CalPep in El Born
Street art of El Born
Yes, you have to queue up for food at CalPep. Tapas is by no means fast food. We chose a 5 course tapas to share and it took an hour and a half. So yes, a half hour queue is preferable to a one and half hour one. Our waiter chose for us. We were served a plate of mussels and clams, razor clams, tortilla, langoustines with fried onions, and plate of fried sea food (shrimps, baby squids).
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Machu Picchu flight at Pakta
Pakta serves Nikkei cuisine, which is a combination of Peruvian and Japanese dishes, flavors, and techniques. While we are unfamiliar with Peruvian food and somewhat familiar with Japanese food, even we could see that the meal was technically superbly executed. The meal was complex enough that it will repay multiple visits. We had indicated gluten sensitivity which resulted is several substitutions for us.
 Whisky sour, cocktail recommendation of the day for their Nikkei Chilcano |
 Five different starter courses, eaten in the clockwise direction starting from the leftmost dish… |
 Scallop with chalaca sauce, a refreshing Peruvian sauce with lime juice, tomatoes and peppers |
 Soy milk yuba with salmon roe and avocado |
 Olluco with huancaina sauce, a spicy Peruvian cream and cheese sauce |
 Sweet corn cream with caviar |
 Eggplant with kimizu sauce, a Japanese egg yolk and vinegar sauce |
 Fried tofu with carrots and fish broth. You have to eat this tofu to believe that tofu can melt in your mouth! |
 Mackerel sashimi with … |
 …seaweed salad. There were these tiny green peppercorn like seaweeds that would have need a macro lens to capture |
 Fried chicken causa served with ocopa sauce, a huacatay, pepper and cheese sauce |
 Octopus causa served with olive spheres, served with a delightful roasted/puffed quinoa |
 Sea Bass Ceviche with kumquats and fresh onions in “leche de tigre”, a citrus-y milk that was stunning combination of flavors |
 Tuna with shichimi togarashi served with crispy nori chip |
 Nigiris – tuna with wasabi, squid with hucatay salt/leaf, mahi-mahi with umeboshi sauce, a pickled plum sauce |
 Tofu with mushrooms (substituted a soba dish for us) |
 Langoustine nigiri with grilled head … |
 …with soy foam |
 Grilled suckling pig sashimi … |
 … the sashimi substituted gyoza for us |
 Prawn with pine smoke … |
 … served with prawn salt |
 Fried rockfish in tamarillo, “escabeche” sauce, a fruit with taste of passion fruit and tomato in a freshly pickled sauce |
 Iberian pork ribs “Juane”, a traditional leaf wrapped rice preparation with bits of Iberian pig |
 Tenderloin with potato puffs, baby corn and quail eggs |
 Playful marshmallow with a Japanese citrus called Shikwasa |
 Multiple desserts, eaten in a clockwise manner starting with the iced mango rose, followed by chocolate coated physalis that substituted sweet potato picarones/doughnuts, and … |
 … banana bombon with umeshu gel, a Japanese liqueur |
 Meringues … |
 …served with “dulce de leche” ice cream and a dash a pisco |
 Figs and ginger soup with almond tofu |
 White chocolate and tea wafer with yuzu gummy |
Highlights from MNAC
Palau Nacional houses the Museu d’Art de Catalunya. There are two major highlights of this collection. One is the Gothic art collection, particularly church art from 1300s and 1400s. The other is Romanesque collection from rural churches in the Pyrenees. The collections are spectacular, in great condition and available via Google art project. Site of the museum on Montjuïc allows for fantastic city views. The main restaurant is beautiful although the food is nondescript.
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Pinotxo Bar in La Boqueria Market
 Pinotxo counter, it is busy all times of the day |
 Breaded cutlets ready for frying, rabbit possibly? |
 Breaded beef croquettes, ready for frying … |
 …croquettes were more like fast food taste |
 Perfectly fried fresh fish |
 Stew with rabbit ribs and mushrooms, a home cooked style rendition albeit somewhat oily |
Negroni cocktail bar near MACBA
A hip bar in a hipster neighborhood. Bartender makes cocktails based on customer’s taste profile. Round 1 was a whisky sour and a gin cocktail. Served with a bowl of chips.
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MACBA and its neighborhood
MACBA is in the El Raval neighborhood of Barcelona. A mix of locals, immigrants and hipsters form the overall fabric of the area. Skateboarding enthusiasts get together outside the MACBA building thereby presenting a very vibrant slice of social life.
Oriol Balaguer Pastry
Patisseries are not much of a common sight in Barcelona as they are in Paris. Oriol balaguer is one of Barcelona’s own.
 Chocolate lollies |
 Traditional pastries |
 Pastries with marshmallows |
 Pastries with stablilized foam |
 Chocolates with pop rocks inside |
 Mango, vanilla, coconut, hazelnut, apples and chocolate |
Miniature food at Farga
If you are watching your figure, try a tiny sandwich, a full salad and a tiny dessert. Otherwise, try a plateful or two of small bites – pine nut/pumpkin pastry, hazelnut chocolate cup cake, strawberry shortcake, creme brulee, …
Lunch at Llibertat Market
 Tripe in tomato sauce |
 Spinach frittata |
 Bread smeared with fresh tomato and drizzled with olive oil |
 Mushrooms and sausage |
 Pan fried mussles |
 Cava |
Galvany 180
Galvany market has not been renovated since its early construction about a hundred odd years ago. So you can still find some of the original construction including stained window glasses. The market has a very neighborhood feel with mostly locals shopping here. 
Quimet, An old fashioned bodega
A sweet wine that no amount of soda could help. A super salty and vinegery anchovy that was great in contrast.
