Worth The Search , even on a Rainy Day"Best hole-in-the-wall Tapas Bar in Barcelona": this is how experts I rely on had described this place, so of course it was on my must-try list. But I just couldn't find it. I missed it on Day 1, missed it again on Day 2. Finally on Day 3, after a determined trudge through heavy rain, lots of walking back and forth, unfurling of my tattered map and pointing and waving of my iPhone GPS to the utter bemusement of Barcelononians - I FOUND IT.
Taking off my drenched overcoat and cap, I waited, Vino in hand, and watched the crowds.
Small bar, though hardly a hole-in-the wall. Brickwork bar with wooden beams, sherry casks lining the walls, Estrella Damn on tap. Constant stream of customers and Catalan chatter.
Old people, young people, office-goers, students. Great atmosphere.
Got a table by the door after ten minutes.
Pimenton Padron: small green peppers, roasted with salt flakes and slivers of garlic. A glass of fresh Estrella. Cold and Rain outside, warm and cosy inside.
Followed by my best Patatas Bravas in Barcelona. Cubes of fried potato, crisp outside with golden brown edges, and soft and mushy inside, smothered in a piquant, sweet and spicy red chili mayo- sauce. I wanted to burst into song.
And some wonderful Tuna preserved in vinegar, with a glass of Vino Rossado. Made a mental note to take back lots of tinned seafood from Spain.
All in all a simple but excellent meal. Every dish a delight, made even tastier by the long frustrating search and the great atmosphere when I finally found it.
La Bodegueta, Rambla de Catalunya 100, Barcelona. Ph: 932 154 894
Tapas Tapas Tapas
Torres and Tapas, with Jiminez and Jerez
Point and Ye Shall Eat
I am searching, in the rain
Chocolate Balls with Olive Oil ?
Food Porn
Market of Sensory Overload
The Building is running away ! Call the Police
Catalan Christmas
Feliz Navidad
Fountain For Footballers
This is not Japan
The menu came printed on a paper bag which was also the storage for the cutlery. One of those oh-so-fashionable quirks I guess. I bet every tourist takes one of these home, just like I did.
This with a glass of beer and a hunk of crusty bread, at 8 am. A breakfast to end all breakfasts. An almost pornographic start to the day.
Top of my breakfast bar list, and, as I discovered, top of many other people's lists : Bar Pinotoxo, on the right as soon as you enter the market. You get there by 7.30 am, otherwise forget about finding a seat.
I start with a Pan Con Tomate, possibly, no definitely, the best bread in the world. Grilled bread rubbed - while still warm - with the cut end of a juicy tomato and a little bit of garlic. And Pincho Tortilla: a small wedge of fluffy potato omelette - the definitive fast food in Madrid and Barcelona.
Then I turn my attention to the fresh seafood that starts arriving from the market 
I wasn't drunk. Inspired by Gaudi, I took these shots from behind a kaleidoscopic glass tile. 
Look at this and tell me if you don't think this building has life
La Segrada Familia was a bit of a disappointment because of all the construction going on. This is the only part that was without cranes and scaffolds
La Pedrera
When I first saw La Pedrera, admittedly after a lot of Vino, I could swear it was moving. The building was running away ! I was ready to call the police.
But I did not have the police phone number. I did not even have a phone
