I am always fascinated by the era of The Belle Époque, it was a period in French history between 1871 to 1914. The peace and prosperity in Paris allowed new technology and scientific discoveries and the arts to flourish.
Many masterpieces of music literature, theater and visual arts gained recognition. It is considered as a "golden age" and Absinthe was a popular aperitif belonging to that time. A trendy herbal spirit referred to as “the green fairy” due to an opaque green color. But let’s not get into the history, how about we talk about its effect? I myself didn’t get the hallucination from the drink, maybe I did but I wasn’t sure? But there are many free-spirited Bohemian drinkers did made a strong impression, I guess we all know that painting by Degas which hanging in the Musée d'Orsay -A woman drinking absinthe with her eye glazed. And the one by Manet? The lonely man sitting by an Absinthe as a date perharps? Oscar Wilde was saying "What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset?", Ernest Hemmingway called Absinthe "Brain-warming, idea-changing liquid alchemy", how about Picasso, Van Gogh, Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Toulouse-Lautrec, Gauguin...
Opened in 1820 in El Raval, Bar Marsella, probably the first bar of Barcelona visited by the likes of Picasso, Gaudi and Dali, Hemmingway for an aperitif... The bar is located in a side street of La Rambla and is therefore easy to reach but don't go there expecting some lavish bar. Marsella is a run down looking, yet when you walk through the door you can see the tiled floors, tired cabinets lined with cobwebs liquor bottles, ancient mirrors and dusty chandeliers. This bar has an antiquated, deliciously old picture mood. You feel as though you have walked back in time, transported into century Paris spectacular. The feel of chaos, as prostitutes and thieves cavort just outside the street around the corner with the mix of local bohemians, you feel as the part of the history and part of the Barcelona nightlife.
If this licorice flavour Absinthe was the tipple of choice of talented people for inspiration, I too have to drink a few to salute them. I placed a cube of sugar on a small cocktail fork on the top of a glass of absinthe. Then slowly poured chilled water over the sugar until the green liquid dowse with water so it turns a dreamy cloudy hue. I drink it slowly and imagine that I am seducing Winona Ryder like Dracula ”Absinthe is the aphrodisiac of the self. The green fairy who lives in the absinthe wants your soul. But you are safe with me”.
When I walked out of the Bar Marsella after a few French poisons, I think to myself, I know I can never write like Hemingway and Wilde or slice my ear off but when I looked at the sky I definitely saw starry night as Van Gogh did and I am fascinated by the Belle Époque.
Address: Carrer Sant Pau 65, El Raval, Barcelona
Ernest Hemingway's champagne cocktail -Death in the Afternoon
Pour 1 part of absinthe into a champagne glass.
Add iced champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness.
Phở Bar | Calle Sepúlveda 159
Second, the summer roll. It looks good but lacks of taste. They
should put the mint leaves and garlic chive in side, they cut the carrot a bit
too thick and the hoisin dipping sauce, I don’t know if their sauce mixed with
smooth peanut butter, crush garlic and white vinegar but it tasted very thin. Also instead of roasted sesame they should replace
it with crushed roasted peanut instead, it will give the roll a better taste. 
Now the Phở Bo (beef
rice noodle soup). I am glad they gave
me a plate of garnish, bean spout, lime wedges,
chopped chilli, basil and the soup “smell” right. But once I taste the broth, my excitement was gone and I want to
taste it again just to be sure but it
confirmed. The broth doesn’t have enough taste or I should say I only tasted some
spices and salt but where is the beef? And the rice noodle is not cooked right. The beef is not sliced way too small. For those
who love Phở and know the best will understand my feeling. Every looks right
but just doesn’t taste right. 
I know I am picky, but if a restaurant called themselves Authentic then there’s a few basic things they have to do right. If I have to come all the way to taste something that is not better than my own cooking then why I am here for? But then again, "Not everyone can cook at home." Yes, I know but that’s exactly why place like this should even do better.
Phở noodle bar, I think it’s ok if you don’t expect much
and just want to have a bowl of beef rice
noodle soup. Being a restaurant needs
to be generous about ingredients and serve. Must make the
broth thicker and taste better, put more beef and bone (not just beef
bone), chicken bone also. 2 spring rolls on a plate? why not 3? can not
save on
ingredients because that’s the taste and
label especially as pho bar. The broth
should be their soul. Don’t compare this
place to anything you have tried from Brisbane even that’s where they said they
learn the recipe from. Nothing great and
I hope they will improve but the good news is that they are better than the one I had,
called “Bun Bo”, at least Pho Bar taste a bit closer to the good one. And you
know they are trying because they did the nuco cham (the fish
sauce dipping) quite right when bun bo only gives you some sweet
chilli, some say “Its ok. I don’t mind if they give me tomato sauce …” I sigh……Milano Cocktail Bar
Milano Cocktail Bar is near Plaza Catalunya.
Bright light entrance like an old fashion theatre, the stairs down to the basement thru the velvet curtain remind you the good old day of night club scene in the 70’s, also the speakeasy feel in old New York.
The compilation of cozy lighting, the elegant decoration and the excellent performance of live jazz, swing, blues take you back in time, recreate the perfect atmosphere and make you feel that you are in a part of an old movie. And I feel that I were Jack Nicolson in Shinning walking to a bar that is filled with ghosts from the past and Hemingway is also sitting there next to me getting quite tipsy: “Alcohol is the cause and the solution to many of life's problems”, he smiles.
