La Columna -- Second Review on Dinner

 La Columna -- Baix 40, Girona; tel. 972237777

La Columna

As promised, I got an update on this restaurant. This time I went for dinner. Different from many other restaurants in Spain, La Columna serves dinner as early as 8:00. In the evening, they light their impressive parrilla. It proved to be nice and comfy to sit near the huge fireplace.

Corner of the fireplace

A fire was kept at the corner and amber was taken out for cooking as needed. The whole atmosphere of the restaurant was informal and relaxing, with a TV in the background.

Grill

This time I tried their Calçot menu: 10-12 calçots, a platter of grilled meat, dessert and wine, which costed less than 20 euros.

Appetizers

An appetizer was served, with cheese (queso curado) and sausage (chorizo) on a piece of bread.

Calçots

However, I had to wait for quite some time before the calçots were served. Some friends of the chef came after us, and somehow they got their calçots before me. We received a half-hearted explanation that it was because they had reserved their calçots beforehand. It was not a big problem, but it certainly affected the overall impression of the service.

Graellada de carn

The second dish, graellada de carn, with 2 types of sausages, chicken, pork ribs and bacon. It was disappointing. The meat was a bit dry and quite salty.

Entrecot a la brasa

My companions had entrecot a la brasa, grilled beef steak. They were good.

Coulant de chocolate

For dessert, there was not any more surprise. I did not fancy the pineapple again, and had an ice-cream. We tried a coulant de chocolate, which is a good dessert (if you like chocolate) with runny chocolate that flows out when you open the cake; but this one was cold, and it tasted more like ice-cream than what we were expecting from a coulant.

The chef was on the whole friendly when he was going in and coming out from the kitchen to attend to the grill. His wife, who was the waitress, was helpful and very pleasant. The other associate was also very pleasant.

I think the fish dishes fare better than the meat, and my high hopes built from the lunch experience were unfairly imposed on them. It is a good restaurant for relaxing and informal family meals, as it intends to be.

Update:

I had another occasion to try another menu with mussles, paella and dessert, which includes bread, wine and water. The mussles was elaborated with a wine sauce. The dishes were delicious. I think definitely fish and seafood are the chef's strength. For the same menu, other options are available: salad and fideuà. It costed 14 euros.

La Columna

La Columna -- Baix 40, Girona; tel. 972237777

I have been to this restaurant a couple of times, and it hides a most pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, in none of the two occasions did I have a camera with me. But I plan to try dinner there, so next time I will be more prepared for a fuller report.

This restaurant is out of the way of the city centre of Girona. It is near a main street Santa Eugènia, almost to Salt. It is unassuming and I just wandered to lunch there. However, for those who want to visit the Hortes de Santa Eugènia, this would be a good place to stop for midday meal.

Hortes de Santa Eugènia

Wetlands

The Hortes are pieces of land which residents can rent to grow whatever they want, tomatoes, cabbages, lettuce, etc. It offers a fantastic place for cycling and walking. A part of it is preserved as Wetlands Park, which keeps the humidity for the city. There are benches and tables in the park area for picnic. Once inside the Horta, one can breathe freely the clean air and enjoy a quiet walk along the canals and fields.

For lunch, La Columna offer a set menu with drinks for 10 euros. For appetizers, we were served a green salad with a sunflower seeds dressing. It was fresh and tasty. Then there were several dishes to choose from. I have tried onion soup and noodles for the first, both were good. For second, I had fish, dorada, which was nicely done in a simple way. 

I have seen a group ordering paella, but it has to be reserved beforehand. At dinner, they offer more choices and the fire would be lit for grilling, a la brasa. Now is the calçots season and they have calçotada. Calçot is a type of onion and eating it is a ritual. Very often in each neighbourhood they have an event every year to gather together to eat calçots. You grill them directly on fire without cleaning them, usually they come with a lot of earth. Then you put some in a piece of newspaper for each person. What you do is to pull from the top while holding the bottom of a calçot and get the most tender part out and eat it starting from the bottom holding it with your fingers. It is dressed with a sauce called romesco, the preparation of which is a very serious business. Families are proud of their traditional recipes.

This dish is available in some restaurants throughout Catalonia, and usually they announce it at the door. It is definitely worth trying, since eating it is a whole experience. Once I had calçot a la romana instead, which is calçot fried with a light batter. It was delicious and less messy to deal with. The deep fried dishes in that restaurant are very well prepared. It is in Barcelona and I will write about it another day.

Back to La Columna. For dessert I had pineapple in carpaccio dressed with kirsch and vanilla ice-cream. It tasted fresh but the alcohol was a bit overwhelming for me, which turned the pineapple a bit too bitter.

The house wine went well with the dishes, and it was included in the menu. For 10 euros it is more than a good bargain. Service is fast and friendly. Certainly if ever they decide to dress up the restaurant a little bit, it will have a lot of potential. As it is now, it is an excellent place for neighbours and casual wanderers.

