From a humble two-story abode, chef Marc Font Garriga serves home-style Catalonian Spanish cuisine.
The work of Catalonia’s most famous son, architect Antoni Gaudi, inspires the facade, where floor-to-ceiling windows are framed by organic, cave-like pillars. Inside is more straightforward, with simple square tables and a deli counter brightened up by colorful mosaic tiles and a hand-painted mural of Barcelona. Take the odd, neon-lit spiral staircase upstairs to a room where a TV loops what could well be Spanish tourism board-approved videos of people frolicking on the beach.
Like the setting, the food is also charmingly rough around the edges, with huge portions coming at relatively low prices. Take the Valencia paella (B575 for two or B880 for four) which is fully loaded with saffron fragrance. The dish is super-tasty, even if the uniformity of the ingredients (three prawns, three mussels in the small-size) and lack of crisp rice base make it clear you’re not dining in some Barcelona back street. If you’re looking for bang for your baht, B380 gets you an excellent platter of mixed croquetas, where the crunchy fried casing hides juicy and flavorful fillings like mushroom and squid.
The gambes a l’allet (garlic prawns, B260) come swimming in a pungent, garlic-spiked olive oil that’s begging to be mopped up with a crispy baguette—shame about the dry, scrawny prawns. Similarly moreish is the chistorra sausage with onion cooked in white wine (B210). While produce and execution occasionally fall flat, you could rarely accuse Barcelona Gaudi of lacking flavor. Anyway, you can always play it safe with cold cuts like a plate of serrano ham (B150) and a pitcher of sangria (B250/B650).
Dessert is not overlooked here, with the menu listing an extensive 10 options. The churros (B140) are notable for their mild saltiness, though they’re missing the fluffy interior we’d hope for, and the dipping sauce is disappointingly watery, more like a hot chocolate. We’d instead go for the la pinya (B175), a sweet pineapple cannelloni flanked by a vanilla ice cream that’s slightly gritty.
Reliable, welcoming and pocket-friendly, this deli-restaurant is like the Catalonian version of Pizza Pala Romana—remember to pick up some black olives (B80), chorizo burger patties (B90) or marinated salmon (B175) before you set off home. Corkage B300
This review took place in July 2017 and is based on a visit to the restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge. For more on BK's review policy, click here.
