El Molino & Ferran Adria re-inventing Paral·lel

2010 is the Any Cerdà celebrating the 150 years of the approval of Ildefons Cerdà's plans of the extension and expansion of Barcelona. One of the aims of the mayor's office has also been to try and reignite the sparks along Parallelo Avenue, and make it a more desired route for tourists to ease a little pressure from Las Ramblas. The idea is that Parallel could become a kind of New York Broadway - it has the most Theatres in the city, and is a natural connection between the touristic Port Vell with all the cruise ships arriving, and the hub of business that is the Fira de Barcelona with the conference and congress goers. Cerdà's quirkiness in his design named the avenue this way as it is exactly parallel with the equator at 42º.



Well, plans have been in place for quite some time, and while I can't see the tourists flocking to Parallel instead of Las Ramblas just yet, at least they're making strides. After June's Street Party, last month saw the re-opening of El Molino - and pretty spectacular it looks too. I have been meaning to do a post about the re-opening, but haven't managed to get a decent photo of the new facade just yet (despite several attempts), so if you're nearby, it's well worth a look, and if I get one, I'll update the post. Or if anyone else has got one, then let me know!

And if you needed a big name to create a bit of buzz around a new project and restaurant in town, then look no further than Ferran Adria. And instead of choosing the typical over-rated haunts of El Borne to look for a place, Adria and team have chosen none other than Parallelo for their new restaurant,
ticketsbar.



Let's hope the ahem "tickets" are a little easier to get a hold of than those for El Bulli...and don't all rush down there yet, it's not open just yet.

Coming to Barcelona soon? Check out these apartments for rent as a change for a hotel room. And for a heads up on the best sights, see this Barcelona Guide.

Gluten Free Barcelona - Very Shortly....

Eating in Barcelona is nothing more than a pleasure. With almost every possible combination of foods and produce available, it's so much fun to experiment and try different dishes or cuisines (and not all have to be from the boqueria!). Eating out is also a real treat for most of us. There are only two groups I feel a bit sorry for - Vegans and Celiacs (those who can't eat gluten). I already tried to assist the first group with my list of Vegan and Vegetarian restaurants in Barcelona - comments and updates welcome as always). My mother used to be really bad with her gluten allergy and my Auntie still is very bad sufferer so for almost ten years they've been packing soda loaves and soya products into their suitcases at the expense of my English chocolate. (Yes, I know Cadburys has a factory here, but it's the milk, guys, the milk. English cows, and English grass....I digress).

Often a rejoicing sound would be heard if we found a small corner of El Corte Ingles or Carrefour that had a shelf of gluten-free products - even at a hugely inflated price. And eating out was a really tricky one if I wasn't present. I had to prepare them little bits of paper for waiters "Por favor, soy alergica al gluten. Aconsejeme con mis elecciones del menu" and the like...and we're talking about over ten years ago, when the majority of people didn't even know what gluten was, or if you could be allergic to it.


Well, finally, help is at hand. Or nearly. I had heard on the grapevine about this guidebook, and actually had this post prepared last month, but then saw that the book had been whipped off the shelves at the request of the President of the Catalan Association of Celiacs due to an error in the opening text.

The book contains a list of 42 restaurants where those diners will have absolutely no problems or worries choosing from the menu - and hopefully their fellow diners won't be disappointed, either. I have to say that I know a few and would maybe not have even known I was eating gluten free food on the occasions I've been so all good.

If anyone has any more tips about a Gluten Free Barcelona, then please let me/us all know in the comments!!

Coming to Barcelona this month? There are some great reasons to visit the city, with the good weather doing its best to hang on, and one of the best festivals of the year to check out. If you're still looking for accommodation, or some last-minute deals then check out these apartments for rent in Barcelona as a great alternative to a hotel room. And for a quick look at what's what in the city, see this great Barcelona guide.

