Barri Gotic | cheriecity.co.uk

Barcelona Shopping: Suspect

June 8, 2010 by cheriecity

Whenever the main streets in the Barri Gotic get a little bit hectic, I love just slipping off into the cool, dark Passatge del Crédit, a beautiful old arcade full of art shops, cafes and a posh pintxo bar that looks well worth a visit.

But the most interesting shop is Suspect, a concept store that showcases young Catalan designers and artists. The lovely owner showed me around the store and gave me some background info about Suspect.

The front of the store has everything you need to make your life lovely and creative, such as niche art and design books and mags, quirky homeware by El Ajuar de Maria, illustrated tees with woodland creatures, Chrystoph Marten hair product and small surreal and illustrative watercolours by local artist Gastón Liberto.

The second room has more of a boudoir feel with delicate lingerie, luxe swimwear, designer womenswear and cool handmade jewellery featuring plenty of leather and studs. I adored this Lady Gaga-esque red lace shirt and the white shirt jacket with embroidered collar and buttons on the sleeve.

Suspect’s summer collection includes designers such as Manuel Bolaño, Krizia Robustella, Juan Antonio Avalos, voluminous and draped pieces by Zazo & Brull, summer wool silkscreen scarves by Gauche Protocol and textured experimental knitwear by Matalafria. Other featured designers include Complete, Dismissed, Steven Shein, Txell Miras, L’primera, Factoria Rent Me and Juan Antonio Avalos.

With most of Barcelona’s concept stores and boutiques dotted around El Born and Gràcia, Suspect is like a hidden gem among the Barri Gotic’s tourist traps. Step off the side street and experience this odd arcade for yourself and discover some of Barcelona’s hottest design talent.

Suspect, Passatge del Crédit 8 08002 Barcelona.

Barcelona, Photo Diary

Barcelona Photo Diary

June 6, 2010 by cheriecity

All photos: Cherie City

Barcelona, Restaurants

Notes From Barcelona: La Dolca Herminia

June 3, 2010 by cheriecity

On our second night in Barcelona, we wanted to try another restaurant from the Fork & Pillow group and the one with the most delicious sounding menu in the area we wanted to be in was La Dolça Herminia.

After a long day of walking and a well-deserved nap, we ended up arriving pretty late, even by Catalan standards, at around 11pm. Not that this mattered, as we were shown to a table and didn’t feel like we were imposing.

We were offered the three course set menu with bread and water or a ¼ of wine each for just 19 Euros. There were four choices for each course and true to form, we both started with the Patatas Brava.

The starter arrived on a large platter with piping hot cubed potatoes, a spicy tomato sauce with thin slices of chorizo and a drizzle of mayo on top. Everything tasted fresh, liked it had been immediately served and the portion size was so large that the main course seemed a bit daunting.

The courses were pinging out of the kitchen like lightning bolts, perhaps because it was getting close to the end of the evening. The waitresses kept us amused, as there were some real characters there!

Breaking the pattern of copycat ordering, I chose the duck leg confit with orange sauce and cinnamon potatoes. Having always eaten duck breast, I was surprised at how tender, succulent and colourful the leg meat is – comparatively tastier than chicken legs. The meat was so soft, it just slipped away from the bone so easily and there was a good amount of meat to tuck into.

The orange sauce was tangy, sweet and just thick enough and the potatoes were slowly cooked and well seasoned, although ordering two courses of potatoes wasn’t the smartest move.

Steven went for the grilled chicken with a pesto sauce and grilled vegetables. It must have been good, because he polished off the lot and has a new found liking for our veggie nemesis…the courgette!

I’m not sure where the house wine was from, but it was quite full-bodied and sharper than the Rioja at Market. It was pleasant and drinkable but it probably wouldn’t have been my first choice of wine.

Trying the find the lightest dessert on the menu, we both ordered the Crema Catalana, which was covered with a flower pattern made with a caramel sauce. It had a hint of orange and vanilla and came under a crisp layer of burnt sugar.

Service was unbelievably speedy, although I’m sure if we arrived earlier, we would’ve had more time to digest between courses.

The restaurant is tucked away on a side street in a quiet area just behind Urquinaona metro between the Barri Gotic and El Born. It’s not the kind of place you’d just stumble upon, and doesn’t have the atmosphere or slick touches of Market, but it’s worth visiting for the high standard of food and a great value set menu.

All photos: Cherie City