Can Tiranda --Traditional Food in Spain

Can Tiranda -- Camí d'Ull de Ter 1, Setcases; tel. 972136052

Can Tiranda

This restaurant is situated at an interesting small town in the province of Girona. Roughly two hours from the capital city, Setcases literally means "seven houses." Its origin can be dated back to the 10th century when the seven houses were built by a father and his seven sons when they were stuck with their herds at snowfall. Throughout the centuries, the population kept its low rate, until the ski resort Vallter 2000 opened in 1997, which boosted tourism in this enchanted place. At the bottom of the mountains, Setcases becomes the closest stopover for visitors. 

Setcases

The town keeps its stone houses and winding streets, littered discretly with hotels and restaurants. Can Tiranda is one of them. It offers a magnificent view of the mountains. We had lunch looking at snow flakes wavered leisurely creating a lyrical blanket. 

There are two sections, a bar and a restaurant. The restaurant is smoke free. For smokers they can go to the bar or simply go outside with the majestic mountains at the background. Service is fast and warm, typical of a small town. It was time to try some traditional Spanish mountain cuisine. For starters we were offered an assortment of local sausages and olives. 

For the first dish, we shared a salad and trinxat, a typical Catalan dish, which does not sound much, made with potatoes and cabbage, but when well cooked it is fit for the most picky palate. Certainly they kept up the tradition in Can Tiranda. 

For second, we chose civet de senglar, wild boar in a stew, which is available only during the first months of the year. It was the best I had tasted, though my favourite is still grilled wild boar that I had in Argentina. I have not seen it grilled in Spain though. This stew was strong and robust, and the potatoes were full of fragrant. 

Other typical dishes worth trying are carn a la brasa, meat grilled on fire. They offer a mixture of sausage, lamb, quail and chicken, and grilled artichoke. 

For dessert, I tried mousse de ratafia, which was nothing to write home about. The one that is definitely worth trying is their flam blanc, which is a flan made with milk and berries. 

We had their house wine, which came in an unlabelled bottle with a stopper. It was surprisingly refreshing.

The air is clean and fresh. It is one of those places that worry simply disappears. Children roam the streets without any problems.

It is a good place to have lunch after skiing and getting down the winding mountain roads in the thickening afternoon fog. We were told that during summer months the surroundings were equally enchanting, famous for its trails and the scene full of green must look quite different then.

Beside the bar and restaurant it also offers apartment accommodation.

Cal Ros -- Catalan Cuisine

Cal Ros Restaurant -- Cort Reial, 9, Girona; tel. 972219176

Cal Ros

Situated in the Barri Vell of Girona just under a prosaic arch is this restaurant. The outside looks quiet and inviting with a few tables on the terrace, ideal for summer for contemplating the passers-by. It is non-smoking inside. The decoration is quiet and subdue with stone wall. What calls the attention is its spaciousness. You can have a full house without feeling oppressed. Tables are set wide apart from each other so guests can have privacy no matter where they sit.

I was there in 2 occasions, one for lunch and the other for New Year's Eve dinner. I am happy to say that in both occasions I was very satisfied. 

The set lunch is of a very reasonable price, within 20 euros with aperitif and dessert. Food was prepared with excellent raw materials, carefully presented traditional Catalan dishes with a modern touch.

The New Year's Eve dinner of course was much more elaborated. To begin with we were given some snacks, nicely baked bread sticks with cheese.

Oyster au gratin

For appetizers, oyster au gratin. It was the best oyster I had so far. It was full, round and juicy contrasted with the gratin. It certainly wetted our appetite.

Foie soup

For next, Foie terrine soup with salad. The salad gave a fresh taste to the smooth foie soup and the two went in harmony.

Scallop

The next dish had one of my favourite ingredients: scallop. Scallops here, which mostly come from Galicia, are big and fleshy. The scallop with artichoke, trout's caviar and citric zest tasted of the sea. The scallop retained its suggestion of wilderness and it was cooked just to the right point, soft and coy.

Grilled Cod with Trinxat de Cerdanya, Tomato and Sweet Potato

Grilled cod with trinxat of Cerdanya, tomato and sweet potatoes is the third course. Cod, especially salted, is a very typical and popular Catalan dish, however, I am never wild about it. Mostly it is too salty and the firm meat is not my favourite. The trinxat de Cerdanya is also a traditional Catalan dish, with a mixture of potatoes and cabbage decorated with bacon. A robust peasant dish. Here it was used to hold the cod, on top of which went the tomato, and on the side creamed sweet potatoes. It was good, but as said, cod is not my favourite.

Grilled duck with cheese sauce and turrón de Jijona

At this point, the meal would have been perfect for me, leaving me room for dessert. I could hardly finish the last course: Grilled duck with cheese sauce and turrón de jijona. I love duck, but it was really too much for me that I could hardly enjoy it. Turrón is a famous Spanish Christmas sweet, and the ones from Jijona is the gem of turrones.

Dessert was beautifully presented with mandarin, yoghurt and carquinyolis which, again, is a typical Catalan sweet almond biscuit. Usually one eat it with sweet wine, soaking it or just as an accompaniment. The almond flavour is too strong and the biscuit is too dry for my taste. But in this dessert they explored the possibilities of transforming tradition and presented a surprise.

