César Cánovas welcomes us with a guided tour of this wonderful place built around a miraculous cellar created to represent the extraordinary richness and diversity of wine, that product of vitis vinifera grapes that can assume so many incredibly different forms, from the sweet noble rot wines of Northern Europe to the important growths of Burgundy to the great Canadian ice wines to fortified sherry. The association of ” Amics de Mon Vínic” allows members free access to these spaces.
This place grew out of the ideas of Sergi Ferre-Salat, CEO of a local major pharmaceutical company. We can not say that Mon Vínic follows the rules of a normal commercial activity, I think it is rather a case of patronage and passion. This logic extends to the marketing of Mon Vínic: there is none! This explains why, during this week when Barcelona is invaded by 50,000 visitors to the Mobile World Congress, when it is almost impossible to find a table at a restaurant, this place is still serenely quiet, a few regulars are in the wine bar and in the restaurant there are about fifteen guests. At the weekend it remains closed – too bad, I would have taken my wife Catherine to experience it…

By mutual agreement, the evening will be almost entirely in Catalan, a good opportunity for me to practice what I have learned after a few weeks of study…
After visiting the kitchen, we sit at one of the two long tables and we immediately get a little appetizer of chickpeas, thyme and black pudding, accompanied by a glass of Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, Scharzhofberg, 2006 Riesling, extraordinary Mosel riesling from the legendary Scharzhofberg vine, the one that this winery shares with Egon Müller, and available here by the glass for… 5 €.

The evening menu is displayed on the wall by a projector. We choose to start with Amanida of Carxofa I Pernil ibèric – the famous Joselito iberico ham with artichokes prepared in two ways, boiled and pickled. Riesling gains nothing from the confrontation with artichokes, proving once again one of the few dogmas about wine: it does not like artichokes (but maybe a sherry or a structured rosé from Bandol?). Oh well, I’ll just have to drink the wine with the ham … I have to say objectively, as an Italian living in France, the best ham of this peninsula has no equivalent in Italy or France … even the best culatello must bow in front of perfection…
We continue with Pèsols amb tòfona I cansalada – young green peas with truffle and pork bacon, with Zarate, Rias Baixas, Tras da Viña, 2005 Albariño, excellent Galician wine with good balance and a taste of tropical fruits and herbs.
As a main course we take a Peix de llotja amb verdures I bolets – generous portions of market-fresh Saint Pierre with mushrooms and vegetables and a glass of Barbadillo, Manzanilla en Rama, DO Jerez, Saca de Otoño 2007. This wine is extraordinary, it is a Fino sherry from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, therefore entitled to the descriptor “Manzanilla”, in addition, “in Rama” means that it is bottled directly without filtering and without stabilization, thus bringing with it a bit of the magic “flor” lees responsible for creating the very special taste of these wines. This is even more intense than Vin Jaune from the Jura and three times more powerful in the mouth, a real explosion of concentrated aromas of smoky hazelnut and almond that demands to be accompanied by very tasty dishes.
There is no room for dessert, except maybe in liquid form, a chance to make another step in the discovery of this vast world of southern Spanish wines, with a sweet 1979 Toro Albalá, Pedro Ximenez, DO Montilla Moriles, superb expression of this grape with scents of coffee, chocolate and dried raisins. The value for money of sherry wines and its nearby cousins is among the highest of any wine, thanks to the fact that they have managed to remain immune from parker-induced speculation (but for how long?), and helped by the fact that they are indeed an acquired taste, and a very rewarding one.
The total, with tips included, 60 € per person.
Mon Vínic is a place of learning and popularization of the pleasures of wine that has no equivalent in the world. Thank you, Joan, for this beautiful discovery.

As a main course I choose the ” Saltejat de xipironets de plancha amb bolets de temporada i ou poché “, a layer of tiny squid covered with a layer of trumpet of death (aka horn of plenty or black chanterelle) mushrooms and topped with a poached egg. Wonderful dish, the egg binds well with the other two elements, mainly the mushrooms, smoothing out their smoky aroma. A delight.
Finally, a plate of Stilton cheese, Manchego and goat.
It is worth noting the attentive and friendly service by Oscar and Eva. Prices remain at a very reasonable level, on average 50 € per person all inclusive.
Rosal34 (encore!)
On Saturday 21 February 2009 I took the occasion of my family joining me in Barcelona to try Rosal34 a second time, for lunch. The service, the menu, the atmosphere make you want to come back here…
The wine list offers a nice selection, we start with two glasses of Ferret JM, Gebre, DO Penedès 2006, a generous and fruity white, accompanying simple Croquetes de Rostit de Pollastre – roast chicken croquettes, as well as the Cecina de León and the excellent Saltejat de bolets variats de temporada – sautéed seasonal mushrooms.
For the main course we have two glasses of Hermanos Lurton, DO Rueda Verdejo 2007, dry with hints of sauvignon. My daughter chose the Jarret de xai (lamb shank), while on my recommendation Catherine took the Saltejat de xipironets de plancha amb bolets de temporada i ou poché, while I opted for Escopinyes al vapor amb fruits de la passió – steamed cockles with passion fruit, a wonderful combination, the intense iodine aroma from the cockles tempered by the fruit juice and further enhanced by the wine.
Finally, my daughter took the Coulant de Xocolata, classic chocolate dessert with the addition of mango, while Catherine tried the Crema Catalana in a version reinvented as a kind of soufflé or mousse, light and creamy. We drank a Molino Real, DO Malaga, Mountain Wine, 2006 Moscatel by Telmo Rodriguez, a young Malaga sweet wine of great freshness.
The bill came to 146 € for three persons, all inclusive. If I must find a flaw here it is a very small one, the fact of having to pay a 1.85€ cover charge per person ; it is not easy to find anything wrong in such a pleasant restaurant combining tradition and creativity, reasonable prices and an excellent wine list.

