A dose of fresh at Miami Juice.

When the pilot announces that we are making our final descent into Miami International, I can already taste the first few bites of my MJ salad and green tea with mint leaves soon TBD (to be devoured). My mind takes me right to Miami Juice... and my body soon follows. To know Miami Juice is to love it I think. But to the uninformed, Miami Juice looks like an everyday, run of the mill, strip mall lunch joint. You know the kind that dot Ocean Drive or Collins, from Hollywood to South Beach. It's non-descript, no frills, casual, and is in Sunny Isles, just a 10 minute drive north of Bal Harbor on Collins. But thanks to its super-fresh and healthy middle-eastern inspired cuisine, it's so much more than that. In fact, it looks like someone opened a grocery store and then tried to squeeze a restaurant into it. Some of the seating will actually nuzzle you right up (or in) to an aisle, where you can practically shop for granola bars and salad dressings while you eat.

From 11 to 3, the place is packed with produce and eager lunching customers, the soundtrack is the beat of whirring of blenders making juice & smoothies, and I'm always digging it. As I approach the door from the overcrowded parking lot, I walk by crates of oranges outside, and once inside I navigate around boxes of avocados, bananas, and other fruits to get to my seat. My mouth begins to water, the food being dropped at tables around me looks like the purest slice of the garden of eden. A look behind the counter reveals every variety of fresh vegetable and fruit, waiting to be transformed - but just barely changed from its off the tree natural state - into something special. The old school (slightly more heavy duty than mine) manual Orange-X juicers pump out fresh juice all day long. They seem to be standing the test of time. 

The (daily) eating experience at Miami Juice is reason enough for a springtime Florida getaway. The menu can seem long and complex at first. But it's basically the same 15 ingredients, creatively switched around to create big variety. The portions are huge, and great for sharing, I like to order as a team and sample a few things at the table in order not to miss out on something delicious. The ingredients are all ripened to absolute perfection. How many melt in your mouth ripe avocadoes can one place churn out every day? It's mad. Don't let your initial look through the notebook-style menu deter you, because anything you order will be delicious and fresh. Here are the specials of the house that rock my world:

Falafel platter with Tuna scoop and salad. The falafel balls are piping hot, little and crispy, and perfectly moist inside. Mix that up with some homemade hummus, house salad, and a scoop of tuna - and there you have it. delicious.

Fruit Salad- a variety of every fruit you can imagine (no melon bowl with soft grapes and sweet syrup here). These fruits taste like they were picked off the tree 30 seconds ago, but actually were cut 15 seconds before being delivered to your table. Topped with nuts, coconut & honey- it's too good to be called just fruit. It’s heaven.

MJ's salad. A chopped salad with purple cabbage, lettuce, avocado, tomato, carrot, and feta, with your choice of topping - grilled chicken, tuna, "Bonitas" (amazing) salmon, grilled snapper- and a few (hundred) more. All amazing and healthy choices, this salad was the first thing that brought me back to Miami Juice begging for more.

And finally, last but not least, my absolute favourite discovery, that I made only on my most recent trip to Florida (after a few years of eating the MJ goodness!). "Issac's Special". Named after one of the owners (as most of the specialty dishes are), Issac's special is essentially a greek salad with avocado, served over a flat bread spiced with za'atar, sumac and other mediterranean spices. I add rosemary grilled chicken on top. The taste of the chicken, feta, spices, avocado, olives, tomato, and onion... all spread over the spiced crispy toasted flatbread is an explosion for my senses. Tastes and textures too good to be true. Soft avocado, wet and juicy tomato, crunchy onion, salty feta- and then throw the thin and spicy crunch of the bread into the mix- You get it. I am in a state of euphoria every bite of the way. 

Who is responsible for this gift to mankind? Miami Juice was opened by Issac & Bonita, an Israeli couple who moved to Florida, and dreamt of providing the local residents with fresh and healthy foods. And do they ever. Issac (a big Israeli dude with salt and pepper hair) is one of the most hands on owners of any establishment I have ever seen. He's there everyday, walking around, wiping tables, moving chairs, tending to his army of staff who are working hard to pump out fresh and amazing plates and juices every moment of the day. The rush never seems to fully quiet down there. Issac sometimes works the blenders, carries the boxes of produce, and once in a while has a 30 second chat with a customer. He is welcoming and real, and gives off a calm and steady energy. I have never been there when the tall, muscular Issac isn't towering over the tables, keeping a watchful eye on every movement in the restaurant, and making sure the experience is consistent and right. 