Wine was included and they came with the courses. It was refilled as soon as finished. They were: Torre del Veguer Muscat, Tres Picos, Gramon Vi de Gel Riesling and Jane Ventura Vintage Reserva. They went very well with the dishes.

For coffee, there were petit fours and chocolates.

It is a tradition to follow each New Year count down with a grape, which is supposed to bring one luck for the coming year. I am still puzzled as to how people can do that. You can only be fast enough if you put them in your mouth without chewing. I tried, and I hope that this year would not be too unlucky for me!

Each of us was also presented with a bag full of New Year celebration stuff, paper, funny hat, balloon, etc. Afterwards, guests were ushered upstairs where music was playing and drinks were served and ground prepared for dancing. Every one looked a bit stiff, and we left before the atmosphere turned more relaxing.

All that costed 110 euros for each person. The food was excellent and the service was fast and professional. It is definitely a restaurant worth going to and it excels the others of the same level. The chefs Jordi Ribas and Christian Castillo came out at the end and greeted their guests.

Shanghai 1930 -- Another Chinese Restaurant in Barcelona

Shanghai 1930 – Buenos Aires 11-13, Barcelona; tel. 933 634 370

Although I lived in Barcelona for a few years, the Chinese restaurants that I had been to were countable. On the one hand, I had not been to one that made me want to go again; and on the other, it is more appropriate to visit restaurants specialised in Spanish or Catalan cuisine.

There used to be one that was extraordinary, even in Chinese standard. It was in Maremagnum and the dim sums were simply delicious, even better than some restaurants in Hong Kong. However, it had been closed for quite some years.

Some time ago I paid a visit to Shanghai 1930. It was a big restaurant with a Baroque decoration with a variety of miscellaneous objects.

There were not a lot of clients that evening, and the huge space looked a bit desolated. We were treated in a very familiar manner in contrast with the formal setting

Our table cloth had holes on it. At the background there was a continuous humming noise of some type of machine, and there was a continuous loud chatter somewhere. Service was fast, and in fact the staff were quite anxious to take away the dishes as fast as possible.

There were some interesting dishes on the menu which you do not often see in Chinese restaurants in the city, such as sea cucumber (which, unfortunately was not available that evening), abalone and jellyfish.

We asked for cava, a Catalan sparkling wine similar to champagne, but it was warm and when we complained, we were persuaded that it would cool in time with the wine cooler.

There was nothing memorable. We were only two, so there were limited dishes that we could try.

Memorias de China -- A Chinese Restaurant in Barcelona

Memorias de China – Lincoln 17, Barcelona; tel. 934157602

One day I passed by a little street called Lincoln in Barcelona and found this unusual looking Chinese restaurant. It caught my attention because of its unassuming front door, very reserved in contrast with most of the other Chinese restaurants. However, we should not been too harsh on their barroque decoration with lots of gold and miscellaneous objects, since it is culturally determined. As visits to local restaurants in China would demonstrate, a good and traditional restaurant cannot do without its twin columns in red and gold with a phoenix and a dragon on each, and their corresponding poems; or a huge aquarium full of exotic fishes and elaborate decorations.

Somehow, this modest door in Barcelona told of a fancy restaurant, which also meant costly. With the mildest excuse to celebrate a small occasion I ventured. I had to confess that I did not have much faith in Chinese restaurants in Barcelona considering my past experiences; however, I was willing to give this one a shot.

The decoration inside was to impress with its extravagance. The taste was certainly better than many other Chinese restaurants, or shall we say, more pleasing to the occidental eye. There was a roofed patio inside separated from the main body of the restaurant by glass. This pleasant space, however, as in many cases, is reserved for smokers. Fellow non-smokers have to put up with the less privileged corners. We were put at the table just beside the ramp which led to the patio although there were at least three empty tables which stayed empty at the time of our departure. My friend booked with a Chinese name, but obviously that did not get us a good table; at least we know that they do not give special treatment to their fellow countrymen.

Beside the smoke that escaped from the patio, we had to put up with the entrances and exits of the waiters. Service was a bit cold and impersonal. But the most important thing of course was the food, when one has to determine if it is worth it or no.

However, in the menu there was not anything out of the unusual from other Chinese restaurants. We tried several dim sum dishes, which are one way to tell the ability of the chefs, since it is not easy to produce good dim sums. They were so so, nothing to call home about. The other dishes were good without being extraordinary. They certainly did not make my friend feel homesick.

Since then I have read a lot of exaggerated positive commentaries about the restaurant, even that it was the best in Barcelona. Well, I have not tried all the Chinese restaurants in Barcelona, so I am definitely not a judge for that. Among the ones that I have tried, you can say that it is better, depending if you are willing to pay the price. One thing is certain, that it is more expensive than the others. I personally do not feel like giving it a second try, but if one has a craving for Chinese food one day, it would be high on the recommended list, if one is willing to pay.