And Sinatra said: “I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day”.
Well, then I better order myself one more Martini.
The service is impeccable, very friendly and approachable, the experience bartenders do know how to make a good cocktails, their Vesper Martini so far is the best in Barcelona, while most bartenders here don’t even know what that is. The other cocktail Hot Holiday with Santa Teresa rum, ginger, pineapple juice and passion fruit is a perfect drink for people who don’t like the strong taste of alcohol . I saw the menu they also have something called “Gracia”, a reddish cocktail with Gin, sherry, vermouth and Cointreau, sounds great, good cocktail bar always has good drinks for the ladies, something like a rose in liquid.
I know I will come back to this place for sure, but I just have to order one more drink for the road before the sound of jazz is done with me tonight. The bartenders told me they have cocktails from the movies. Which one I prefer? I saw the wall full of wonderfull bottles of poison, and I want to try them all. But I can not try them all along. I need a drinking partner. So, I turn and ask Woody Allen:
“Do you want a drink? “,
he is shaking his head with the rhythm and said
“I'm not a drinker - my body will not tolerate spirits. I had two Martinis on New Year's Eve and I tried to hijack an elevator and fly it to Cuba”.
www.camparimilano.com
Tickets Tapas Bar Barcelona
“Great Experience”, “Amazing “, “The best “ you will hear all the comments about this Tapas Bar - Tickets. Own by the world famous chef brothers Ferran and Albert Adria, a new creation after they closed the best restaurant in the world El Bulli.
Tickets is in the centre of Barcelona near
the Plaza Espana. Unlike El Bulli which was 3 hours away located in Rose, so
now, it will be much easier for people
to make the booking and to get in. You will think, right? But unfortunately you
can only make the booking via the internet on their website, I did made a
booking 2 months in advance because that was the only time I could get and I was
with great hope. But shocking disappointed after I‘ve been
there and I felt a bit silly.
Not that I don’t find it fun. I think it
was pretty interesting food bar, interesting deco and very bright and flashy lighting
with TV with images of their food creation but only for the first 10 minutes.
I looked around and saw almost every table ordered the same food. I guess most people came here for the same reason is to experience Adria’s work, their famous liquid olive, cheese puffs…but one after another of those "exciting tapas", my hope disappeared because I really don’t find it great. Maybe because many food critics like those are from NY Times and Michelin food guide have rave about it but I was really underwhelm.
I looked around and saw almost every table ordered the same food. I guess most people came here for the same reason is to experience Adria’s work, their famous liquid olive, cheese puffs…but one after another of those "exciting tapas", my hope disappeared because I really don’t find it great. Maybe because many food critics like those are from NY Times and Michelin food guide have rave about it but I was really underwhelm.
The Liquid olive, which suppose to have explosion
in your mouth because the taste is intensive they said, but I rather make the
olives myself and it taste much better.
Confit tuna belly - taste like can food.
Avocado cannelloni with crab meat – beautiful
presentation but it is just like crab meat avocado suishi with out seaweed. But the most shocking to me was the spicy tuna
belly cone - I am a big fan of tuna belly and this is the worst I had.
“Mollete” with double chin - a thin pork
meat with a soft bun which to me nothing special just pork and bun and the pork
were so thin you can hardly even taste it.
Confit potatos with pork rib juice with
boil ham – if you really like potatoes and boil ham, my opinion is don’t order
it here because a place call Ciutat Comtal does it better.I am not trying to go into every plate I ordered but all of them are pretty disappointing and their desserts was a joke, maybe that’s what they are aming for? make people to have a laughing experience? but I am not laughing at all.
White
chocolate with green tea and the liquid bailey’s chocolate, both sounds
great but that’s about it . The white chocolate is ok but it kind of
taste like Aero and the texture is a bit like it too. I guess when you
read on the menu and it said “Liquid
Bailey’s” you would think that must be something special but No , it
was just Bailey’s mixed with chocolate. I am not sure what exactly they
have done to it? But from what i tasted I guess anyone can do it at
home if you know what Bailey’s
is and mind you Bailey’s is in fact in” liquid” form.
I
am not impressed and I just wonder what El Bulli was like? I am not a
big fan of molecular cooking maybe that’s the
reason? I also wonder who does the voting? Who are the critics? What
kind of
food culture they came from? Are they all Europeans? I respect Ferran I
think he
did created something different but I really don’t care for the taste if
there’s
any taste at all. After trying all the plates, I feel lucky that I don’t
have
to drive 3 hours to try the liquid olive and I can certainly do the
liquid Bailey’s with what ever I like at home but then again, maybe I
expected too much
because even Ferran have once said and I quote: "the ideal customer
doesn't come to El Bulli to eat but to have an experience." So asking
for
good taste maybe is a bit much.
The best tapas place I have tried so far is Ciutat Comtal in Barcelona and Fuego Nergo in San Sebsatian, I am sure you will be happy there if you want to eat , even they can’t give you the Adria’s experience.
The best tapas place I have tried so far is Ciutat Comtal in Barcelona and Fuego Nergo in San Sebsatian, I am sure you will be happy there if you want to eat , even they can’t give you the Adria’s experience.
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