After a physically tough week of cooking, I had arrived in Florida with my back feeling broken - and when I was catching up with Issac, telling him about my pain, he replied "you think it's easy what you do?", sympathizing with me. He directed me to get a pair of MBTs, the orthopedic-moon-shoe looking footwear he always wears in the restaurant. If you've never seen MBTs, let me tell you right now, they won't look good with your outfit. But I was desperate because my old school Connie All Stars were not doing the trick supporting my body over long hours in the kitchen. So Issac gave me directions to the nearest retailer and sent me on my way. As Jon, Eric and I were discussing this new footwear discovery and how it would help my back, a customer sitting right next to me whipped around and told me abut his physiotherapist. "The best in Florida" he said. Then he got on his cell phone and made me an appointment on the spot. He even made me take his number, to call him and tell him how good the therapy was afterwards. That's the kind of community vibe that is happening at Miami Juice, love it! 

The man behind the miracle, Issac

My new MBT's

The crowd at Miami Juice is all kinds of casual. If you're lucky to find a spot in the lot out front, it will likely be between a luxury SUV and convertible sports car. People are double parked and jockeying their cars around mid-way through lunch, and it's not rare to see someone come hollering that they are blocked in the lot. It's yoga moms, Florida blondes, business lunches, families, locals, tourists, lovers and haters - Miami Juice can be a very potent drama cocktail. Tables turning over, some are placed just inches next to one another, which can make for great eavesdropping (my specialty). 


My table was once 2 inches next to a couple working out the details of their messy divorce, dividing homes (share weeks at the home in Telluride, or just buy another one, toughie), working out custody schedules, him begging for her back - heartbreaking stuff  all happening as I had to lean in periodically to borrow their salt, and use their coffee condiments. After watching this guy spill his heart out all over his eggwhite omelette, I joked to my mom and aunt as he paid his bill- "someone's gotta tell this guy not to sweat it, he'll be getting laid by a super hot, young thing pretty soon"- and my aunt look up at me and said "do it". And in the true Miami Juice spirit of community, I popped out of my seat (heart slightly pounding out of my chest), followed the thirty something soon-to-be-divorcé into the parking lot, and told him straight up, that he's a cutie, and that I see hot sweethearts all over him in his horizon, and to forget about all this sh*t. Turned that frown right upside down, oh yeah. Awesome.

And about the physiotherapy recommendation... let me just say that it was the best physio experience I ever had anywhere. This guy rocks. I am a new person: Stretching the Dr. Yoav way, and wearing my new MBT's (that I ordered online and had shipped right to my hotel in Florida) and feeling better than ever. So thanks Miami Juice! 

Miami Juice 

16210 Collins Ave (Near Poinciana Dr)

(305) 945-0444

Open Monday through Saturday, 8am-8:30pm 

(great for a quick evening bite too)

Take-out available

**Stay tuned, Miami Juice is moving to a new location up the street in the coming months. I drove by the new spot last week, and it looks virtually ready to go, so MJ fans shouldn't have to miss out on their daily fix for more then a day or two when the move actually happens. Can't wait to see the new digs.

Masala here & there.

I just love a good Indian meal. I don't even care when my winter coat smells like Punjab fare for 3 months after. I always find people who are turned off by Indian food and are quick to associate the cuisine only with curry (which is in fact one of my favourite spices), which it so is not. I have waited a while to write this blog, because I wanted to do a fresh and current test run of some of Montreal's “best” Indian spots, and I needed time to do the field research (...can't be eating the stuff every night).

A few years back after a string of disappointing meals in Montreal, I sort of gave up on Indian. Because as good as a delicious Indian meal can be - little is more disgusting than a bad one. Then this past September while in London, the Punjab flame was re-ignited by a meal at the unlikeliest of places.

