My Top 5 Montsant wines (red)

Do you like wine? If you like it and think of Spanish red wine you probably think of Rioja and Ribera del Duero and maybe you are also aware of Priorat. But, have you heard of Montsant wines? Less known abroad than Priorat but grown in a neighbouring area, Montsant wines have been a local success in the recent years. In the Montsant area wine has been grown over the centuries but it was recently that a younger, more ambitious generation took over the old wineries and developed a more sophisticated product using the traditional grapes (carinyena and garnatxa mainly) but not excluding more posh grapes such as cabernet sauvignon. If you have to buy wine or you must choose a bottle in a restaurant, have a look at Montsant red wines and their excellent quality-price relation.

My Top 5 Montsant wines

 

• MAS COLLET NEGRE, a red-wine made of grape varieties:  cabernet sauvignon, carignan, grenache, and tempranillo in Celler de Capçanes (95/100 for 2010)
• DIDO, a red-wine made of cabernet sauvignon, and grenache, merlot by Venus La Universal (92/100 for 2009)
• VENUS, this red-wine is made with carignan, grenache, syrah by Venus La Universal (94/100 for 2009)
• PERLAT is a red-wine made of grape varieties: carignan, grenache, and syrah in Cellers Unió (87/100 for 2009)
• ETIM NEGRE, red-wine made of carignan, grenache, and syrah by  Cooperativa Falset Marçà (91/100 for 2009)

 In this website, you will find more information on Montsant wines: http://www.domontsant.com/en/page/wines

 

 

Japanese Restaurant near Sagrada Familia: Can Kenji

Japanese restaurant, on the way to Sagrada Familia

Rosselló 325

Tel. 93 476 18 23

http://cankenji.com/cankenji/?page_id=27

If you like Japanese food and you are on your way from/to Sagrada Familia, Can Kenji is worth the visit. It is located in a quite hidden place, in the ground floor an apartment building in the corner Bailèn / Rosselló streets. The restaurant is small and decoration simple, but food is really excellent and prices kept low. Can Kenji has more than sashimi or sushi in the menu: noodles are excellent and also tataki. As said, if you are visiting Sagrada Familia and you don’t feel like eating at one of the fast-food dens L that are just opposite to the temple, remember Can Kenji is just a few blocks away, very near Passeig de Sant Joan.

Eduardo Mendoza (writer)

Check his entry at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Mendoza_Ceballos

And official website (Spanish): http://www.clubcultura.com/clubliteratura/clubescritores/mendoza/home.htm

If you are visiting Barcelona or coming to live here, you may be interested to know a little more about it. Eduardo Mendoza work, sometimes hilarious, may help you. His works El misterio de la cripta embrujada and El laberinto de las aceitunas will introduce you to the Barcelona of the late 80’ through a character – half nuts, half marginal – that you will love. In Sin noticias de Gurb the main character is an alien landing in pre-Olimpics Barcelona. Also, absolute fun. Finally, I will recommend La ciudad de los prodigios for a look to an older Barcelona (beginning of the 20^th century). He has written many other novels – inferior to the ones mentioned, in my opinion. Many (if not all) of his work has been translated into English.

Films: REC and REC2

To see some of the film: http://movies.filmax.com/rec/

To read about the building (Spanish): http://www.bdebarna.net/v2/mapa.php?mapa_id=109&historia=1832

If you like scary movies, try to see REC and REC2. Both are Spanish movies, recorded in Barcelona with a short budget but solid ideas. I especially like the first REC for its first minutes, introducing what would be a typical “escala de veins”. The real site where REC was filmed is in Rambla Catalunya 34, near Passeig de Gràcia. It is a complete building in the city center but no one lives or works there. The owner rents it for films or advertisement recordings. Curious, isn’t it? Since REC it has become one of the most popular sites in Barcelona for terror movies lovers.

