La Pubilla and the Menú del dia

I can’t speak for the rest of Spain but the menú del dia (menu of the day) can be found at lunchtime, lunch being the main meal of the day, in most restaurants in Barcelona and Catalonia and usually comprises two courses (don’t think of it as a starter and main course but two separate dishes served one after the other), dessert, bread, and a drink (usually bottled water, beer or wine) and occasionally coffee. There’s a fixed price and usually a short menu from which to choose your two courses plus dessert. They will always cost less than ordering a la carte and they’re usually an affordable way of trying some of the more expensive restaurants. If you’re lucky, the menu will change often – La Pubilla is one of those places, offering a daily changing lunch menu based on what looks good that day at Gràcia’s Mercat de la Llibertat located across from the restaurant.

La Publilla’s menú del dia did include some delicious olives and fantastically crusty bread.

We ensured that between the two of us, there would be no overlap in ordering. The Patates amanides amb vinegreta de bisbe negre (potato salad with bisbe negre vinaigrette) didn’t sound exciting to me (I pictured a thick and heavy mayonnaise based potato salad) but what arrived was light and insanely good. A boiled potato had been sliced up and topped with a dressing made of bisbe negre (a black sausage), tomatoes, pine nuts and spring onions. I’ve certainly not had a potato salad like this but I wish to have more.

The Espaguetis amb tomàquet, anxova i nyores (spaghetti with tomato, anchovy and nyora peppers) was topped with a snowy covering of grated parmesan. A creamy pea and mint soup was another first course available that day.

From the three available second dishes, we first chose the Bacallà amb samfaina (salt cod with samfaina, a Catalan stewed vegetable mixture made up of onions, peppers, aubergines and tomatoes – it’s not dissimilar to a ratatouille). The thick chunk of cod had been fried and it’s traditionally served with samfaina, the sweetness of the vegetables pairing well with the salty fish. This modern presentation was beautiful, with the red pepper foam and black olive drizzle.

Our other second course was Cap i pota amb cigrons (literally “head and feet” with chickpeas). Bits and pieces from the pig’s top to tail had been stewed together with chickpeas and made for a comforting stew, thickened just by the gelatin and collagen from the trotters used. A hamburger was the third option and it was very popular and looked amazingly plump and juicy as it was brought to diners around us (I hope it’s still on the menu next time!).

We were pretty stuffed already but soldiered on with the desserts. A Pastís de xocolata was an ethereally light chocolate brownie slice with a not very light chocolate sauce – I’m still dreaming about this cake.

I knew not what to expect from the Plàtan amb taronja (Banana with orange) and was surprised when a bowl of banana slices appeared swimming in a bowl of freshly squeezed orange juice. It’s simple but was actually a perfect refreshing ending to our meal. If you’re wondering, the third available choice for dessert that day was granola with yogurt.

And for this delicious modern Catalan lunch? Well, that’s the best part of the menú del dia, its affordability. At La Pubilla, a set lunch was only 13€ – a total bargain. They’re only open for breakfast and lunch and it’s very popular, making drop in lunches a bit difficult. Do book in advance or come early or be prepared to wait; when we went at about 2pm, there was still space at the bar and we ate there.

La Pubilla
Plaça Llibertat, 23
Gràcia
Barcelona
Spain

That rounds up the posts from my trip to Barcelona over Easter. All my photos from this trip can be found in this Flickr photoset.

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