As Eric and I sat in a cafe in London, trying to map out our eating over two days (which reservations to keep, which to forgo, how to maximize the quality without letting the Sterling Pound break the travel bank), we asked my cousin, a local, for a recommendation. We had heard of a bunch of trendy Indian spots (trendy and Indian! who knew?) that sounded good. I should explain that my cousin is blessed with a business expense account that’s allowed him to eat in virtually every upscale restaurant in London. And as an international business traveler, he's tried a variety of foreign food that would make Anthony Bourdain envious. Anyway, cuz said that if we wanted to truly experience the best Indian food in London - we had to make the trek to "Lahore House" on Umberston Street in White Chapel. It was a 30 pound taxi ride in each direction, but the meal would be dirt cheap and well worth the trip. (Also note he was off to Mumbai, real deal, in the morning on business). We were sold.

We decided to behave like we live there, save the thirty quid and hit the tube to White Chapel. This tube stop was way off at the end of the line, definitely on the outside edge of our tourist comfort zone. We stepped out of the station and into sketchville. It was dark; there were a few homeless people, fewer streetlights and no retail stores to speak of. Cars whipped by the 4 lane main road at highway speeds. Nothing around seemed to be open save for a few sparse depanneurs that looked like they'd be right at home in the seedier parts of my old neighborhood St-Henri. Strange characters looked at me like I was completely wacked out when I asked them if they knew where Lahore House or Umberston Street was. Finally, we ducked into the most suspect Pizza Hut I have ever seen, and I proceeded to ask all of the patrons if they knew where we were headed. One family actually told me they didn't know how to direct me there, but they knew it was far. Sounded like we were off to a great start.

We stepped back out onto the street and kept walking for 15 minutes until a taxi drove past, which we called for like Tom Hanks waving down a distant ship in Cast Away.

Turns out Umberston Street is the tiniest alleyway of a street – you’d have to live on it to locate it. Doesn’t always pay to be a hero and try to travel like a local - locals would have clearly had the brains to take a taxi the whole way to Lahore.

We arrived at the restaurant, and stepped into an epic lineup of Londoners. Indian families, students, young couples, groups of dudes, and businessmen rolling up in Range Rovers illegally parking with their hazards blinking. No worries about the lineup, this place worked fast and efficiently (hosts and head waiters wearing walkie talkies with headsets, need I say more?). The place was a big and very simple, melamine tables and banquet chairs, linoleum floors, fluorescent lighting... but it was clean and there was a good energy coming from the clientele, who all seemed to be happy to be there. The kitchen was fully exposed on two sides by big glass windows - no secrets here. Fourteen or so guys working with intensity - working four dishes over four flames at once, while turning back to check on a sauce, lowering the naan dough into the fire pit with a poker, moving with amazing precision and speed. We ended up sitting in front of that window and I spent most of the meal staring into the kitchen in excited wonderment. I spotted the guy who seemed in charge (everyone who walked in knew this guy on a first name basis). As he greeted us, I told him I was on my honeymoon - all the way from Canada, and needed his advice on the menu.

He came over to our table and actually sat down with us. He was in fact the owner, and he was awesome. We went through the menu in detail, and he was extremely patient and helpful as I pointed to all the tables around me asking what they were having. We discussed and he arbitrated, and the order was settled. I wasn’t really sure what exactly I had just agreed to eat, but I felt good about it.

Lahore House is a byob (in our case bring your own beer) and is actually a mix of northern Indian but primarily Pakistani food (hence the name Lahore). These two cuisines have a lot of crossover, and a lot of the food is what we see in Indian restaurants here in North America, so I call it indian, but it's really Pakistani, or to cover all the bases and make things really easy; Punjabi.

First the chicken and lamb kebab arrived at the table. Unbelievably tasty. The flavours exploded in my mouth - it was tikka style with a splash of citrus, but better than any other kebab I've tried. AMAZING.

Next up was naan bread, raita, rice, lamb sag (lamb stewed with spices, tomato, and spinach; sag means spinach), and a spicy chicken dish that the owner told us he would "arrange".

Both of these dishes blew my mind (and the chicken almost tore my taste buds out). My lips were red and irritated and I swear there are very few times in my life I have ever been so happy eating one single meal. The lamb was perfectly seasoned, the spinach still resembled spinach - it was fragrant and salty with a hint of sweet and perfect. The chicken dish was unreal. Oily (with just the right amount of oil), tomato based and so red hot spicy - but the kind of spice where you can still taste the complex layers of flavor, which is really what Indian cooking is all about for me.

