Barcelona in Focus - Discover Barcelona: Experience the Best of Barcelona - page 521

New Catalan Cuisine
Since the closing of the El Bulli on the northern Catalonian coast - widely hailed as one of
the world's best restaurants - in 2011, Ferran Adrià, along with his brother Albert, has
turned his focus to Barcelona, with the opening of the tapas bar Tickets ( Click here ) and
creative cocktail bar 41°. Like El Bulli, there's plenty of imagination among 'deconstruc-
ted' dishes like liquid olives, 'air baguettes' (made with Iberian ham) and Parmesan ice
cream.
Other great chefs who've followed on the heels of Adrià continue to redefine contempor-
ary cuisine. Michelin-starred chef Carles Abellán at Comerc24 reinterprets traditional tapas
with dishes like the bite-sized mini-pizza sashimi with tuna; melón con jamón , a mille-
feuille of layered caramelised Iberian ham and thinly sliced melon; oxtail with cauliflower
puree; and a changing parade of other mouth-watering bites.
Other stars of the Catalan cooking scene include Jordi Vilà, who continues to wow
diners with reinvented classics at Alkímia ( Click here ) , Fermi Puig, head chef at the five-
star Hotel Majestic, and Xavier Pellicer at ABaC Barcelona.
Need to Know
• » Price Ranges In our listings, the following price codes represent the cost of a main
course:
€ less than 10
€€ 10 to 20
€€€ over 20
• » Opening Hours Most restaurants open 1pm to 4pm, and 8.30pm to midnight.
• » Reservations At high-end restaurants, reserve ahead, especially for Thursday to
Saturday nights.
• » Tipping A service charge is often included in the bill. If you are particularly happy,
add 5% to 10% on top.