Vegan Restaurants in Barcelona

Barcelona is a great place to find food - the eclectic mix of kitchens from around the world invite you to try anything from Cebiche to Kow Neow, as well as the fantastic local specialties. The Spanish have an obsession with meat, and Pork in particular (they sell the brains in the supermarket, right alongside the trotters, ears and tails for God's sake!) and most restaurants will offer you cured hams, or have a very meat orientated menu - which is not much fun if you're a Vegetarian or a Vegan.

This post was a request, so I'm going to give you the lowdown on Vegetarian and (mainly) Vegan options if you're visiting Barcelona. I've also added a googlemap at the bottom if you've got no idea what I'm talking about!


It's of co-incidence that these restaurants are all fairly close together, considering the size of Barcelona, and the scope it has for restaurants. First up is Juicy Jones. Juicy Jones has a couple of establishments - both in the old town. The one just off Las Ramblas, behind the PC City computer store is more of a Juice Bar, whereas the one pictured above, on Carrer Hospital is a little bigger.



Just two streets up from Carrer Hospital is Carrer Pintor Fortuny, and this is the location for two of the restaurants on the list. First is Organic, which is on the corner of Xuclá and as the name suggests, serves all organic produce and is very central, just a minute's walk from Las Ramblas.



Walk a little further into the Raval following Pintor Fortuny, and on the opposite side of the road is BioCenter - another great spot for Vegan and Vegetarian munchies. The shop bearing the same name on the opposite side of the road I think must have closed down (at least temporarily) as I haven't seen it open for a long time.

Finally we have Sesamo, which is located on Carrer Sant Antoni Abat, at the end, right next to Sant Antoni Market. This is a small, but popular place and serves "comida sin bestias" or "food without beasts"! Again, the location from the previous few places is just a couple of minutes walk - I've added a map below to show all of the locations.

One last place worth a mention. "Fresco" is an all you can eat buffet with various locations around the city centre, and although it's not strictly Vegetarian/Vegan, there's a huge salad bar for starters (go back as many times as you like), and there is almost always some vegetarian alternatives, such as pasta with pesto and cheese sauces, etc. I thought it's worth a mention as it's very good value for money - and healthy to boot. I'd be happy to hear any additions form you guys in the comments, too - let's make the lost longer!

You might need to zoom in a bit for the map, just click the plus sign. Hope it works ok.



For apartments for rent in Barcelona look no further than BCN Rentals - 9 years of experience in the city centre. Also, for more information on the city itself - check out this great Barcelona Guide

Save Money in Barcelona with a "Menu del Dia"

Eating in Spain is a big deal, and Barcelona is no exception to that rule. I always say that for the majority of foreigners visiting the city that everything starts and finishes a lot later here - that goes for opening times for shops, nightlife and of course, eating out.

Lunch is a far cry from a sandwich on the run or a quick Tupperware full of salad in 30 minutes or an hour. No, no, the Spanish like a good 2 hours for lunchtime, and a real sit down meal. Not surprising, as the working day goes on until 8 or maybe 9pm, and you need to keep your energy levels up! This can often be a real challenge for tourists on a mission to squeeze in all the Barcelona Sights as possible, because if you're not used to having such a big meal at lunchtime (often accompanied by a decent bottle of house wine) then you can be left feeling very sleepy, and chalking off that hike up to Park Güell for a laze on a terrace instead - Spain is the land of siestas, right?!

However, a Spanish lunch is also a great way to save money, as all restaurants by law are obliged to offer a Mid-day Menu at a cut price, known as a Menú del Dia. This almost always consists of a choice of 2 or 3 starters, 2 or 4 main courses, dessert, bread and a drink, which can be anything you like. Coffee or Tea is not usually included in a menu, but occasionally can be. VAT at 7% is sometimes included but more often than not it's charged on top of the displayed price, although restaurants have an obligation to print this, too.



Menus del Dia can range from as little as 6 Euros and up to around 15 Euros, depending on the place you go. Often the Menus have seasonal ingredients, and other dishes which are also featured on the normal menu (called "La Carta" in Spanish). As I say, if you're not used to eating a lot at lunchtime, and have a busy day planned for sightseeing, maybe this isn't a good option for you, and the city is also full of healthy alternatives like bagel shops, sandwich shops and take away salads and the link in places like Carrefour and El Corte Inglés for example. However, if you're here simply to relax and visit the city, you can do no better at lunchtime than find a decent menu and sit down and enjoy some delightful Catalan cuisine.

