Cuines Santa Caterina – No Expert …but I know what I like

Cuines Santa Caterina – cleaning up.

I would love to find a market restaurant like this in London (Roast is the closest, but the food there just does not do it for me), so we have to go to Barcelona to indulge. On this trip we started with a shared plate of dips – very fresh ingredients, lovely fluffy pita bread.

I followed this with Tuna Tartare and my companion had his usual Catalan sausage with baby beans and fois gras. For dessert I had a quite stunning Crema Catalana, washed down with some fresh fruit juice. We left our plates so clean that the waiter commented rather amusingly that the “cleaner would be pleased”.

Marks out of 10 for this visit

Food 7

Service 7

Ambience 7

Return to top page

What’s coming in September

This month we have plans to revisit some of the restaurants covered in this blog :-

London

Foliage – to see what has changed following Chris Staines departure.
Osteria Dell’Angolo – to try out their new menu.
The Berkeley – for Afternoon Tea.
Tom Aikens – to see if we can visit and not over order.

Barcelona

Cinc Sentits – to support one of our all time favorite restaurants.
Comerc 24 – to see if it can deliver on a return visit.
Cuines Santa Caterina – for the Catalan sausage with foie gras.
El Jardi – to chill out.
Moovida – to enjoy their excellent bar food.
Tram Tram – to eat top quality food at a reasonable price
Tragaluz – because it’s open on a Public Holiday!

Return to top page

Cuines Santa Caterina – Grupo Tragaluz goes to the market

Cuines Santa Caterina is housed in the Mercat Santa Caterina , it is great for an informal lunch. You can not book, so get there as soon as you can after it opens at 1:00 to guarantee getting a seat.

They have an English version of their menu, which is worth asking for as the menu layout is a bit odd.

It is probably a bit more expensive than a lot of the lunch options in Barcelona, but it’s all about quality and they deliver on that with fresh market ingredients.

I highly recommend the Catalan sausage with foie gras

It is part of the Grupo Tragaluz who really know the restaurant business. The other restaurants in the group are always good standbys, and their flag ship Michelin stared restaurant Moo in the Hotel Omm is well worth a visit, for both food and people watching.

Marks out 10

Food 6.5

Service 5.5

Ambience 6

Return to top page

Eating and Drinking Guide (Barcelona)

Barcelona has so many fabulous restaurants, but like many cities it also has lots that should be avoided. On our first visit many years ago now, we did no research and basically just went to places that were convenient and looked OK. We have long since learned how dangerous that approach is. So if you are visiting Barcelona, here are a few recommendations to get you started.

Inexpensive

El Jardi – A refuge from the hustle and bustle.

Mid Range

Any of the Restaurants in the Grupo Tragaluz – we have tried and enjoyed Tragaluz, Acontraluz and El Principal, our favorites are Cuines Santa Caterina and Moovida
Tram Tram – A bit out of the way in Sarria, but worth the trip.
Mon Vinic – If you are seriously into Wine.

High End

Cinc Sentits – Focuses on tasting menus
Comerc 24 – Molecular Gastronomy at its finest
Moo – Stylish Restaurant in a Boutique Hotel (part of Grupo Tragaluz)
Neichel – An ideal venue for special occasions
Moments – A 3 star in the making at the Mandarin Oriental
Bravo 24 at the W – A fashionable spot with a great view

Return to Index for No Expert Guides

Return to top page