Les Quinze Nits

Les Quinze Nits

I usually eat at this restaurant three times during each month! It is so central, plus the food is great and prices are very reasonable. You can get a full dinner with (cheap) wine for about EUR 13. It is located in Placa Reial, just off the Ramblas near the Liceu metro station.

The restaurant has a beautiful second floor with dim, goldish-red lighting. The first floor is nice as well but brighter and colder. The patio is very close to the line and buskers come to your table looking for money, I would not want to sit out there.

The food is really good and beautifully presented. Most dishes are not served with accompanying vegetables and some don't even come with rice, so beware of ordering a fish dish because you may only receive a piece of fish! Service leaves something to be desired, as twice we found more than ten euros worth of food we hadn't ordered (or eaten) on our bill.

This is what I usually order:

Starter - Tomato Soup with Pesto Oil Garnish
Main - Fresh Pasta Medallions (...)
Dessert - Coffee and Bailey's Ice Cream

Address: Placa Reial, 6

Phone: 93 317 30 75

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Les Quatre Gats

Les Quatre Gats

There are regular restaurants, and there are those that has turned into institutions. I have no clear view how and why they have gained this status, but it has something to do with history and tradition. Els Quatre Gats has achieved this status as it encapsules the rich artistic traditions in Barcelona. Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso went here and paid (i.e. before they became famous), as many other less famous artists, their dinner with paintings. Els Quatre Gats captures, in my mind the very essence of Gaudís Barcelona. And the food and service is excellent too.

Eating at Els Quatre Gats is a feast, and the interior is an important part of the experience. As you are led through the bar you enter a large bright yellow room, with a roof covered with white tiles. Stairs lead up to a narrow gallery where you can get the most romantic tables for two overlooking the restaurant. Chairs made from dark wood and white tables creates a classic style.

The walls are covered with pictures with many different motives, and quite a number of them are memories from when a celebrity visited the restaurant.A wonderful contribution to a great evening is the live music. A man by the piano and an old violinist played classic café style music, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Brilliant service from a polite and professional staff. Our English speaking waiter was of great help and a white wine that was perfect to our food. We did not wait long to be served and all that was served was steaming hot. 

Favorite Dish: The food was as close to perfection as possibly could come. I chose duck mi-cuit with apple and Cumberland sauce, and Terje ordered a "Escalivada" baked bell pepper and aubergines. The slices of semi cooked duck liver was delicious, and the sweet apple and the homemade cumberland sauce with plenty of orange zest provided the necessary acidity to cut the richness of the livers.

We chose the same main course - salt cod with Catalan spinach and honey aioli. The combination of the ingredients used was highly unusual. The salted cod, perfectly prepared was placed on top of the spinach. On top you had a slice of apple topped with honey aioli. The saltiness of the fish was perfectly balanced by the mild sweetness from the apple and the honey aioli. The sauce on the plate was a mild tomato sauce garnished by preserved sweet fruits. This dish was most extraordinary culinary experience, I have had for years. The dry white wine was perfect to this dish. If you like fish, order this dish - you will be amazed!!
My friend ordered the Crema Catalana and I chose a fresh fruit mousse. It was a perfect end of a great evening.

Address: Carrer Montsió 3-bis

Phone: 93 302 41 40

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