Lahore house was one of my favourite meals of all time, and I would recommend anyone headed to London check out this spot - even if your time there is limited, and even if you are thinking you want reservations at one of London’s renowned restaurants like River Café or Moro (which we did, but hit Lahore instead).

When we got back from our trip, I was set on rediscovering Indian eating in Montreal. The first thing I did was buy a fresh Indian spice kit from Epices de Cru. Epices de Cru is a spice company started by Chef and travel enthusiast Philippe Devienne and his wife Ethne. He is a great, interesting guy who I used to take cooking classes from back when I was 13 and discovering my love for the kitchen. Phillip and his wife import all kinds of high quality and obscure spices in their freshest form from all over the world. They sell them out of their store La Depense at the Jean Talon Market (where you can also get fresh hot bhajis and with mango chutney in the summer - mmm mmm good!) and The Fromagerie at the Atwater Market carries the line too - The themed sets come in a beautiful box and make for great gifts.

I ended up making made my own Garam Masala (way different than store bought), and spent hours over the next few days putting together a couple of Indian meals. It was fun, but if you dare to cook Indian, be prepared to spend a lot of time and have everything in your house smell intense for a week.

As for the restaurant search, I scoured internet chat rooms dating back to 2005, making my "hit list" of places including some very close to home, some a little further, mostly dives, and a few on the "higher" price scale. I am going to continue on this Punjabi journey, and add to this post as I go. Do you have a favourite Indian spot I should hit? Please share your comments and suggestions below!

I took a few photos here and there, but the lighting and general ambiance of the places don’t produce very exciting photojournalism. So please believe me when I say its a go.

My faves so far:

Pushap 5195 Pare, Montreal. Cash only

Pushap has always been a consistently good and delicious spot for Indian. It is vegetarian, but as much as I love a good Chicken Jalfrezi, Pushaps dishes are one better than the next and more than makes up for the lack of meat on the menu. Don’t be deterred by the metal tableware (that may make you feel like you are eating on a prison tray): The metal tray with various compartments is called a “thali” and is simply the traditional way to eat Indian food, and how the people of India have been eating their food for centuries.

The food is amazing and not oily or greasy. We both started with samosas, they are flavourful and fresh. Eric’s meal: Some fiercely hot and green peas with paneer (which he loved, too bluntly hot for me), lentil curry, and a sweet eggplant and tomato dish that we both had and loved. I had my Pushap favourites: cauliflower and potato curry (so aromatic and even more tasty), the eggplant dish, and raita for us to share. You can also get naan to ways- fried or not fried (my head says go not fried, but my heart says fried). I used to stop here sometimes to pick up a box of their well-known and very scrumptious sweets to give as cool hostess gifts. They package them in a beautiful & colourful patterned box, and it's always been a great and different gift I love to bring along to any dinner party. Our meal was top quality. We walked out of there satisfied and stuffed. $17.50 for the two of us.

Mysore 4216 St Laurent, Montreal

This was the first stop on my journey to rediscover Indian in our fine city. Everything we tried was delicious. Delicious Tandoor chicken, The sag lamb was the favourite of the table and I liked the chicken Jalfrezi in particular, it was well seasoned and the chicken itself was very good quality. The onion bhajis arrived hot and crisp. It was on the higher price scale for Indian, but it gets my #1 vote for all around (not vegetarian) quality and taste. The only thing I didn’t LOVE was the raita, which is perfect if you want to take out, you can make your own with some plain yogurt, cucumber, and a box grater.

Maison Golden Cari

On St Laurent and Laurier, if you don't look carefully, you will miss this place. The doorway is so narrow it looks like you are going to be led upstairs to a larger space, but this place is in fact the size of a small narrow hallway. It gets rave reviews online from Montréal foodies, and was jamming when we got there (which I guess isn't too hard when the entire restaurant is made up of 7 tables). Anyways, it didn't live up to my high expectations. It was solid, nice and fiery. The food was all good, and I'd head back to try more. Points for two kinds of Indian beer on tap for a little extra authenticity - but I may have been happier if I hadn't felt all hyped up from "Montréal Indian restaurant" chat forums where fellow foodies seemed to be going bonkers over this place.

