So during my trip to Barcelona I enjoyed tapas, pastries, sandwiches, churros, and even a hot dog. The one thing I had yet to enjoy was Paella. I could not leave this beautiful city without having some. Taller De Tapas off of La Rambles looked like the perfect place to get paella.
The restaurant was much larger inside compared to some of the other restaurants I had been to. The staff was extremely friendly and very welcoming. Before ordering any drinks I made sure to put in my order for seafood paella because it takes 20 minutes to prepare.
Once I got that ordered I glanced over the drink menu. I was excited to finally see Cava Sangria listed. Cava is Catalonian champagne (sparkling wine). I ordered 1 Liter (a pitcher) because I knew it would be at the restaurant for a while.
They had a nice assortment of fresh fruit that included strawberries, pineapples, and sour apples. The Cava was blended with gin, ginger, and apple liquor. This was not super sweet but still had a slight sweetness. I really liked the bubbles, it made the drink even more refreshing. And the gin was hidden nicely within all the other flavors.
While waiting for the paella, I ordered a few tapas. The Brie Cruixent sounded really good. The brie was covered in panko breadcrumbs and fried. They served it with a red pepper jam. This was simply a high end fried cheese. It was an ooey-gooey cheese that tasted great with the jam. There was a slight heat and a whole lot of sweetness.
The three tapas that came out were actually warmed up. That made them taste so much better.
- Matrimoni d’ Anyova i Seito – This was anchovies and cheese on top of sliced tomato. It all rested on top of a sliced banquette. It was kind of like a piece of pizza, just without the sauce.
- Esparrecs Baby, Formatge Brie, Fos i Piquillos – This was asparagus wrapped in red pepper with brie cheese. This was perfect warmed up because it melted the cheese perfectly.
- Formatge Fresc amb Salmo Marinat i Tortora de Mongo – The salmon was wrapped around fresco cheese and topped with a cherry tomato. The salmon was extremely fresh and tender. It went well with cheese.
It was perfect timing when the paella came out. I was just finishing the tapas. It was a pretty big pan. Good thing I was sharing.
The rice was mixed with cuttlefish (which was local), squid, prawns, and mussels.
The shrimp still had their heads and shells. After peeling all that off I got to taste the shrimp. It had great flavor from the seasoning in the paella. The muscles were extremely tender. They were pretty easy to get out of the shells. The cuttlefish was cut up into bite size pieces. It really reminded me of chicken. The rice was cooked perfectly – not too soft nor hard; it was the prefect al dente.
I actually left Taller de Tapas stuffed. The food was amazing, a perfect way to end my trip. This was a great place for people to enjoy a more traditional meal. I would recommend a visit for sure.
Enjoy!
T
