Saturday, April 4, 2015

Barcelona, Spain: Salman Rushdie and Manny Gonzalez Reviews


This is a picture of Salman Rushdie and me, taken at a PEN Conference in Barcelona, Spain. His novel, The Satanic Verses, had just earned the ire of the Muslim community and there was a fatwa on him at that time.

Here also are reviews of some restaurants in Barcelona, Spain by Manny Gonzalez.  This is his second review of restaurants in Barcelona. 

 A resident of Whistler, Canada, Manny Gonzalez is a Director/shareholder at the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Mactan, Philippines. He travels extensively and enjoys reviewing the hotels and restaurants he's visited. 

These reviews first appeared in TripAdvisor.Thanks to Manny Gonzalez for sharing these  in my blog.


 Ohia Gastrobar
Via Laetana 49 - 5 Stars
Less-Common Tapas

 Plassohla offers original tapas, some of which are quite good. Being located in a luxury hotel, it over-charges a bit (three tapas, two glasses of wine, and tip came to 50 euro for one), however, overall, I would recommend it to those looking for something different. The server convinced me to order three tapas, but a budget of two per head is really enough of you aren't too hungry. The portions are substantial. Located on Via Laietana, close to Plaza Catalunya and Plaza Urquinaona.

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 Flash Flash
La Granada Del Penedes 25 - 4 Stars
Busy Lunch Crowd

Though this place has a really long list of tortillas (omelettes), my companion and I opted for croquettes, and peas with sauteed Iberian ham. Both were excellent. Our server was from Honduras, and was warm and cheerful. Someone near us ordered a hamburger and from what I could see, it didn't resemble what a North American would consider a hamburger. Previous reviewers who complained about the burgers are probably justified. (Based on my own experience, many restaurants in Spain offer burgers because they're In, but really don't have a grip on what a burger is all about.) On the other hand, why come all the way to Spain and then order a hamburger?

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El Palace Hotel
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 668 - 4 Stars
Spacious Room, Uncomfortable Furniture

 Formerly a Ritz (a fact you must tell taxi drivers, because there are about five hotels in Barcelona which use the word Palace), this is a hotel in grand Old World style. My room was quite spacious and quiet, with a nicely appointed bathroom. Unfortunately all the chairs and the sofa were just not well-designed, and I couldn't relax on them at all. Breakfast was reasonably-priced, and there was a nice buffet spread. The Palace is two blocks away from the bottom of Paseo de Gracia, which is a good location for most tourist purposes.

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 La Llosa
Avinguda Porta Diagonal, 40 Cornella de Llobregal - 4 Stars
Gigantic Mutton Chop

 This restaurant apparently specializes in char-broiled meat (mutton, beef) without actually being a steakhouse. My chop was huge, flavorful enough, and tender enough (for mutton). Service was correct and friendly.

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 El Cangrejo Loco
Moll De Gregal 29-30 - 4 Stars
A Port Vell Favorite

 A bit down the street from the Barcelona Casino and facing the marina, Cangrejo Loco specializes in seafood, and is one of the more upscale choices in this part of town. Our business group ordered quite an assortment of starters and shared them. All were excellent and substantial - green peppers, fried whitefish (or similar to whitefish), steamed clams, lightly-fried squid. Many of us had different kinds of paella and that was good but not outstanding. It seems that Barcelona paella doesn't call for saffron. Desserts were fine, and complimentary liqueurs offered after dinner. With 2 bottles of wine, our total bill (for six) came to 300 euro with the tip (5% in Spain, if upmarket), which seemed rather reasonable.

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Read also

 Travel: Eiffel Tower Madness!

Tags: food, drink, restaurants, Salman Rushdie, Barcelona, Spain, Manny Gonzalez, travel, reviews, gourmet

This is all for now,
Cecilia
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