Masala

I haven’t been here is a very long time- over 5 years. But I really loved it when I did eat there. They still seem to be up and running, and if nothing drastic has changed in ownership- I suspect they should be churning out the same delicious food. They are open daily for lunch, but only certain days of the week for dinner. Again, a little more of a "dining" experience, not a hole-in-the-wall type of place, and the menu is quite limited so call or check it out online. They also offer cooking classes.

The just "okay"

Taj Mahal 5026 Sherbrooke West

On Sherbrooke and Claremont, this place is good when you are looking for a bite in the neighbourhood (if NDG or Westmount is your hood). Food was clean, the tikka was tasty enough and the prices were reasonable. Nothing blew my mind away but I'd eat here again and continue to explore the menu.

The Bad

Ganges 6079 Sherbrooke West, Montreal

Another reason not to trust what you read in chat forums. Every one rants and raves about Ganges on Sherbrooke in NDG. I ate there about a year ago and I can honestly say it was a reminder to me as to why I thought one could never find good Indian in Montreal. I will go back soon (just in case the 5 dishes we ordered were all miss-orders and the food really is good), but the place was disgusting and the food was greasy and tasted pre made and reheated. Bad news.

Places I’d like to hit soon: Bombay Choupati, Star of India, Indian Curry house.

To be continued & please share below! Jai ho!

T'estimo, Barcelona.

Barcelona was an awesome city to visit, explore and eat in. The food in itself was an adventure, so many different styles and tastes to be had in one city, I could have eaten my way through Barcelona for another 6 months.

While planning our trip to Barcelona this fall, I was so excited to truly experience spanish tapas, and of course, did as much research as possible to ensure only the best eating experiences during our short visit.

My eating plan included doing everything in my power to get reservations at El Bulli (often called "the greatest restaurant in the world"). I decided to go in strong. I sent them an email, begging and pleading, complete with a photo of me holding "a day at el bulli"- the restaurants coffee table book that right now holds the top spot on the ottoman in my sun room.

They kindly responded no. (actually, they kindly responded in broken english, explaining they are currently "living a big problem" with the amount of requests that they can't fill, but that they "will take care full time to see if there are changes that permit us to find some solutions more", which I found very authentic and cute for a restaurant with such an international following).

In order to keep it in the family (literally), I planned for us to have lunch at inopia, opened by Albert Adria, the brother of the esteemed owner and chef of El Bulli, Ferran Adria. The restaurant also came recommended by a friend who lived in Barcelona and worked in the kitchen at El Bulli a couple of years back - I'd say that’s a pretty strong source for a recommendation. I also made us a resi at the well-known and critically acclaimed Commerc 24, and since the chef used to be the sous chef /kitchen manager at el bulli, I felt like we were keeping it close to the mothership with this call too. It was going to be our fanciest, most expensive meal there, and also the most anticipated of our trip to 3 cities.

Those two restaurants delivered extremely opposite impressions and each deserves a full review below, If you only have time to read one, scroll down to the inopia review, don't miss it. I’ll list some of the other worthwhile places we visited at the end.

Lets Start with Comerc 24.

Giddy with excitement, we pulled back the big glass and metal doors and were greeted by a guy who was all business, decked in black, with perfect hair and trimmed stubble. The place was subdued, dark and modern. We were led to our velvety seats by Senior Eurostyles, past the waiters (dressed like ninjas) and the empty front section of the restaurant.

Our waiter arrived, and we ordered a couple of cocktails and were presented with menus. The host stopped by to go over the menu and encouraged us to order the taster’s menu as most customers do. There were 2 options and we ordered the basic “festival” tasting menu, which is designed to be customized to your individual tastes and preferences, and served tapas style… in 12 or 13 separate courses including dessert. Sounds yummy.

A short conversation with the host ensued about what type of food we would each prefer to see and things we’d like omitted. We’re told the chef will use this information to prepare items from the menu (or off of it) to that most suits our tastes. How delightful. I was excited for the meal but tense from the cold, uptight vibe in the place. There was a lot of buildup to this meal so I had high expectations, and I was trying to take in everything I was seeing, smelling and hearing.

The bread service arrived and it was top notch. Safe to say that when the only part of the meal that even comes close to being top-notch is the bread, you're in trouble. Light, fresh, country style breads with 3 choices of olive oil. Amazing. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there.

