Xocolata? Yes, please! I always try to fit in one cup of thick hot chocolate on each visit to Barcelona. After a short day trip to chilly Girona (very cute and worth a visit), we made it back to Barcelona in the early evening and decided to brave the rain to find a granja that Blai had remembered passing. He normally brings me to the ones on c/Petritxol (like Granja La Pallaresa) but he’d seen another with a long queue and we went off in search of it in El Raval, a now quite hip area of the city after years of being, well….an area you wouldn’t go to alone.
The granja turned out to be Granja M. Viader, the oldest granja in Barcelona, dating back to 1870. And yes, it was packed though without a queue; we were able to secure a table quite quickly (don’t wait to be seated – grab that empty table!). Unlike the other granges I’ve visited, this one has menus on the table – very useful if you’re not sure what to have. It was from this menu that Blai ordered a Cacaolat amb Nata (Cacaolat with cream), eschewing his usual order of a suís, and quite enjoyed this new treat. Cacaolat is a chocolate milk drink popular in Spain and invented in 1931 (or was it trademarked in that year?) at this granja. His glass of it was topped by a good dollop of cream whipped thick enough on which to stand. All around us, children were sipping from their individual bottles of Cacaolat. (Of course, when his brother found out about this order, all he could give Blai was a pitying look.)
I went for my usual order of a small suís. First impressions were that their xocolata was much sweeter than those on c/Petritxol and had a different, gloopier texture too. The whipped cream was excellent: thick, creamy, unsweetened and so paired well with the sweeter hot chocolate.
To go with it, I asked for xurros but was told they didn’t have any. Oh really? Wow, this place is very Catalan! I decided to be Catalan too and asked for melindros – big, wide, simple sponge fingers that are perfect for dunking into and scooping up the thick chocolate.
Overall, not a bad place for xocolata and their menu lists other foods too if you’re looking for a slightly more substantial bite. And it’s a really good place to take picky kids; I mean, who doesn’t like a good chocolate milk? But personally, for xocolata, I think I still prefer La Pallaresa.
Granja M. Viader
c/Xuclà, 4 i 6
Barcelona, Spain
And that brings to an end my very short Barcelona series. Though I had over a week there, I didn’t do very much, spending most of the time strolling about and relaxing (though there was a trip to the Museu d’Història de Catalunya as well as that daytrip to Girona). All the photos from my trip (including all the food I ate and cooked and came across!) can be found in this Flickr photostream.
Sun, 17 Jan, 2010 at 00:13
Very jealous of your trips to Barcelona! I am a big fan of churros, but I have to say those melindros look delicious too. They kinda look like savoiardi biscuits to me – Are they soft or crunchy?
xox Sarah
Sun, 17 Jan, 2010 at 07:28
Confused me for a minute: in Madrid, they’d write ‘chocolate’ and ‘churros’. But, I suppose they’re pronounced the same?
Sun, 17 Jan, 2010 at 23:34
Shame we missed. I just got back to my apartment in Girona after a few days in the Basque Country and I’ll be in Barcelona next week. Happy chocolate eating.
Mon, 18 Jan, 2010 at 23:35
dark choclate? this is what i call food p*rn my dear, food p*rn. wish i could have been there, too, looks so delicious. x
Tue, 19 Jan, 2010 at 14:04
Sarah: They are soft and somewhat moist – perfect carriers for the hot chocolate!
travelrat: Apologies, Keith – I need every opportunity to practice my Catalan! And yes, they’re pronounced the same!
Trig: Ah, can’t believe that I was in Girona too! What a cute town – didn’t know that you were living there. Hope it’s all going well!
shayma: Only the dark stuff! 🙂 Any available near you?
Tue, 19 Jan, 2010 at 21:39
Your Spanish adventures are getting me SO excited about my upcoming travels. HOT CHOCOLATE! Mmmm!
Sun, 24 Jan, 2010 at 16:05
Gastronomer: You’re going to be eating SO WELL!
Mon, 25 Jan, 2010 at 18:56
This has officially wet my appetite for hot chocolate. Any such granjas in london? Ever since Princi have cheapened their hot chocolate, I need somewhere to fulfil my hot chocolate needs!
Tue, 2 Feb, 2010 at 17:20
Su-lin, I’m so jealous of how often you get to go to Barcelona!! We were there back in October and absolutely loved it … we even talked about moving there! 😀
Fri, 19 Feb, 2010 at 12:50
“Xurros” and “xocolata” are in Catalan while “churros” and “chocolate” are in Spanish. They both sound very alike. Maybe more /sh/ than /ch/ in Catalan.
“Xurros” are as much Catalans as Spanish. The fact is that you can’t eat them in any “granja” but in a “xurreria” (a sort of kiosks for fried things), not in Spain or in Catalonia. On the other hand, you can’t ask for whipped cream in a “xurreria”. I know these are not unbreakable rules but they are the most common and traditional usage.
Ah, and “xurreries” are Catalan, too. For example, Catalan “xuixos” are very very Catalan -they have not any Spanish equivalent- and they are made in “xurreries” 🙂
Tue, 1 Jun, 2010 at 11:44
Su-Lin, I think there is the best cream of Barcelona! Enjoy!
Mon, 12 Jul, 2010 at 15:34
David: Thanks for the Catalan xurro lesson! Very helpful – I’ve yet to try a xurro from a xurreria (there’s one down the road from Blai’s parents’ place) and hope that I’ll have the opportunity next time!
Marc: Oh really? I believe you! You must have tried them all!
Sat, 7 Apr, 2012 at 04:15
learn spanish free ebook…
[…]Granja M. Viader, Barcelona « Tamarind and Thyme[…]…
Sat, 8 Nov, 2014 at 17:58
[…] variety of interesting buildings- not only Gaudi.Third – go to another cafe – this one Granja M Viader is the oldest granja (milk bar) in Barcelona – and enjoy a drink of hot chocolate with […]