The Day of the dead with live Mexicans at Cosmo galería
Opening on 28th October, a rather cryptically titled exhibition, Día de Muertos, will showcase the finest new artistic discoveries in the way of skulls, bones, flesh and flouro-folk art. As a testament to the nation’s obsession with death, this Collective Exhibition of Live Mexicans will be looking death squarely in the eye, and (hopefully) surviving until 27th November. The inauguration begins at 20:00, with complementary Mexican beer on tap. See you at the bar.

Cosmo Galería
C/Enric Granados 3
Tel: 934 53 70 07
www.galeriacosmo.com
See our previous Cosmo blog here

Pan de muerto at Tlaxcal Taquería

Anytime between 31st October and 2nd November, make your way to Tlaxcal Taquería (taco restaurant) in the Borne district to enjoy a freshly baked Pan de Muerto (death bread), a delicately flavoured anise and orange blossom pastry. It is decorated with circular plaits to represent the cycle of life and death and adorned with teardrops to illustrate the sadness of lost loved ones.

A relatively new addition to the Mexican food scene here, Tlaxcal has gained critical acclaim with its homely yet perfectly contemporary Mexican cuisine. Whether you are a seasoned aficionado or a total principante to Mexican gastro-mania, once you have discovered the universal pleasures of a soft, floury tortilla stuffed with tender pork, topped generously with fresh salsa verde and an oozing pile of melting cheese, it will have you returning to the same restaurant for your fix time and time again. And another phenomena of good Mexican cuisine is the hospitality – wherever you are in the world, you will always feel at home.

Monday and Wednesday from 10:00 to 00:00
Thursday from 10:00 to 02:30
Friday from 10:00 to 03:00
Saturday from 12:00 to 03:00
Sunday from 12:00 to 00:00
Closed on Tuesdays

Tlaxcal Taquería
C/Comerç 27
Tel: 932 684 134
www.tlaxcal.com

One of the most enjoyable parts of this time of year is the urge to start battening down the hatches and plumping for hearty, warming dishes – comfort food that warms the cockles and melts the heart; chicken soup for the soul.

Rekons is the ideal pit stop if you are anywhere between the Raval and Eixample areas and looking for a fill of homemade goodness. Situated in the antique Canigó deli, where the original facade remains, fresh croissants and juice on the sunlit terrace make for the perfect start to any day. An afternoon beer and fresh empanada would also hit the spot.

Specializing in homemade Argentinian pies in a smorgasbord of flavours (aubergine and cheese, spicy chorizo, chicken and leek, tomato and basil, beef and pumpkin….), it is a traditional establishment that prides itself on simplicity, quality ingredients and excellent value for money, reflected in the unfussy menu and friendly attitude of the staff. Prices are around 2€ per pie (which are surprisingly large and filling), or 10€ for the menú, a selection of three pies with salad.



Rekons
C/ Comte d’Urgell, 32
Tel: 934 246 383
- Visit Rekons here

In Latin, CAELUM is translated as heaven. Indeed even before walking inside, the bijou, lacy window displays are a cacophony of heavenly treats…pillowy sponge-cakes, celestial meringues and sinful chocolate brownies, all devotedly made by naughty nuns across the length and breadth of Spain.

The ground floor is shared by the café and shop selling Temptations from the Monastery – those nuns know a thing or two about marketing ungodly calories. A wall-to-wall selection of delectable caramels, marzipan, spongy biscuits, “medicinal” (meaning highly alcoholic), traditionally packaged licquors, turrón (Spanish nougat) and chocolates, they make superb gifts – especially with such delightful names such as pets de monja, or little nuns’ farts.

The café on the ground floor is a tranquil sanctuary of calming music, wafts of fragrant tea and scented candles, a wall-to-wall selection of sugary delights, and is certainly not for those of a savoury disposition.

Downstairs, the underground café is housed in the ancient Jewish thermal baths, a vaulted cavern of ancient brick and stone and a testament to the complex history of the Gothic quarter. Although some prices are a little high, the sheer beauty and serenity of CAELUM more than compensates and comes highly recommended as a warming afternoon retreat in the heart of the Gothic quarter.

C/ Palla, 8
- View location on map
- Visit the CAELUM website here

In Spain, the shifting of the seasons is an organic and natural experience – residents go by what is available at the markets to set their seasonal clock. Slowly beginning to emerge in the markets throughout Barcelona are velvety mushrooms, artichokes, pears, pumpkins, chestnuts and sweet potatoes, marking the arrival of Autumn with their fuller, richer flavours and warming qualities.

There are so many ways to enjoy the culinary offerings in Barcelona this Autumn; be it snacking on roast chestnuts in the street, casually perusing one of the Artisan food markets, immersing yourself in a course of seasonal Catalan cuisine or inviting a private chef to cook in your own home. Here is a a selection of our favourites.