I cannot recall every serving that followed, because around the time that I realized I was actually feeling nauseous from the food, I stopped taking photos, and have been blocking the experience out of my memory since. I will only go through my menu, but I can tell you that Eric was equally (if not more) disappointed.

First course was an avocado and vegetable roll. Tasteless, textureless. literally plain avocado. I went with it and figured maybe they were giving us very bland and natural ingredients to prepare us for some very interesting tastes on the way? Wrong.

Next came a cold cauliflower vichicoise soup with truffle infusion. I like a cold soup, but this was starchy and thick, and the truffle taste was overpowering and not balanced. Gross.

Third course: gold dust covered hazelnuts. Again, tasteless. Well, they tasted like nuts. I appreciated how beautiful they were so I tried not to complain. I looked over at Eric and faked a "how are you liking the meal?" I thought maybe he was having an entirely different experience than me so far, and I think I was faking it to myself too. "it's goooood" he said, unconvincingy, and I just said "ya". Neither of us wanted to ruin the other’s Comerc fantasy meal, yet.

Then, the meal turned from plain bad, to terrible. A cold "ramen soup" broth arrived to be poured over flowers. Again beautiful to look at, but no taste. There was a vague ginger taste to the broth, other than that it was tasteless. One of the exotic flowers makes your entire mouth go numb and tingle for 3 minutes... interesting, but I was sure I was going into allergic / anaphylactic shock, which is really, really not cool. It scared the shit out of me. I said "Ric! My lips, they are swelling! my tongue!", and when I called the waitress over to ask her if there was perhaps some lobster in the soup I might be dying from, she explained the whole "electric flower" thing. I made Eric try it to show him how not nuts I am, he did not like the sensation about as much as me. How about a little, “here is your soup, enjoy the sensations from the wild flower". Or “here's your soup and, oh ya, you may feel near death while your tongue seizes up for 3 minutes.”

Little hairy wildflower- eating the entire thing could cause days of tingling & numbness

Next up, another soup (again – if you’re keeping score that’s 3 soups in 4 courses)... it was a broth with three types of "yolks" floating in it. One was a quail egg, one was a truffle yolk, the last a parmesan yolk. I’m not yolking. The waiter told me to put them in my mouth and essentially let them explode. Interesting, because eating them one at a time does not blend the tastes, but rather overpowers you with one strong flavor at a time. Also, there was nothing interesting about the texture. It was slimy and the liquid had no pulp or texture. The yolks were also way too large. When they opened up in my mouth I wanted to gag. It was too much liquid, and an unpleasant taste. Eric claims I sprayed one back into the bowl by accident – just by purge reflex. The thought of getting through this soup made me ill.

Next course was called a "kinder surprise", like the chocolate egg with the helicopter toy you have to assemble inside. Only this was an egg in brown shell that had been laser cut at the top and refilled. The bottom was egg white pieces, cooked in small slivers in raw yolk, with black truffle, and potato mousse on top. The mousse fell after 10 seconds, and this quickly became a slimy cold, sludgy, yolky substance - what's the DEAL with the eggs and soup consistency and overpowering truffle in every dish? I am into egg, and truffle of course, but this was done like a bad joke.

After that I cant remember anything. A tiny serving of salty chicken arrived (finally – solid food), but Eric and I were too busy figuring out the least embarrassing way to escape this meal. The plan was all about approaching the waiter because everyone in the place spoke in a whisper and we didn't want to make a scene or insult anyone, or have the tables near us overhear. I was feeling nausous from the amount of slimy and raw egg that I had consumed, I had yet to eat one solid thing the entire night. Erics food was partly different but equally horrible. It deserves a column to itself – it really does, but this has run on long enough I think. We called over the ultra chic maitre D and explained in hush tones that the food was making us nauseous and we wished to end our adventure now please. We took the cheque and left before the final few courses. The ambiance was lame, the food was a disaster and I couldn’t sit there any longer. In the restaurant’s defense, the service was excellent and we got the impression they were more embarrassed by the situation than we were upset by the food. They refused to charge us for all but the wine. Classy, considering we were prepared to pay for the whole "festival" in order to bust out of there asap.

