Bar Mut
During my trip to Barcelona, I tried to keep all of my food experiences varied – traditional & authentic, hole-in-the-wall, uber-luxe, and this was my hip & chic choice. Bar Mut was our dinner spot our last night in Barcelona. It reminded me of Balthazar in NYC except a quarter of the size, more modern design, no tourists (except us…) and all marble top bar-style seating. Ok, so really it reminded me in that it was packed until late, a bit see-and-be-seen, tough to get into, and good food.
The food style is all tapas – delicious items listed on a chalkboard as well as a seasonal, ever-changing selection. Extraordinarily fresh seafood – we had the simple, grilled head-on shrimp. Before I continue, we went to several places, and I can’t understand why the seafood wasn’t cleaned anywhere we went? Whyyyy? I must admit my husband impressed me with his deveining skills at the table though – I think he’s been hiding them so I won’t put him to work in the kitchen! Back to the food, an egg carpaccio (see: raw egg yolk) with crunchy noodles was pretty comforting, and a tuna belly over tomato was good but could have benefitted from a more rare approach. My favorite dish was the foie – seared with balsamic and cherries and served with a sweet, moist bread that worked perfectly. Loved it.
I decided to forego dessert here in favor of these luscious waffles I had been eyeing on the pier. There were several carts all along the waterfront, and we headed over there promptly after – I seriously can’t resist street food…
The wine list was pretty amazing, and any place that serves my favorite champagne, Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose, is good with me. It’s located in the Eixample district, a hop, skip, and a jump away from Gaudi’s Casa Battló. I would suggest stopping here for a small plate or two and a glass (or two…) of wine to steal away from touring and enjoy a chic, local experience.