BAR JOAN (MERCAT DE SANTA CATERINA)

Eat on a budget, Born

Avinguda de Francesc Cambó, 16

www.mercatsantacaterina.net

opens at market hours (Tuesday to Friday morning and evening, Saturday morning until lunch time)

Mercat de Santa Caterina is not popular among tourist. Here you will not find the stalls selling cut fruit or the tourist crowds you will find in La Boqueria. Although it has been completely renewed (including the roof, inspired in Gaudi), Santa Caterina is still a neighbourghood market – that alone would be enough reason to visit it. But Santa Caterina has more than that: it is very near the cathedral – just cross Via Laietana -, it has a moderately priced restaurant with Catalan and international specialities and it has Bar Joan. To find Bar Joan you have to enter Santa Caterina and go to the opposite end of the market. Bar Joan is a plain bar crowded with locals. Tortillas and bocadillos are excellent while prices are low. They have also a choice of traditional tapas. And here, “you will do as romans do” ;-P

LA BOTIFARRERIA

Shopping, Born

Santa Maria 4 (next to the Església de Santa Maria del Mar and Fossar de les Moreres)

Opens Monday to Friday form 8.30 to 14.30 and 17 to 20.30 and Saturday morning

La Botifarreria is a small, normally fully booked shop just next to Santa Maria del Mar. Their speciality is the most typical food in Catalonias: “botifarra”, a pork sausage that is cooked in a hot pan. In La Botifarreria they have developed botifarres and have a wide choice of them. From botifarra dolça (sweet) to botifarres with “alls tendres” or different kinds of mushrooms. My suggestion would be buying different kinds of them and sharing – so you can try a bit of (almost) everything. La Botifarreria counts also with other catalan specialities such as Catalan cheeses and “botifarra d’ou” or “fuet” which doesn’t need cooking.

FLORISTERIAS NAVARRO

Flowers, plants

València 324 (between Roger de Llúria and Girona Streets)

Always open

www.floristeriasnavarro.es

If you feel like buying some flowers or a plant, or you just have to make a present and it is late and everything is closed, you can always count on Floristerías Navarro. Their shop, near Mercat de la Concepció and Passeig de Gràcia is a “classic” of Barcelona. They have a nice choice of flowers, affordable prices and efficient shop attendants.

Restaurant LA PARADETA

eating on a budget, sea-food

http://www.laparadeta.com/

different restaurants in Barcelona and Sitges (see their web for adresses)

opened Tuesday to Saturday at dinner time + Saturday and Sunday for lunch

Near Sagrada Familia: Passatge Simó, 18

La Paradeta is success among locals: informal restaurants, with very good price-quality relation for fresh fish and sea-food. It is true that they have always the same choice of fish and sea-food. It is also true that restaurants may turn very noisy and you can not reserve, so you will probably have to wait if you go there at the rush-hours, but still there are few places where three people can eat fresh tuna, prawns, "pescadito frito", "chipirones" plus a few other delicatessen including white wine for 58€ (june 2010). See their web to learn about their philosophy and remember: don't order salad - is the only big gap in the menu!

COLMADO MURRIA

shopping, gourmet products, Catalan specialities

carrer Roger de Llúria, 85 (corner carrer València - two blocks away from Passeig de Gràcia)

http://www.murria.cat/

Tel.: 93 215 57 89

If you feel like buying excellent "Terrasses" Priorat wine or superb "El Nevat" goat cheese, Murria is the place to go. They also have plenty other products, catalan and international, all excellent quality. Prices are not low cost, of course, but their quality is worth the price you pay for it. Apart from that, Murria is modernist botiga and very worth seeing it. If you don't feel like buying anything, you still should drop by and have a look at the façana and the shop attendants.

BOOKING A TAXI IN BARCELONA: TAXI CLASS

transportation
Phone: +34 93 307 07 07

If you compare their rates to Paris or London fares, you will probably find Barcelona's taxis cheap. By Spanish standards, they are quite expensive. On the other hand, they have a well deserved reputation of trying to cheat tourists. And they have the right to charge you extra for picking up or dropping you at railway stations, airport, plus several other extra charges they are entitled to. A taxi ride from the city center to the airport, can easily go up to 40€ (prices of 2010). Having said so, if you are still in the mood to get a taxi, Taxi Class is not the worst option. All their cars are Mercedes Benz, they take credit card and do normally pick you up at the time and place agreed upon.

