La Bodega, Barcelona

...The restaurant they chose was La Bodega on Plaza Molina in the Sant Gervasi area of the city. This district lies to the north of the Diagonal so not really in a typical tourist area. The Sant Gervasi metro stop is across the square from the restaurant so if you like what you read, it shouldn't be too hard to find it but keep in mind that this place is fiercely popular and you will probably need to make a booking. If you're travelling with a car, ...
...softness for romantic encounters in La Bodega.


We settled at our table, had a good nosey around and the owner popped back to be charming, something that didn't seem to be a challenge for him. We really were made to feel like four of his nieces popping in for dinner and he was irrepressibly jolly. We ordered cava to sip on whilst we looked at the menus which are apparently available in 17 different languages. I could have tried ... more

I used to go to Barcelona at least four times a year but just lately I've not been going as often as I'd like to and I was well overdue to visit my colleagues there when I rolled into town earlier this week. Maybe they'd missed me just a little bit because they decided we should go out for dinner - a nice dinner - this time. I'd spent the previous evening burning the roof of my mouth on a rather unpleasant cheese pizza in the hotel bar, so I was definitely in the mood to go out.

The restaurant they chose was La Bodega on Plaza Molina in the Sant Gervasi area of the city. This district lies to the north of the Diagonal so not really in a typical tourist area. The Sant Gervasi metro stop is across the square from the restaurant so if you like what you read, it shouldn't be too hard to find it but keep in mind that this place is fiercely popular and you will probably need to make a booking. If you're travelling with a car, there's a large car park just to the other side of the Plaza.

Our table was booked for 8.30 pm which, by Barcelona standards, is like booking a table for 5.30 in the UK. Don't be too surprised if there's nobody else there and if the manager is still having his afternoon nap when you arrive. The restaurant has an outside terrace but despite the warm weather, it was just a bit too late in the year to be dining al fresco. And to be fair, what's the point when it's already dark and the square on which you're located looks like a building site. One of my colleagues said she loves this part of town but there's always some kind of construction going on so she always chooses to eat inside.

We were greeted as we arrived at the door, entered into a small vestibule with a bar where we were confronted by a big basket of wild mushrooms and I just knew without going a step further that this was going to be a good dinner. Show me a wild mushroom and I don't really need to see the menu.

We were a rather unusual party both for turning up at an ungodly early hour and for being – shock horror – four women. As the restaurant filled up, we were very much in a minority and I think our table alone contributed a major part of the total female customers that evening. We were, according to the owner, a 'bouquet' of lovely ladies. Or at least I think that's what he was saying.

We asked for a non-smoking table (yep, you CAN still smoke in Spanish restaurants and bars) and were led to a smallish table in the first area of the restaurant. It was a funny looking place with odd striped cladding on the walls, a bit like you might see in a hardware store or similar, combined with a fabulous high ceiling and old original interior windows. They apparently recently completed a refurb and I'd dare to suggest that something went a bit awry with the balance of old and new. The other distinctly odd thing was the lighting which was extraordinarily bright – there's no candle-lit softness for romantic encounters in La Bodega.

We settled at our table, had a good nosey around and the owner popped back to be charming, something that didn't seem to be a challenge for him. We really were made to feel like four of his nieces popping in for dinner and he was irrepressibly jolly. We ordered cava to sip on whilst we looked at the menus which are apparently available in 17 different languages. I could have tried to work out WHICH 17 but sipping my cava was more appealing. The downside to having the English menu was that there were no prices so I was thrown into a worry that I'd accidentally find the most expensive thing on the menu and my colleagues would feel embarrassed to have to get it for me. Whilst we checked the menu, we were given a basket of bread and a bottle of deep green olive oil to help pass the time. A plate of charcuterie was also placed on the table.

We all agreed that we should order several starters to share and then each pick a main course we liked the look of. We spent some time deliberating over the very long menu only to have the choice further complicated when a troop of waiters and waitresses arrived to show us just about everything on the day's specials list. This was a very entertaining part of the experience. As a dozen or more people sailed up to our table with two to four dishes arrayed up their arms, we were regaled with hilarious translations of some of the dishes. When neither the owner nor the waiter knew the translation of one dish, another waiter piped up 'It's Bambi' and everyone burst out laughing. The waiting staff included a large number of Chinese staff who spoke great English and – according to my colleagues – faultless Catalan as well. Of course by the time you've seen two dozen dishes you can't actually remember what you wanted – it was like trying to remember all the prizes at the end of the Generation Game.

Starters were chosen – a dish of fine asparagus fried in tempura batter, a plate of sliced tomatoes with anchovies and, best of all, a selection of wild mushrooms. For the main courses we had to choose between a full or a half portion and, knowing that the selection of desserts still to come would be almost as spectacular as the display of starters, we all opted for halves and everyone picked off the selection of different dishes with bacalao (cod fish). I'd been jealous when my colleague had a dish of chick-peas at lunch time and had learned the word for them; hence, I needed only to spot 'garbanzos' on the list of options to choose cod with chick peas, pine nuts and raisins. One colleague chose her cod with a tomato based sauce and two others took a less 'dressed' cod with thin sliced potatoes.

The starters were an excellent combination of flavours and textures. I adore anchovies and the ones you get in Barcelona are always big and tasty. I wasn't quite so impressed by the asparagus which seemed impossible to eat without flopping about all over the place. It was served with a local sauce (Romanesco, I think) based on almonds, tomatoes and garlic. Best of all were the wild mushrooms which we all loved. Cooked very carefully, each of the half dozen different mushrooms kept its own taste rather than merging into a bland mush of mushroom. Did I mention we were also working our way through a delicious white wine – a Rueda if I remember correctly? It's a hard life.

Throughout the meal, the owner kept popping back to chat, flirt and make sure we were happy with everything. Intermittently waiters dropped by to top up our glasses, clear empty plates and smile a lot.

My main course was delicious. Our half-sized portions were plenty big enough and my piece of cod was thick, firm and juicy. The chickpeas were tender without going mushy and the combination of pine nuts and raisins worked beautifully. I have to confess I did grab a final piece of bread to mop up the last smears of sauce left on my plate – they could have used it again, it was so clean.

As we finished our dishes there was a collective sense of anticipation about what was to come next. After our plates were cleared and a few minutes given to increase the sense of anticipation the finale commenced and the waiting staff once again trotted out to display their wares. Again, the flurry of activity and the surfeit of choice left me wanting them to bring them all back again for another look. Like buying rugs in a bazaar, I wanted to be able to put all the ones I liked to look of to one side and send the others I'd rejected back to the kitchen. It also became clear that we all wanted most of the desserts so we each chose something different – in my case, a bitter chocolate tart, with the others taking a lemon sorbet, a red fruit mille feuille and a portion of tiramisu. For me the tiramisu was a bit ordinary and the lemon sorbet lacked the sharp kick I hoped for so I was very pleased that I'd picked the equal-best of the four desserts. The mille feuille might just have edged my tart into second place if I was entirely honest.

With the puddings done and dusted and small strong coffees consumed, the bill arrived for €185 for the four of us. This included a nice bottle of wine and three glasses of cava, three starters, four main courses, four desserts and four coffees. It wasn't cheap but for what we had and the quality of the food, I think it was well worth it. The ambiance, the food and the very good company all contributed to a night out to remember. I doubt I could ever find the restaurant again, but I did pop a card in my bag in the hopes of finding my way back some time in the future.

A final note - I've given La Bodega the maximum rating of 5-stars. I review a lot of restaurants and I don't remember the last time one got me to part with all five. This really is an exceptional place and I can't recommend it highly enough. 

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