Gourmet, gluten-free hamburgers in Barcelona – sí, they exist!

Gluten-free gourmet hamburger!

Sorry to post again about food, but this place is definitely a must-go! Personally, I never visit McDonalds, Burger King or any of those places – I just find the “food”, not to mention the atmosphere, simply disgusting. I also got an allergy for wheat and other cereals five years ago which has obviously had quite an influence to my diet, nowadays gluten-free with some special tricky additions. Because of that, I rarely have a chance to eat pizza, pasta, baguettes and especially hamburgers. Therefore I could not been happier about finding El Filete Ruso, which was love at first sight!

Retro atmosphere

 

This little restaurant, or Hamburgueseria as they call it, is on Calle Enric Granados in Eixample, a street famous for its great restaurants. El Filete Ruso’s idea is to offer gourmet hamburgers made of best ingredients with slow-food mentality. They do not mention it in the menu, but almost all the burgers are available gluten-free.

"normal" hamburger

 

The hamburgers come on a plain plate looking like little pieces of art, so if you’re a fan of french fries, they need to be ordered separately. Prices of hamburgers were 8-10 euros, starters 4-10 euros. In total we spend about 20 euros per person including starters, drinks and hamburgers. The dinner hours start at 20:30h,  they do take reservations but in case you don't have one it’s recommendable to come on time: at 21h it was already packed and people were waiting for tables(on Tuesday evening!)

Oven potatoes with roasted apple and mayonaise

 Check it out:

Enric Granados 95, 08008 Barcelona

Mon - Sun 1pm - 4pm and 8:30pm - 11:30pm

(Thu - Sat kitchen open till 00:00)

Metro Diagonal

www.elfileteruso.com

Cutest cupcakes in Barcelona: Lolita bakery

If you like cupcakes, I’ve found you the perfect place. Lolita Bakery is definitely one of the cutest little cafes in town and all the pastries look simply mouthwatering. They could have been taken directly from a scene in Sofia Coppola’s movie “Marie Antoinette”. I have been avoiding going there because of my wheat allergy, but after giving up and drinking a delicious cherry flower tea and tasting their homemade meringue on Sunday afternoon I see no reason of not going back (especially if they would, some day, develop a gluten-free cupcake)! If I didn’t have the allergy, I would probably pop in every day for a different cupcake as I live just around the corner.. All my non-allergic friends are crazy about them.

 

The cupcakes come in three different sizes and there’s a ridiculous amount of absolutely amazing combinations of flavors to choose. Apart from cupcakes, they bake normal cakes also in three different sizes, letting you select the fillings and topping. They also have a special selection of other pastries for different events e.g. weddings; cookies, truffles, meringues, mmm, you name it!

 

In case your friend couldn’t make it there with you, no worries: there’s a vast amount of irresistibly cute gift packaging options at hand. (+ Next time when I am running out of bday present ideas, I know exactly where to go!)

There are currently two Lolita Bakeries in Barcelona: the one that I visited in el Borne (Portal Nou,20) and the most recently opened in Eixample (Provenca 267). They are open every day,  Mon – Fri  9-21 and Sat – Sun 12.30-20.30. More: www.lolitabakery.com

Afterwards, let me know what was your favorite cupcake!

Juicy Jones - fresh, healthy vegan food experience in Barcelona

One thing I love here (among many others) is that you can find absolutely delicious food for every taste. Whether you are a true meat lover or vegan, organic, gluten-free, milk allergic, whatever - you always have plenty of options to choose. One of my favorites when I fancy healthy, fresh drink is a vegan place called Juicy Jones. They have an amazing selection of fresh juices and smoothies (also made out of veggies, not just fruits) and a fixed priced menu available all day long for a very reasonable price. Upstairs is the juice bar and downstairs the restaurant. I actually never tried the restaurant yet, but am completely in love with the juice bar. I have heard that the food is relatively simple but good, consisting mainly of salads, soups, rice, polenta and Indian spiced veggies.

The address is C/Cardenal Casañas 7, one of the streets off from la Rambla to the Gothic. It's very close to metro Liceu and open from 10:00 till 24:00. I have not managed to find their website yet, but googling it gives you several reviews, most of them as positive as mine. 

Fresh Fish in Barcelona? La Paradeta is what you need!

One of my absolute favourite restaurants in Barcelona (and in the world!) is "La Paradeta". If you are a fish & sea food fanatic like I am, this place has by far the best quality/price ratio in the city. I have brought most of my family and friends there and they all just loved it! Now, don't expect any glamour or romantic candlelit dinner! Should you decide to experience a Paradeta meal, be armed with patience and expect a "canteen-style" decor. The concept is simple: as you get in the door, a market stall displays all the yummy fish, shells, calamari, etc... you can choose from. So all your food is really fresh and you decide on the quantities.

How does it work?
You can't book in advance, so the table availability depends on the number of customers already inside the restaurant upon your arrival. Be prepared to wait, there are always long queues in front of the main entrance. Once you get inside, you get to choose the food you would like to eat. We chose changuetes which are tiny fried fish (really one of my favourites!!!), the sepia a la plancha (careful with garlic :) ) and some huge gambas. There are also many different shellfish you can go for!

Once you've chosen the food, you move on to another counter where you order your drinks, salads, sauces (aioli, mayonese, romesco,...) and bread. You are also given a number. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION to the number as it is very important! Once done, you pay for your meal and find a table. Pricewise, we spent 40€ for the 3 different fish, a bottle of white wine, a bottle of water bread and sauces. Please note that they do not accept credit cards, so make sure you have cash. Once seated, wait until your number is called over the microphone and you can go and collect your food at the counter. And... Voilà! enjoy a delicious meal of fresh products at a really affordable price.

 The Gambas and Sepia a la plancha

Changuetes!

There are 5 different Paradetas; 4 of which in Barcelona and one in Sitges. The most popular would probably be the one in el Borne as it is most centric.

Born: Carrer Comercial 7
Sagrada Familia: Pssge Simo, 18
Sants: Calle Riego, 27
Meridiana: Calle Pacific, 74
Sitges: Sant Pere, 24-26

You can find all the information you need on their nice website: http://www.laparadeta.com/