A clandestine dining experience
With pop-up restaurants and supper clubs an established phenomenon in cities across the world, it was only a matter of time until they began popping up here.

Kathleen Englehardt is storming the culinary scene here in Barcelona with her fresh and original Jezebel’s Clandestine Dining nights – transforming ordinary domestic spaces into unique restaurants for the evening. Taking place in various hip locations around Barcelona with a very limited availability of tickets, the next supper clubs take place on October 22nd and November 19th. Chef Kathleen is also available to privately cater for guests in the comfort of your own home, with prices ranging from 45€ to 75€. Email for details.

www.jezebelsclandestinedining.com
Email Kathleen

An artisan food market – mercado de comida artesana

In the heart of the old gothic quarter, this October 14th and 15th will see the charming Plaça de Pi packed with stalls of locally produced, artesan food; cheese, olive oil, honey, turrón, jams, biscuits, dulce de membrillo (quince jelly – a catalan delicacy), handmade kitchen utensils and embroidery, among plenty of other delights. Everything is made either in Barcelona or its environs and the market is a wonderful place to pick up a gift for fellow foodies and loved ones.

Plaça del Pi gourmet food market
Placa de Pi

Cook and Taste
If you are looking for a hands-on introduction to Catalan cuisine, Cook and Taste offers half and full-day cookery courses, presenting a seasonal menu that includes two tapas, paella (meat or seafood) and a traditional Catalan dessert. The courses kick off with a walk around La Boquería with a local who will guide you through the subtleties of market purchases – how, when and where to buy the freshest ingredients. All menus can be adapted according to diet restrictions and include wine, with a list of translated recipes to take back home to enjoy afterwards.

Cook and Taste
C/ Paradís 3
933 02 13 20
www.cookandtaste.net

Chestnuts roasting on an open-fire….
Castanyeras – an age old tradition, these stalls trading freshly roasted castanyas (chestnuts) and boniatos (sweet potatoes) are already out in force on the streets of Barcelona. The smoky aroma of charcoal is heavy in the air on every other street corner throughout the city as older generations guard the hot steel barrels. A warming afternoon snack, pay around 2.50€ for a cone of chestnuts to eat as you meander the city.

Sometimes it can be a chore to find good quality, authentic oriental food in the city that isn’t a 500 capacity, all-you-can-eat, Chinese-Argentinian-Japanese-Catalan buffet/grill hotchpotch. There are some fine Japanese restaurants, but when it comes to authentic Chinese or Vietnamese, where’s the homemade dim sum when you need it? Where’s a classically nourishing, clear Asian broth – the soul food lauded by scientists and mothers the world over, not to mention hung-over twenty somethings?

You’ll only find the real deal at Mosquito, whose motto is “Life without DUMPLING is not worth living” – and I couldn’t agree more. An intimate French-run establishment but orchestrated exclusively by Chinese and Vietnamese staff in the kitchen, this place also invites you to sample a beer (or two) from their wall-to-wall selection of little-known Catalan, Dutch and German beers as you enjoy their “exotic tapas”. The brews also double up as a great distraction as you may have to wait to be seated – it’s very popular, especially during peak hours. The English-speaking staff are polite and jovial, and will happily help you decipher the menu (only in Catalan at present).

Get there before 5 to enjoy some of the finest original Vietnamese street-food – Pho Bo (pronounced Fu-h Bo-h), a steaming broth of pure health-giving goodness. Presented in generous bowls with a hefty web of rice-noodles and topped with beef and coriander, the idea is to garnish the soup yourself with chili, basil, mint, lime and beansprouts, making it as sinus clearing as you so please. Other specialties to recommend include the sticky pork ribs (costellas de porc), superb Thai fishcakes (Bunyols de peix thai) beef dumplings (Vedella shuijao) and cabbage salad (amanida de col), as well as several tofu and other vegetarian-friendly dishes. Exercise caution when ordering, however – the dishes are small but very more-ish.

- Mosquito – Exotic Tapas
C/ Carders, 46
08003 Barcelona

“If you don’t like it, it’s your own fault”

However you look at it, La Tomaquera is “special”. There’s no telephone, they don’t accept reservations and if you ask to see the wine list, the waiter will march off chuckling to himself, later returning with a carafe of house wine – you’ll drink what they drink. And that’s after he’s served the locals at the table next to you first, even though they arrived ten minutes later. 


What may be brusque to some is charming to others, but lets be honest, you’re here for the food and that’s what’ll get you hooked. They know that as well as you do, and as they casually slide an appetizer of delicately boiled ous de guatlla (boiled quail eggs) onto the chequered tablecloth, you may just catch a glimpse in the waiter’s eye that tells you he knows you’re going to love it. Of course, Catalan cuisine wouldn’t be complete without pan amb tomaquet (bread with tomato) – in this place a Do It Yourself version, rubbing whole tomatoes onto the toast followed by a generous glug of olive oil and sprinkle of salt. 


