Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For decades this former wine store has been dishing out dinner to often raucous groups. Tra-
ditional Catalan cooking is the name of the game. Surrounded by aged wine barrels, take
your place at old tables and benches and perhaps order the
conejo a la jumillana
(fried rab-
bit served with garlic, onion, bay leaves, rosemary, mint, thyme and oregano).
TAPAS
QUIMET I QUIMET
93 442 31 42; Carrer del Poeta Cabanyes 25; tapas €4-11;
noon-4pm &
7-10.30pm Mon-Fri, noon-4pm Sat & Sun; Paral·lel)
Quimet i Quimet is a family-run business that has been passed down from generation to
generation. There's barely space to swing a
calamar
in this bottle-lined, standing-room-only
place, but it is a treat for the palate, with
montaditos
(tapas on a slice of bread) made to or-
der. Let the folk behind the bar advise you, and order a drop of fine wine to accompany the
food.
ITALIAN
XEMEI
93 553 51 40; Passeig de l'Exposició 85; mains €15-24;
1.30-3.30pm &
9-11.30pm Mon-Fri, 2-4pm & 9pm-midnight Sat & Sun; Poble Sec)
Xemei ('twins' in Venetian, because it is run by twins from Italy's lagoon city) is a wonder-
ful slice of Venice in Barcelona. To the accompaniment of gentle jazz, you might try a
starter of mixed
cicheti
(Venetian seafood tapas), followed with
bigoi in salsa veneziana
(thick spaghetti in an anchovy and onion sauce).
CATALAN
LA TOMAQUERA
1.30-4pm & 8.30-11pm Tue-Sat, closed
Aug; Poble Sec)
The waiters shout and rush about this classic place, while carafes of wine are sloshed about
the long wooden tables. You can't book, so it's first in, first seated (queues are the norm).
Try the house speciality of snails or go for hearty meat dishes. The occasional seafood op-
tion, such as
cassola de cigales
(crayfish hotpot), might also tempt. And cash is king.
