September 02, 2012

Dos Palillos, Barcelona

On Friday past, I was most lucky to be invited for lunch with my newfound pal, Lauren Heineck, from Sobremesa in Spain. We stumbled across each other via the bloggersphere and have been on all sorts of adventures including an horchata date and numerous coffees since. 

We met at 13:55pm sharp. She caught me prancing around taking pictures outside and then we paraded on in for lunchy fun times at Barcelona's renowned 'Dos Palillos' restaurant and bar, which fuses Japanese style food with Spanish tapas.

It's a pretty slick place... once you have walked past the casual and brightly lit bar (for drinks and snacks) you come to heavy, cascading chains that part to reveal a square platform with a kitchen in the middle, more chains and sexy lighting. Oh yeah, these guys are on display for you to scrutinise!
We were offered the main menu, which has set meals organised for two or four. We cleared our throats and said in our best Spanish "Can we see the menu del dia instead please?"... For those of you not in the know, a menu del dia is a set menu with a super price. At Dos Palillos it will set you back 20€ and for this you will be presented with four dishes and a coffee or dessert included. In other places it can be as low at 6€ but Dos Palillos is a little fancier than Bar Port Colon and its deep fried chicken, as you can see.
We chomped our way though 4 delightful treats including a crispy pork won ton, the softest tuna in a sweet yet tangy sauce served with all sorts of algae, fresh mackerel on a bed of lemon/cumin rice with shiso (it also came with nori so that we could make our own rolls) and a bbq chicken skewer that I failed to take a decent picture of, owing to the moody lighting.

Ooh look at those crispy, crunchy won tons!
Dessert came in a teeny tiny bowl with a fruity, creamy almond flan and was topped with pearls of passionfruit juice and odd little white balls on the side that we appreciated the aesthetic of, but weren't particularly taken with. We suspected that they were designed to provided a chalky texture on the side and a base to bring out the flavour.

The meal was very good indeed. The presentation was perfect and the chefs offered explanations of each dish and how to eat them. The quality and detail were equally as impressive. I especially loved the plates and bowls that they used, which were slate grey and with rough textures. I was tempted to pinch my beaker but decided against it... how embarrassing would it have been if I was caught? No sir. I resisted the sticky fingered temptation and continued to brandish my chopsticks and gesticulate wildly as the conversation flowed.

If you're looking for somewhere a little different, seeking to impress and fancy a little intimate seclusion then Dos Palillos is where it's at. It might be in the centre of the city on C/ Elisabets but once inside, you'll feel miles away from the humdrum!
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