckling pig in the tasting menu. We also ordered suckling pig at Montiel since this was their specialty and had glowing reviews from TripAdvisor members. Both were incredible - crispy golden brown skin and tender melt-in-your-mouth meat.

from El Celler de Can Roca

from Montiel Restaurante

 4.  Churros (Con Chocolate)

Churros has always been one of my favorite desserts. In the Philippines, Dulcinea served decent churros con chocolate. In Toronto, Pancho's Bakery in Kensington Market sells freshly fried churros with a variety of fillings to choose from. Of course, I've never had authentic churros so I couldn't vouch for their authenticity.

So, during our trip to Barcelona, we had to put churros into our eat list. After some Googling, we found Barcelona Food Girl's blog pointing us on where to find churros and chocolate walking distance from our hotel. The Xurreria fried a new batch of xurros/churros when we ordered them so it was fresh and hot! We headed to La Granja which was nearby for the thick Spanish chocolate to dip our churros with. Fried dough dipped in chocolate is always a great treat - yum!

from Xurreria

Chocolate from La Granja

 5. Paella and fresh seafood near the pier

For our last supper in Barcelona, we opted to have fresh paella near the pier to cap our memorable 3-day trip. There was a whole slew of restaurants lined near the pier. We had to walk through some smaller streets and further off the pier to find Can Majo. Definitely worth the trek for avid foodies!

Paella from Can Majo

Seafood soup from Can Majo

El Celler de Can Roca

Reservation Date: January 17, 2012 at 9pm

Chefs: The Roca Brothers (Joan, Josep and Jordi)

Duration: ~4 hours

Address: Can Sunyer, 48 17007 Girona, Spain

Phone: +34 972 22 21 57

Email: Reservations Email

Tasting Cost: 175 Euros

Website: www.cellercanroca.com

Accolades:

• #2 in the World's 50 Best Restaurants by San Pellegrino
• 3 Michelin Stars

Welcome to the world of El Celler Can Roca! The right picture shows the entrance of the restaurant from the outside. The left picture shows the unveiling of the first amuse-bouche called The World - Mexic, Peru, Lebanon, Morocco, and Korea.

We arrived at El Celler promptly at 9pm and found ourselves to be one of the early patrons so we took our sweet time taking photos of the venue. Our expectations were extremely high for this restaurant knowing that it was the 2nd World's Best restaurant. El Celler did not disappoint. If this is your first molecular gastronomy experience, prepare to be blown out of your mind. This was actually my 3rd experience (having been to Alinea and Colborne Lane) but I was still wow'ed by the creativity of some of the dishes. It really like a Disney World for your taste buds and other senses. My favorite was the king prawn dish and also the amuse-bouches that just explode with strong flavours in your mouth. The downside for me was dessert. I didn't find any of the desserts particularly memorable especially compared to other fine-dining restaurants.

The menu is pricey since the tasting involves 13+ dishes (including the amuse-bouche). However, if you compare the price to tasting menus at other restaurants, this is an absolute steal considering the calibre and status of this restaurant. I've heard from friends that reservations here are extremely hard to come by so be sure you reserve early! For our trip, we lucked out since it was winter so it was a low season. I reserved just a month and a half in advance and was able to secure a spot with no problem. 

Menu

The world: Mexic, Lebanon, Morocco, and Korea

Caramelized Olive

Truffled bombon

Ring calamar adapted

Campari bombon

Zucchini omelette

Truffled brioche

Green salad - Avocado, lime, melon, cucumber, Chartreuse, sorrel, green shiso, tarragon, rocket, oxalis

Autumn salad - Sea urchin, pumpkin, sweet potato, quince, kaki, tangerine, boletus, edulis, distilled sand, sand of boletus, edulis, sand of pumpkin seeds, sand of walnuts

Oyster with Palo Cortado and white and black garlic

A whole king prawn - Charcoal-grilled king prawn, king-prawn sand, ink rocks, fried logs, head juice and king-prawn essence

Charcoal-grilled sole meuniere - Milk skin, black butter, lemon, capers, flower and citrus peel

Salt-cod brandade - Braised salt-cod tripe, salt-cod foam, olive-oil soup, shallots and honey, thyme and chili pepper

Iberian suckling pig blanquette with Riesling

Mango and summer - truffle terrine, beet, garlic, orange concentrate and saffron pistil

Red mullet cooked at a low temperature - stuffed with red-mullet pate and aniseed-flavoured herb, orange and saffron pistil

Steak tartare with mustard ice cream

Spiced tomato, caper and lemon compote, hazelnut praline, bearnaise sauce, Oloroso-sherry raisin, chive butter, Sichuan pepper, Pimenton de la Vera smoked paprika and curry, small scoops of mustard ice cream, mustard leaves, baby onions with vinegar

Lamb with charcoal-grilled sweet pepper and tomato

Wood-pigeon liver with onion, caramelised hazelnuts with curry, juniper berries, orange skin and herbs

Orange colourology - Orange, tangerine, egg yolks, fruit passion and carrot

Milk desserts - Milk caramel, sheep's milk ice cream, sheep's milk curd-cheese foam, sheep's milk yoghurt and milk cloud

Understory - Beetroot, chocolate, tangerine, tonka bean, cocoa and shiso