I'd love to hear your comments guys, as always, and I'll be doing another post this week about food too, so sign up for posts via RSS on the top right.

Also, if you're looking for apartments for rent in Barcelona, you can also save money by making your own breakfast on a morning, and making some tapas or a snack for your evening meal after your menu del dia!

Barcelona Scams. The Restaurant Overcharge.

This is actually quite a serious post and one I read up on a well respected travel forum. All my previous posts about scams have involved getting duped or pickpocketed, but unfortunately this one involves violence.

The marks were 4 girls in their 30's and the scam takes place last New Years Eve in the Olympic Village, so I know for a kick off this is a very specific scam to be writing about, and not necessarily something you think might happen all the time, but I still think it's worthy of a heads up.



The scam unfolds in a restaurant (in this case a restaurant in the Olympic Village which I won't name) and when the bill is brought, a credit card is given. Don't get ahead of yourselves thinking it's a card cloning. The waiter takes it away and returns with the bill which has been overcharged by 100 Euros. So they ask you to sign, apologise and give you the 100 Euros in cash - their mistake. The girls leave the restaurant with 100 Euros cash that they wouldn't ordinarily have, and have their bags snatched very close by - but only 3 of them.

So the victim who posted the warning suspects that the waiter is the instigator of the scam, and then communicates their description via a mobile (or whatever) to his cronies outside who then lift the bags - this is why they only take 3. Maybe 3 were brunettes and the other a blonde, so they knew it wasn't her for example.

How to avoid it? If you're ever overcharged, then insist on the amount being credited back onto your credit card, and make sure you get the receipt to verify that. Most restaurants have battery powered TPV machines for credit card transactions (chip and pin is not huge in Barcelona) so the machine could be brought to your table and swiped.

For planning your trip against any possible mishaps, see this detailed Barcelona Guide and check out my other recent posts on Barcelona Scams:

The School Questionnaire
The Postcard cover up
The Reverse Parking Scam
3 Cups Scam
The Map Readers Scam
The Football Dance Scam
The Flat Tyre Scam
The Ketchup Squirt Scam
The Dancing Dollies Scam

For accomodation in the city, try these apartments for rent in Barcelona or if you're travelling with a family look at these apartments in Barcelona for families.

Barcelona Restaurants - Los Caracoles

If you live in Barcelona you've probably walked past "Los Caracoles" restaurant a hundred times but if someone asked you the name of the restaurant and where it was, you might reply that you don't know. "The Snails" is located in an extremely central position in the Gothic Quarter, and is on the corner of Nou de Sant Fransesc and Escudellers. You can usually smell it before you get there, as there are chickens roasting on a spit outside the restaurant (which is on a corner). Now that's the point where you all go, "Ohhhh.....THAT's "Los Caracoles" and for those of you who don't live here, it's on one of the main thoroughfares of the Gothic Quarter, and very likely somewhere you would walk past on a night out.



Los Caracoles is one of the oldest restaurants in Barcelona, and is great fun. It's hearty food, with lots of traditional dishes and some great desserts, too. I have no idea if this is correct, but it seems like the restaurant bought the flats that were sold above the restaurants and turned them into rooms. When you enter the restaurant, you can enter directly through the kitchen (I recommend it!), and then you may well be taken upstairs, then down some stairs then up some more stairs to another room, depending on how busy the restaurant is.


The great thing about the restaurant is that it has it's history right there on your table. Previous guests are photographed at their (your) table, and then sign the photo along with a menu, which is framed and put on the wall beside you. Last time I went there, I had a few black and white politicians and Lenny Kravitz! Other famous names include Robert de Niro, Giorgio Armani, and even O J Simpson!

Los Caracoles is located on Carrer Escudellers, 14 in the Gothic Quarter and is open 365 days a year from 13:15 until Midnight.

For more details on Barcelona, visit this great Barcelona Guide.