Altogether, a major disappointment. No taste, basically one texture, one big catalan flop. We could not believe it. I have met, spoken to and read about handfuls of people who were just as disappointed.

Inopia

We rented bikes at the bottom of las ramblas (where I contemplated buying a pet bunny for ten euros 15 times in 3 days, seriously) on a beautiful sunny day, and mapped out our journey through some local neighbourhoods in search of Inopia. It is definitely a “drive-to” destination, off the tourist path. After (luckily) not getting killed on our bicycles on some fairly busy Barcelona streets, we arrived just before the lunch rush and were seated immediately.

The menu was all spanish, and the waiter was very helpful in explaining each dish, and making some recommendations. Everything is delivered to the table with just the right amount of style and attention to detail, without taking away from the real amazing part - the food.

The place is awesome. Casual, unpretentious and so styling. The very cool and easy going Albert Adria whizzing past us every two minutes, adjusting the volume of the music, reworking his playlist, bopping his head to the vibe, and hugging and kissing and welcoming every patron that walked in. It was like Cheers, times ten thousand. He smiled over at us, picked up one of our empty plates, and said thank you (the only english word the guy speaks). We shared a no-english moment with him, acknowledging the food and the great scene unfolding at his ultra happening spot. This guy was beyond cool (I sat watching him greet his friends and work the restaurant and sort of fell in love on the spot).

Albert Adria, you're cool.

First up came our beers and fried eggplant with sugar cane molasses. Seriously, unbelievably, amazing. Perfectly cooked. Crispy on the outside and cooked through on the inside.

Then came Russian Salad: I didnt take part (tuna), but Eric says it was potato salad, tuna, and "other stuff". Very descriptive so thanks Ric. He said it was good, not his favorite, but here is a pic in case you happen to love Russian Salad.

Next (as per the waiters suggestion), was the inopia croque monsieur. A very basic, but tasty dish, I would give it a thumbs up, but relative to the rest of our meal, it was just OK.

Next up, The bomb. A delicious little ball of deep fried sheperds pie (basically), sitting in tomato sauce with a dollop of sour cream on top. The meat was well spiced & out of this world hot and amazing. Truly the bomb.

Chicken fingers, with spanish potato chip batter and mustard sauce (the chips are sold in bags behind the cash), were the highlight for me. They were so mind blowing that in looking at the photos I see that I became slightly cross-eyed with shock and excitement. My favorite junk food has always been chicken fingers - but this dish was from another galaxy.

Dessert was figs and yogurt. Perfectly ripe and juicy figs (figs like that could only grow in the mediterranean sun), and a light and fresh way to end the meal (and head out drunk and full on our bikes). By the time we left there was a lineup to get in, and as I saw a couple deciding to leave, I told them to wait it out, big big mistake to pass up that kind of food.

Inopia was one of the best meals of our trip, and one of the most delicious and fun spots of all time (I wish we had gone for every meal)

Other great spots & stuff

Cerveceria Catalana: We hit this spot the first night we arrived at 1:15am- perfect for your first pitcher of sangria. It was jamming with people, a great fun vibe and bar scene, and very decent tapas. We loved it! Be sure to eat Padrones peppers at every meal while in Barcelona!

La Bodegueta: very authentic and local dive - great padrones peppers and other classic catalan bites. A good, cheaper option.

Mercat de la boqueria: the famous market just off of las ramblas is a must do. One of the most impressive food markets I've ever been to- A great choice for breakfast, they have prepared fruit cups, coffee bars & eating Jamón ibérico off the pig leg is good any time of day.

Chiringuitos: are restaurants on the beach, a fun way to relax and spend the afternoon.

Also be on the lookout for some amazing looking paella at nicer restaurants along the beach.

Montjuic: A great place way out of the busy bustling streets to relax in the afternoon, take some sun, have a glass of wine while a catalan artist plays music on the steps, and enjoy the fabulous view.

Vinoteca Torres: We had classic tomato bread app, apple tart, and then chocolate on toast with sea salt. one of the best desserts that has ever hit my mouth. A+++ for a late night glass of wine and snack, and the dinner food looked incredible too.

Cal Pep: Packed tapas bar is a Barcelona favourite. Beware the long waits!

Bunny rabbit I almost bought 15 times.