Barcelona

Charlie Kendrick 22/08/2022 Charlie Kendrick 22/08/2022

El Jardí de l'Abadessa

CUISINE

The main attraction of El Jardï is told in the name itself, the garden. Set in the ‘exclusive neighbourhood of Pedrables’, this tranquil spot offers relief away from the hustle and bustle of Barcelona’s centre. The menu offers the classic Catalonian specialties, as well as a selection of main dishes. You can enjoy a meal in the Inner Room, Garden Terrace or the Cocktail Area.

MY SCRAN CHOICE

As we were in a group of around 10 of us, sharing plates was the order of the day. We ordered a vast array of traditional Spanish dishes.

PLATE 1

‘Coca Bread with Tomato’

A Spanish staple: simple but effective. It’s always a nice start to tapas by tucking into some tomato-smothered bread.

PLATE 2

‘Croquetes de Pemil Ibèric and Ceps’

These croquetes were slightly underwhelming, but I suppose once you have tried out Bar Cañete’s, your expectations will have risen. They were still enjoyable though and perfect on a hangover.

PLATE 3

‘200g Burrata on a Bed of Roasted Aubergine and Sundried Tomato, Anchovies and Pistachio Pesto’

Again, I felt somewhat disappointed with this burrata. The olives and tomatoes felt scattered around the plate and there was no real unison with the rocket and pistachio pesto. The dish felt a little dry, but the next dish certainly went some way to counter this…

PLATE 4

‘Patatas Bravas by Jardí Abadessa with Homemade Aioli and 5-Pepper Oil’

Patatas bravas in Spain are something else… The sauce complemented the crispy potatoes to good effect. You can’t have tapas without patatas bravas.

PLATE 5

‘Bellota Ham’

The meat is always excellently sourced in tapas-focused restaurants. The thinly cut ham worked well in unison with the burrata and/or the coca bread.

PLATE 6

‘Fried Baby Squid with Free-Range Egg’

The calamari was delightfully crunchy and enjoyable, but I felt the addition of the egg was a peculiar idea and felt a little out of place on the dish. I would have preferred a creative dip for the fried squid.

REFRESHMENTS

‘A bottle of Torre del Veguer 2019’

The wine was very nice and worked well alongside the tapas during lunch-time.

THE FEE

The fee was reasonable as we did not over-order, which could have occurred, especially as there were ten of us. However, I felt part of the price was due to the pricey neighbourhood and atmosphere and less associated with the food.

THE REVIEW

Overall, it was a lovely lunch out, as the atmosphere and spacious setting makes it perfect for a group meal. Away from the chaos of Barcelona’s centre, you’ll feel at peace tucking into tapas. Some of the dishes were a little disappointing, but the restaurant’s general ‘vibe’ outweighed the food’s quality in regard to my lasting feeling.

Room for Improvement?

I would certainly look to improve the creativity of some of the dishes, most notably the calamari and the burrata, as well as their presentation. On the whole though, it is a delightful location for a restaurant and so a bit of fine tuning would give it an extra wow factor.

THE EYE TEST

THE TASTE TEST

SERVICE

ATMOSPHERE

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

- PATATAS BRAVAS -

FINAL MATCH RATING

LOCATION

Address: El Jardí de l’Abadessa, Carrer de l'Abadessa Olzet, 26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain

Website: https://www.jardiabadessa.com/

Charlie Kendrick 18/08/2022 Charlie Kendrick 18/08/2022

Bar Cañete

CUISINE

This highly renowned Spanish local is known for its high quality tapas. With a plethora of options on the menu, you will find yourself overwhelmed for choice (…but I guess that’s what will bring you back). The fish and seafood is sourced locally from the Catalan markets and the vegetables are in equally local and in season.

MY SCRAN CHOICE

We were fortunate enough to get in on the action by sitting on the counter to experience front-row viewing. This spoilt the surprise to a certain extent as we saw some of the enticing dishes be plated up before our eyes, but this had a silver lining, as we then knew which specialties to order. We opted for a selection of different appetisers, snacks and special plates.

PLATE 1

‘Lobster Croquette with our secret ingredient’

I have tried out my fair share of croquettes recently, but it was interesting to taste a surprise iteration of the Spanish classic. I could not decipher what the secret ingredient was, but it was decadent, whilst the lobster was a nice relief away from the usual ham croquettes Spain offers.

PLATE 2

‘Belotta ham croquette’

Onto the aforementioned ham croquettes, these were done to a standard you would come to expect in a Spanish tapas joint: consistent and flavourful.

PLATE 3

‘Toasted flatbread with tomato’

These were toasted to perfection and were extra crispy. A nice, light plate after the croquettes commenced proceedings.

PLATE 4

‘Crispy marinated monkfish with Kimchi mayonnaise’

As Cañete highlighted its locally sourced fish on its website, it felt right to try out the fried monkfish, it looked right up my street. It was presented well, the monkfish very tender and the mayonnaise certainly helped balance the dish.

PLATE 5

‘Chorizo sausage sandwich’

A simple plate, but a traditional one in Spain. It all depends on the quality of the chorizo and in this case, it did not disappoint.

PLATE 6

‘Tender spicy octopus with tomato’

My personal favourite. It was very rich, as octopus’ flavours by nature are powerful, but the mild spice gave it that extra kick. It was not chewy in any sense and this hearty portion satisfied my lunch-time hunger.

REFRESHMENTS

‘A glass of Gregal d’Espiells 2021’

I enjoyed a lovely glass of White to accompany the Tapas on a warm sunny day in Barcelona.

THE FEE

A reasonably priced affair if you do not over-indulge yourself by ordering too much. I would recommend sharing only a couple of the main plates as the appetisers deceive with how filling they are.

THE REVIEW

I thoroughly enjoyed going to one of the most eminent tapas spots in Barcelona. You could tell it was popular due to the waiting time to walk in and the fact every table was snapped up. The food was great and I loved the atmosphere. It was rowdy and the staff were evidently loving their jobs, such was the contagious camaraderie between them. I’d recommend a visit if you want simple tapas executed excellently.

Room for Improvement?

Although the atmosphere was spot-on, a minor criticism, but it felt like they tried to pack in as many seats on the counter as possible, thus some more space would have been nice. Other than that, a great showing.