Then it comes to the grill – a banquet of juicy grilled conejo (rabbit – a catalan delicacy), botifarra (typical Spanish sausage) and porc. In most cases a parillada is the best option for larger groups, a fine selection of mouth-wateringly tender, locally sourced cuts. The caracoles (snails) and alcachofas (artichokes) are other catalan delights well worth a try. And that’s before you’ve even considered the famous crema catalana or rice pudding.

Take it or leave it – it’s all part of the song and dance that you can choose to join in, or get upset about and ruin the show. Either way, you’ll definitely feel part of the action here, wedged between crowded tables of loud Catalans competing for airtime in their native tongue. This is as “local” Catalan as you’ll find anywhere this side of the Pyrenees, and the food speaks for itself.

Open: Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 16:30 and 19:00 to 22:45

La Tomaquera
Carrer de Margarit, 58

Despite a generally gloomy outlook for the Spanish economy, the last several months have seen a swell in Barcelona’s cocktail culture, perhaps as a way to drown our sorrows or – more optimistically – as a clink of the glass towards a brighter future.


Until recently, cocktails had been reserved for more chic areas of the city, where some of the most famous cocteleros (or cocktail waiters) offer up their experimental creations for a discerning crowd.

Rather unexpectedly then, Tahiti has found a home for itself in the scruffy heart of Raval, giving a nod to the golden era of fifties Americana with an elegant tiki-twist. The bartenders are all immaculately suited behind the red-vinyl bar (you’ll find no Hawaiian shirts here – unless you’re wearing one) and will happily mix you a classic Old Fashioned or Mai Tai while you wait in the classic diner-style booth, listening to smooth pacific melodies on the jukebox. Get there early to avoid a sobering queue.

C/ Joaquin Costa 39, 08001 Barcelona
Hours
Mon – Thurs: 19:00 – 02:30
Fri – Sun: 19:00 – 03:00

Whether you are content to sip fine wines in an elegant environment within Barcelona or would rather go for a full stomping ruta de vino in the hills beyond, Catalunya is certainly not off the world-class map when it comes to turning grape-growing into wine-tasting.

The closest wine region to Barcelona is Penedès, found to the south-west of the city. Its varied climate means a broad range of excellent bottles are produced, from delicate whites to substantial reds as well as the famous cava, a sparkling wine made a la traditional. Producers to look out for include: Conde de Caralt, Miguel Torres, Masía Bach and Juvé y Camps.

The two towns at the heart of Catalunya’s favourite wine-producing region are under an hour by train from Barcelona. Vilafranca de Penedès is a busy market town, which houses the Museu del Vi (Wine Museum) in a 14^th Century Royal Palace, while Sant Sadurni, five miles away, is the home of cava and its two famous producers: Codorníu and Freixenet. 

Hot, freshly fried calamares are a firm favourite, and the house specialties: melt-in-the mouth paprika-dusted octopus, patatas bravas, home-made ham and potato croquets and pork-skewers also feature among the symphony of flavours at this down-to-earth, hospitable grazing spot.

Decked out with old-world charm from floor to ceiling and graced with friendly service, Bar Celta is one of the city’s best-kept secrets. The prices are refreshingly easy to swallow, ranking from 2-6 Euros per tapa and a glass of the house vino will go down surprisingly easy at just a Euro! Open daily from noon till 1am.

Bar Celta
C/Mercé , 16 (Barrio Gótico)
Phone : +34 93 315 00 06

If you love wine, Monvinic will be your Eden. This macro-universe dedicated to the fruit of the vine opened in July 2008, following 5 years in the making and is in the words of its founders “…an international benchmark as a centre for the dissemination of wine.”

This gorgeous, contemporary space in the heart of town, includes a cellar sourced from every corner of the globe, a bar, a gourmet dining area, a library, a conference/wine tasting space and a multimedia art installation entitled “In Vino Veritas” all of which pay homage to the beverage. Everything offered within the Monvinic space works in harmony with wine drinking.

The attention to detail and novelty is evident: creative, contemporary cuisine is spearheaded by chef Sergi de Meià, and complemented by bilingual menus projected on the wall, a digital wine-list and to top it all off in style, the waiters memorize orders rather than taking notes. Monvinic’s amply stacked library is dedicated to worldwide wine history and cultivation, and includes computers for research. (Yes, you can take your glass in with you!) Wine-tasting sessions are also offered in the conference/seminar space where you can quibble and quaff to your heart’s content.

Open: from Monday to Friday from 13.00 to 23.00.
The kitchen is open from 13.30 to 15.30 and from 20.30 to 22.30.
Saturday and Sunday closed.

Monvínic
Diputación 249
Tel: 93 2726187
www.monvinic.com