They have an app so you can reserve from your smartphone:

http://www.taxiclassrent.com/reservamovil.aspx

and online:

http://www.taxiclassrent.com/reservaonline.aspx

SUSHI JAPONES MIDORI

Inside the market ABACERIA CENTRAL also known as MERCAT DE L'ESTRELLA in Gràcia (Travessera de Gracia 86)
Opening hours: opening hours in the market, that is Monday to Friday from 9am to 2pm and from 5.30pm to 8pm and Saturday morning
Phone: +34 932 855 100

It's a parada inside the market so all their food is to take away. In fact, it belongs to a Chinese who learnt about Japanese food in Amsterdam (if that is not globalisation, what else can be?) Midori has the classic choice of take away Japanese food – so don't look for innovative cuisine here - but they offer good quality and moderate prices. They have some dishes already made and ready to buy but can also prepare anything in their menu in a few minutes. Very good value if you are in Gracia or nearby.

TICKETS FOR BUS AND UNDERGROUND IN BARCELONA: T-10 tiquet

T-10

costs 7,85 € for 1 zona (area) in 2010

transportation

for maps of the Public Transportation network in Barcelona, see www.tmb.cat

T-10 is the most popular bus-underground-ferrocarrils ticket. It is worth 10 travels within Barcelona (in case of T10 for Area or zona 1) and allows you to switch between bus, metro and ferrocarrils at no extra charge within 1h and 15 minutes from the moment you validate the travel. It can be used by different people travelling together – in this case, you have to remember that the "switching right" will only apply to the last travel validated.

UPDATE 2014: T-10 price has raised to 10,30€ for 1 zona. 

LIBRARY CARD - FREE WI-FI

PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN BARCELONA

Each Library has its timeschedule. They usally are open Monday to Saturday.

Nice libraries are Sagrada Familia or Jaume Fuster. See the whole network in http://sinera.diba.cat/search*

If you’re staying in Barcelona for a while, you may find the Network of Municipal Libraries useful. It is not only a wide network of small libraries distributed in all Barcelona but also a place to connect to the internet for free. The only condition is to have the library card that identifies you as a user of the Network of Municipal Libraries of the province of Barcelona. It allows you to use those public library services that require identification and to enjoy many advantages in the sphere of culture (discounts on entrance tickets, specialised shops, etc.). The card is free, does not expire and may be requested by any member of the public. This library card is valid in all public libraries in Catalonia. You will be requested to have an official ID to get the card (your passport would be enough). Here is the formular you have to fill in to get the card: http://sinera.diba.cat/screens*/formulari3.html. It can also be obtained directly in any library.

Unfortunately the choice of books in foreign languages tends to be limited.

ESGLÉSIA DE LA CONCEPCIÓ

ESGLÉSIA DE LA CONCEPCIÓ

A place to relax

Carrer Aragó 299 (in the corner with Roger de Llúria, barely 10 minutes away from Passeig de Gràcia)

It is hard to believe that a real Gothic Church exists so near of the modernist cornerstones in Passeig de Gràcia. Originally, it stood as the Convent de Santa Maria de Jonqueres, very near of Plaça Urquinaona, close to the Roman Walls. When Barcelona started growing, the council thought it was needed to open a new road (Via Laietana) – luckily the Convent was not destroyed but moved stone by stone to the Eixample. The church tower also belonged to a Gothic church in the city center. In this case, it belonged to the Església de Sant Miquel which was placed behind the City Council. Both elements, put together with some small adaptations form the present Església de la Concepció.

El Fornet d'en Rossend

EL FORNET D’EN ROSSEND

(Quick bite)

Rambla Catalunya 82 (in the Eixample, very near Passeig de Gràcia, Pedrera & Casa Batlló)

 

Are you visiting the modernist sites in Passeig de Gràcia and would like to have a quick bite or sit for a while? Please, don’t spend your money in the overpriced eateries in Passeig de Gràcia.

 

Rambla Catalunya is just a few meters away and it is much more relaxing. You will see where barcelonians hide from the tourist crowd!

 

El Fornet d’en Rossed is very convenient if you want to eat something quick (salads, sandwiches). Quality is good and prices ok. They have a terrasse in Rambla Catalunya (self service, order inside) so you will enjoy a well deserved rest, while seeing barcelonians walk past.