BARCELONA Carrer de Petritxol

Trip: Europe May 2022

Carrer de Petritxol is a famous chocolate street in Barcelona. It is located next to Las Ramblas, and is famous for the chocolate shops, the art galleries, and the tile decorations.

The tiles have information on the birth or death of famous people in the city. 

If you are a chocolate lover, you must walk down this quaint pedestrian street. 

The first time we walked down this street, we ended up buying chocolate from four different shops, and we did not regret it!

Chocolate Churros

The art galleries and souvenirs shops were very cute too.

BARCELONA Tapeo

Trip: Europe May 2022

We made reservations at Tapeo before our trip began. This tapas restaurant had raving reviews and it did not disappoint. 

Every single dish was amazing. The Crema Catalana was the Spanish take of the crème brûlée and it was out of this world!

We were shocked at how cheap this was; it was about $90 for all this amazing food! So good!

This restaurant is my favorite Tapas restaurant of all the ones we tried in Spain. The plates were the right portion, and each plate was so special and amazing. A must try!

Jamon Iberia

Tomate con Burra
Tomato with Bufala Burrata

Entrana Chimichurri
Skirt of Beef Fillet with Chimichurri

Esparragos Tempu
Asparagus Tempura with Romesco sauce

Meloso Cordero
Lamb with parsnips and pine nuts

Fideua Negra
Black Catalan Cuttlefish Pasta 

Panna Cotta

Crema Catalana

Those who did not plan ahead and make reservations had a long wait ahead of them.

BARCELONA Pastelerias Mauri

Trip: Europe May 2022

We stopped for a quick lunch at the Pastelerias Mauri while exploring Barcelona.

We selected some sandwiches to share, and could not resist the amazing pastries.

We highly recommend this patisserie for a simple and quick lunch if you come across it on your walk.

Salami baguette

Chicken salad sandwich

Mango pastry

 

BARCELONA Food Stands in Mercado de la Boqueria

Trip: Europe May 2022

The market place Mercado de la Boqueria was vibrant with merchants and shoppers. All the food display looked amazing. It would be very difficult to pick where to eat, as you would want to sample everything, and your stomach wouldn't be able to take it.

So we advise you to do some research ahead of time to figure out what to try.

But here are a few pictures of the different food stands to give you an idea of what they offer. We chose to go to the seafood stand Kiosk Universal (featured in one of our posts.)

A Tapas bar

A fruit stand

Fried seafood stand

Potato on a stick

The market place

We highly recommend the market place for your lunch. Bring a big appetite!
 

BARCELONA Kiosk Universal at the Mercado de la Boqueria

Trip: Europe May 2022

We took the train from Avignon to Barcelona and after checking in at the Meridien, we explored the market place near our hotel, called the Mercado de la Boqueria.

Having done our research, we headed to the Kiosk Universal for seafood tapas.

The stand was packed, but we managed to snatch a table for two.

Shrimp scampi

Mix seafood

Grilled squid

Langoustine from our mix seafood

Fried squid

Everything tasted so fresh and amazing. We couldn't help but look at other people's orders. There was so much to try.

All of the sudden, a crew showed up and interviewed the owner of the stand, so we thought we had made an excellent choice to dine here on our first day in Barcelona.

AVIGNON La Fourchette

Trip: Europe May 2022

For our last dinner in Avignon, we chose La Fourchette which had high reviews on the internet. It did not disappoint.

The restaurant was full and very busy. We chose the 3-course menu which included one appetizer, one entrée, and one dessert. Confusingly, an entrée in French corresponds to an appetizer, and a plat corresponds to the main meal.

Everything was good, but our favorite meal in Avignon remains at La Cuisine du Dimanche.

La salade ce chou chinois relevé, calamar à la plancha
(Chinese cabbage with grilled calamari)

Seasonal asparagus (suggestions du jour)

Les St-Jacques planchées à la mangue
(Shrimp with mango salsa)

La daube de bœuf à l'Avignonnaise

Gratin de macaroni, served with la daube de bœuf

Puff pastry with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce

Fresh strawberries with crème chantillaise

MARSEILLE Chez Michel's Bouillabaisse

Trip: Europe May 2022

We were not sure we would make Marseille a stop on our visit to South of France, due to some concerns about safety in Marseille. But we were glad we stopped in Marseille for a few hours, long enough to enjoy the beautiful view of the Old Port and to try bouillabaisse for the first time.

Marseille is known for its fresh seafood and the bouillabaisse that is the French version of fish stew. Our search took us to Chez Michel on the Catalans beach of Marseille.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by Monsieur Michel himself, carrying a basket of fresh fish. Looking back, we realized he was providing us with a photo opportunity, but we totally missed that cue. Fortunately, he was very willing to come to our table for personalized photos with him and his fish.

The bouillabaisse experience was out of this world. The fish was so fresh, the stew soup was amazing, and the service excellent. We were shown how to eat the bouillabaisse: first take a little bit of the sauce (white is garlicky, red is spicy) on your spoon, add some fish and potato to the spoon, then dip the spoon into the bouillabaisse soup, then into your salivating mouth. Voilà!

A "must try" if you are in Marseille. Count on spending around 2 hours for the bouillabaisse experience. 38 minutes to cook the four fish for two people, and another hour to savor the meal.

Monsieur Michel and his fresh fish counter at the entrance of the restaurant

The fish, filet at the table, served with potatoes

The stew, served separately from the fish

This beach is across the street from Chez Michel