[Barcelona] Toto Restaurant & Wine Bar

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[Barcelona] Toto Restaurant & Wine Bar

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Toto Restaurant & Wine Bar

Add: Carrer de València 246, Barcelona
Tel: +34 934 67 67 29
Hours: 1-4:30pm, 8pm~12:30am
Website: www.ilovetoto.es
Price: €25~35/person
Visited on: Jan 2013

Just opened in December 2013, Toto Restaurant & Wine Bar is a new trendy place to visit in Barcelona. The “contemporary Italian” cuisine here wasn’t exactly a hit for me, but I absolutely loved the interior design by Lazaro Rosa-Violan. He’s got various styles layering and blending together seamlessly, creating a cozy, sophisticated space with just a touch of whimsy.

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[Barcelona] Paco Meralgo

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[Barcelona] Paco Meralgo

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Paco Meralgo

Add: Carrer de Muntaner, 171, 08036 Barcelona
Tel: +34 934 30 90 27
Hours: 1-4pm, 8pm-12:30am
Website: www.pacomeralgo.com
Price: €20~30/person
Visited on: Jan 2013

In a city where most bars shut down on Sunday nights, the 7/7 open Paco Meralgo becomes all the more indispensable. A wordplay on “para comer algo” (to eat something), Paco Meralgo is a simple place that serves quality tapas, including supposedly Barcelona’s greatest tomato bread. Great for a casual lunch, afternoon snack, or dinner.

The space is comprised of two mirror-imaged sections, with seats spread along the bar and around small high tables. Decor is minimalist, so the focus naturally falls on its seafood-laden bar.

Grilled razor clams (€9.70), something we ordered during almost every meal in Barcelona. So fresh, just can’t get enough of these.

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[Barcelona] Espai Sucre

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[Barcelona] Espai Sucre

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Espai Sucre

Add: Carrer de la Princesa, 53, 08003 Barcelona
Tel: +34 932 68 16 30
Hours:  [Tue-Thu] 9~11:30pm [Fri-Sat] 8:30pm~late (closed on Sun)
Website: www.espaisucre.com
Price: €35~55/set
Visited on: Jan 2013

When Espai Sucre (“Sugar Space”) opened in 2000, it claimed to be the first and only restaurant in the world to be entirely devoted to desserts. This is perhaps true, and the restaurant has even been credited by the New York Times for inspiring the subsequent dessert bar/restaurant movement in New York City. 12 years have gone by since it first opened…what does Espai Sucre look like today?

The small, minimally decorated dining room was half empty when we visited on a weekday evening. The door was (and is apparently perpetually) locked, so customers must ring the doorbell to enter – not quite sure why the setup is like this as it doesn’t seem very welcoming.

Open kitchen.

Espai Sucre offers various tasting menus ranging from €35 to €55, no a la carte. The Tasting Menu 1 (€50+10% vat) I tried includes 5 courses and petits fours, with mostly sweet but also a few savory dishes. First came a trio of amuse bouches, starting with these crisps topped with pear gelee, paprika sausage, and onions.

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[Barcelona] Dos Palillos

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[Barcelona] Dos Palillos

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Dos Pailillos

Add: Elisabets, 9, El Raval, Barcelona
Tel: +34 933 04 05 13
Hours: [Tue-Wed] 7:30~11:30pm [Thu-Sat] 1:30~3:30pm, 7:30~11:30pm
Website: www.dospalillos.com
Price: [bar] €35~50/person [restaurant] €60~75/set
Visited on: Jan 2013

As much as I enjoyed the endless feasts of tapas in Barcelona, a craving for something different took over entirely on my last night in town. This was when I thought of Dos Palillos, a Japanese/Spanish fusion restaurant bar by Albert Raurich, a Ferran Adrià disciple, the chef de cuisine at El Bulli from 1999 to 2007. Just browsing through the online menu, I noiced that Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese elements are also incorporated in the food…fusion confusion? Let’s give it a try.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a last minute reservation for the restaurant (which has been awarded with a Michelin star, by the way), so instead we sat at the walk-in only bar. While the restaurant side serves only tasting menus (€60 and €75), the bar side serves only a la carte items, though with many overlaps.

Start with a glass of cava – bertha brut nature reserva (€3.80/glass).

Oyster grilled with sake (€6.80), plump, lukewarm, with a shot of sake. Perfect appetizer.

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[Barcelona] El Quim

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[Barcelona] El Quim

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El Quim

Add: Boqueria Market, La Rambla, 91, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
Tel: +34 933 01 98 10
Hours: [Tue-Thu] 7am~4pm [Fri-Sat] 7am~5pm (closed on Mon & Sun)
Website: elquimdelaboqueria.com
Price: €35~45/person
Visited on: Jan 2013

Chef Quim Márquez Durán has been in the Boqueria Market for some 20 years and naturally knows where to get the finest ingredients. His 18-stool restaurant, located in the heart of the market, serves incredibly fresh and tasty plates for breakfast, tapas, and lunch. Grab a stool, and get eating.

Padrón green peppers (€6.50).

Razor clams (€15).

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[Barcelona] Taktika Berri

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[Barcelona] Taktika Berri

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Taktika Berri

Add: Carrer Valencia, 169, Barcelona, 08011
Tel: +34 934 534 759
Hours: 1~4pm, 8:30-11pm (closed Sat evening and Sun)
Price: €1.45/pintxos
Visited on: Jan 2013

Dinner at Taktika Berri was hands down the most memorable meal I had in Barcelona. This restaurant/bar specializes in pintxos – bite-sized delicacies held together with toothpicks – and is recognized by many as the best Basque restaurant in Barcelona. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is convivial, and what makes the experience all the more unforgettable is the system of eating here. More details below.

Here is what to do. Get here early to line up at the door, preferably 10~15 minutes before the restaurant opens. As soon as the door opens, try to get a seat at the bar as close to the inside as possible, which will make life much easier later on. Once you are seated, ask for a plate. Cold pinchos will be placed on the bar, feel free to grab whatever you fancy eating, just make sure you save all the toothpicks. Don’t be alarmed if there are hands reaching over you to get the food – this is completely normal. Hot dishes will come out one by one haphazardly, and the popular items will go fast so do make an effort to get them before they disappear (and this is why you should sit as close to the inner end of the bar as possible).

It’s totally mad, and it’s totally fun.

Don’t forget to try a glass of Txakoli (€1.80), a slightly sparkling, very dry white wine typical in the Basque Country.

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[Barcelona] Quimet & Quimet

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[Barcelona] Quimet & Quimet

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Quimet & Quimet

Add: Carrer del Poeta Cabanyes, 25, 08004 Barcelona
Tel: +34 934 42 31 42
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 12~4pm, 7~10:30pm [Sat] 12~4pm (closed on Sun)
Price: €20~30/person
Visited on:  Jan 2013

A lively, standing room only bodega run by the 4th generation of Quims. This tiny space is lined with wines and spirits from floor to ceiling, creating a snug and cozy atmosphere. Come here for some wickedly tasty montaditos (mini open-faced sandwiches), a few glasses of good wine, and a whole lot of good humor. A must visit when in Barcelona.

I was lucky to have gone to Quimet & Quimet with a local friend so I didn’t have to worry about ordering, but in case you are overwhelmed by the menu, just ask the man behind the bar to put together an assortment for you.

Started off with a dish of cockles (€7.50) just to wake up the palate.

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