To accompany this meal we chose a Portal del Montsant, Brunus, DO Montsant, Blend 2006, a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan. At 13 € a bottle, we are far from the markups of 200-400% practiced in France! For this price, we have a very nice wine with an intense nose of red berries.

For the main course I enjoyed the “Colomí amb gingebre”, succulent pigeon with ginger served with a reduction of its juices, perfectly cooked. My only comment, it would have liked to see even a symbolic presence of the plant kingdom on the plate.
I ended the meal with a “Coca de Roquefort amb poma i litxi”, a thin wafer covered with Roquefort and lychee, with a green apple emulsion.
Prices remain at a level rarely seen in France for such elaborate cuisine, first courses are around 10 €, main dishes € 20 and desserts around 6 €.

The number of visitors to the world’s largest fair on mobile telephony is staggering, and during this huge event it is very difficult for the uninitiated to find a free table in a restaurant. Barcelona is home to some of the best and some of the worst cooking on the planet. On the first night we made the mistake of venturing into a restaurant, without prior research, on the Avinguda Paral·lel, near the fair grounds: we paid a lot of money for a truly revolting meal in a noisy smelly cramped smoke-filled room full of shouting foreigners and rude waiters. Like in France, the average level of restaurants in Catalunya is very low indeed, but unlike France it seems to be much easier to find truly good value, as long as you do some research before you head out to eat.

Would it be possible to meet Joan’s 4B criteria during a major exhibition? I based my research to the blog “encatadisimo” of Andreu Serra. I was looking for places far from the usual tourist lists, with good cuisine at a reasonable price. What I found was excellent cuisine at prices that, compared to southern France, were a true bargain. In beautiful coastal Provence where I live it is hard to find excellent cuisine at any price… In addition to the 4Bs, in Barcelona I found restaurants that were smoke-free, tourist-free and who offered free water!

On the second night I chose La Panxa del Bisbe, (carrer Rabassa, 37, Tel. 932137049), a small place on the north side of town heading towards the Parc Güell, near the Plaça Rovira in the Gràcia area. See article on encantadisimo . The place is run by a brilliant young chef, Xavier Codina, a true talent. Service is very friendly, despite my attempts at speaking basic Catalan I soon discovered that Elena the waitress is in fact Italian… she guided us through the menu, which begins with an eclectic list of Mediterranean-Catalan and Japanese tapas as a first course, followed by four main dishes and four desserts. And the prices are amazing: tapas average 4€, main dishes 11€, desserts 3€! Back in France I cannot eat this cheap in the worst crappy bistro near the railway station! There is even a complete menu at 25€. Wines were reasonably priced.

The tapas were terrific and expertly made from the freshest market ingredients: large individual provolone ravioli with onion and leaks, a grilled cod ajoarriero, a salad of sardines, leaks and piquillos, a cream of aubergine with miniature falafels.

For a main dish, I went for fish, a slice of amberjack with young artichokes, the traditional “calçots” (catalan scallions with a sweet delicate garlic taste) and romesco sauce.

On our third night I picked La Estrella, a cozy room with well spaced tables close to the França railway station in the old town (carrer Ocata, 6, Tel, 933102768), see the article by encantadisimo.

The menu is brief, with veal and cod dominating the list, but the owner expands the list with dozens of extra dishes, and explains calmly and in great detail all the evening’s offerings. First courses are around 6€, main dishes 12€, desserts 6€, again very reasonable and unbeatable for the quality, not quite as inventive as the previous night, but precisely executed. The wine list is interesting enough with good prices, I picked a a Monastrell from the Jumilla area by Juan Gil.

I began the meal with the season’s specialty, the calçots served with a mousseline of garlic that was very light and delicate; the calçots were tender and sweet. One the the most interesting main dishes was veal cheek cooked at low temperature for 18 hours and served in rich brown juices, but I chose a slice of the freshest red tuna served with a tomato coulis and small green peppers.

Desserts were most impressive, the list of “postres” went on and on, and ranged from the traditional to the truly adventurous (goat cheese ice cream, coconut curry ice cream…), I settled for an irresistible construction of 6 different layers of chocolate.

On the basis of these two evenings I would say that Barcelona definitely qualifies for Joan’s 4B status, and deserves further “study”. A reveure!