Masclans, Since 1881 at Galvany
 Fifth generation grocers |
 Specialize in salt cod |
 Salt cod salad |
 Hors d’oeuvres in making |
 Salt cod, scallion, pepper, olive and olive oil |
 Salt cod and cured tuna hors d’oeuvres |
 Salt cod |
 Cured tuna recipe from Morocco, looks like ham. |
Looking for Pajareros at La Boqueria Market
French music has now stopped. Someone is playing TV loudly. I thought I heard what sounded like a bunch of unhappy ducks, maybe on their way to Boqueria market themselves. Sounds of shutters closing and water jets from the cleaning trucks rise above the sounds of TV.
Bar Central, La Boqueria Market
It is two in the morning. French music is coming through the windows. We have a tryst with the Aborigens at nine in morning for a early morning walkabout through non-touristy markets of Barcelona. Today we were on our own at La Boqueria, the touristy market off Las Ramblas. We took our landlord’s advise and ate at one of the shops towards the back of the market. An order of sea food platter, fried padron peppers and a big fat cuttlefish. Sea Food platter came with shrimps, langoustine, mussels, baby squids and a couple of different fish steaks one of which was somewhat overdone. The fried padron were not much different from our own grilled version. The cuttlefish hit low on the edibility scale.
Mam i teca, fitting in with the locals
Small family run restaurant with a wide selection at the bar.
Thanks to serious jetlag, we are up at 11 pm wide awake. So we joined the locals for a spot of dining. Much thanks to our personal foodie advisor (PFA) from Aborigens, we stepped into Mam i Teca, one of the oldest Slow Food restaurant in Barcelona.
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Bar Lobo, first meal in Barcelona
Neighborhood restaurant, food not too shabby, comfortable patio seating.
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Off the Grid, Picnic at Presidio
If the Sunday sky in SFO is clear, head out to Presidio for a picnic . You can take your own lunch but not to try some of the “off the grid” vendors would be a shame.
A wide range of food vendors …
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A 60 minute egg
After watching David Chang on season one of The Mind of a Chef, we gave in to the temptation and bought ourselves a makeshift sous vide machine (DorkFood temperature controller and a slow cooker). And here is the first 60 minutes egg at 143F as per Lucky Peach’s Egg Chart.
60 minute sous vide egg at 143F, yolk is runny but slightly thickened
Served on a bed of butter sauteed home grown chard, chard prepared like nettles in nettles and egg recipe, slow roasted tomatoes prepared like in tomato raisins recipe, and shavings of parmigiano-reggiano.
The egg is to weep for, with happiness of course. However there is a real hint of sadness too, popularity of sous vide will change the meaning of “hard as 20 minute egg”.
Memory of Hong Kong in San Francisco’s Chinatown
Place: Hong Kong Clay Pot Restuarant, Chinatown, San Francisco
Ordered: Biiter melon with frog and sea food clay pot
Served: Biiter melon with shrimp, sea food clay pot and a pot of tea
Hong Kong Clay Pot Restaurant, looking out towards Grant. Catch a narrow flight of stairs to get to the restaurant.
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Bengali Gimlet and South Indian Dosa
Place: Dosa @ Fillmore, San Francisco
Food: Egg dosa and spicy basil dosa
Drink: Bengali gimlet
 Egg dosa, cage free with onions and spices |
 Spicy basil chutney dosa with cashews and spices |
Gimlet was so good that I had to try and reproduce at home. And here is the variation that I ended with. To make the spiced syrup, toast the following until highly fragrant and nose is itchy …
- 4 Tbsp cumin seeds
- 4 Tbsp coriander seeds
- 4 Tbsp allspice berries
- 4 Tbsp black peppercorns
Crush above with mortar and pestle or equivalent gear and add to 1.25 cups water, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder (to give your drink a beautiful yellow color), 2-4 hot chiles, a handful of crushed keffir lime leaves, and 1 cup sugar. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Cool for a few hours during which the flavors get to mingle. Then strain and keep. Makes about 2 cups and will serve 32 gimlets.
Peethi ki Poori, lentil stuffed fried Indian bread
Peethi ki poori served with potato curry
No pain, no gain. This is one of the more complex of Indian breakfasts that is better left to special occasions.
Peethi: Soak 1 cup dry Urad lentil, whole or broken with no husk, overnight, grind in a food processor so it is not a complete paste with no additional water. Add 2 green chilis, 1 tsp salt, roasted and crushed black peppercorn. In a heavy pan, heat 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil. Add a pinch of asafoetida and 1 tsp cumin seeds. Cook for 30-45 seconds until fragrant and add the processed lentil. Cook until the mass becomes sticky dough like. Let cool. This can be made upto a couple days in advance.
Potato curry: Peel and chop one large Idaho potato, in 1.5 inch cubes. In 1/4 cup water, add 1 tsp turmeric powder, 2 Tbsp sour yogurt and 2 Tbsp of tomato paste and make into a smooth paste. In a pressure cooker, heat 1 Tbsp oil. Add 2 whole red peppers, 1 tsp dry urad daal, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds until they splutter and add the tomato-turmeric paste. Stir until fried and add the potato pieces. Stir to coat, add 1 tsp salt and add 2 cups of water. Pressure cook at medium for 5 minutes after the pressure builds up. Switch off and wait for pressure to subside. You can keep like this this for upto two days. When ready to eat, warm up, crush some of the potatoes with the back of your spoon, adjust for salt and add 2 Tbsp of chopped coriander leaves.
Poori dough: Take 2 cups of whole wheat flour, add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tsp salt and necessary water to make into smooth dough. Let rest until ready to use. Heat oil for deep frying and maintain temperature while you roll out the poori’s.
Now get ready to put together the meal.
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Locomotoring 