Lazy Sunday: Eating my way to the coast

~Barca

     

The Chew		The View
Tofu-Mushroom VEGGIE Burger @ Vegetalia		Tapas Bar on La Rambla

There's been a flurry of activity on this side of the world, ranging from a guided bus tour of Barcelona to my 1-hour trek to and from school at ESADE. Didn't think I'd ever actually go to school, didja?

1/24: This was my first settled Sunday, and I decided to spend it as a personal day of food outings and meanderings around this unexplored city of mine.

I started on La Rambla, the main drag of street with tourists and the Boqueria. Before veering off to my tour of the hidden gems, I got a yummy treat: a free falafel sample from Maoz Vegetarian. This little puppy uses green chickpeas, making for the green, fluffy inside. The gimmick worked, and I trekked back in 38-degree weather the next night to fulfill my cravings.

The craziest thing about this city is the system of sidestreets. Here is the simple guide to Spanish exploration (NOTE: advisable by day. Keep note of the sun, as you may lose your sense of direction and need to return to the main drag):
Step 1 - From the main boulevard, look to your left and see what would in LA be considered a "shady," winding sidestreet. What makes it different from LA is the fact that (despite grafitti all over), people are walking along, couples are laughing, kids are playing.
Step 2 - Turn. I wandered down some of those and people-watched. The streets are dark because of the buildings, but look for patches of light.
Step 3 - When you see a huge break of light around the corner, move forward...and you've wandered into a GORGEOUS open-air plaza! It's what the Grove tries to emulate, but will never do, and completely breathtaking.

And that's how I found this little gem: Vegetalia. I had been positively CRAVING anything remotely vegetarian that wasn't spinach (too many possibilities for hidden ham in that dish). The tofu-mushroom veggie burger hit the spot, and it was a steal at 3.90 euros (=$5.40). While I typically won't eat meals out alone back home, there's something about being an explorer abroad that makes the experience wonderful. Not lonely, not boring. Just contemplative. I got my calendar for traveling all set, and warmed my toes up too--the temps drop to 38 degrees F at night here!

Vegetalia Restaurante
C/ Escudellers 54
08002 Barcelona
93 317 33 31

After getting back to the main drag and walking along the beach, I headed to the Picasso Museum for their "Secret Images" exhibit. It was an exploration of Picasso's years spent dappling in Japanese erotic images--an interesting exposure to the world of a prolific and perverse genius like Picasso.

No pictures allowed, so this would have to suffice. In fact, you probably wouldn't want to see pictures. Not terribly appetizing.



What is appetizing is the fact that I FOUND BARCELONA'S CHINATOWN! I seriously was getting ready to head back after 4 hours of walking, when I saw Chinese writing. Legit. I walked in and saw soy sauce and Sriracha hot sauce. More legit. Then I saw these puppies in the freezer. Done deal.

After buying soy sauce, tofu, and avocado (I still owed people money at this point, stupid ATM withdrawal limit), I headed home--sore and ready to eat. 

It's nice to know that no matter where you are on earth, no matter how tired your feet are, or how many euro you've just spent on a single avocado, you can come home to a roomie-family meal :)



Sangria in my stomach, you in my heart,
The Chew

Foodie Delight in Barca: La Boqueria y Tapas con Sangria

~Barcelona




     

The Chew		The View
Gaggle of tapas @ Txapela		La Boqueria!

Here I write yet AGAIN from a cafe--sheesh, buying these teas in exchange for internet is gonna start adding up! No matter, internet will be arriving soon at the apartment.

The weather here has been LOVELY the past two days, and it was finally time for me to head to my personal foodie Mecca of La Boqueria.


This is Barcelona's biggest public market, and it's a convenient 10 minute walk from our apartment. I have to say how much I love how small the city center is...and we're right in the heart of it!


The market was bustling when we went, around 4pm. This was LUCKY for us, considering that when we go to sleep at 5am and wake up at 1pm, most places are closed due to siesta. I really wonder if some of these shops ever open, as I've yet to see some lift their graffiti-adorned metal doors.

We found an "Organic Market" which looked mighty tasty to me. I'm sure their paella is orgasmic. They also have these amazing fruit smoothie shakes for a euro (as it gets later, prices go down), with flavors like dragonfruit and coconut-strawberry. SO YUMMY.

I opted for a "Macedonia Fruit Bowl" to stave off my hunger until TAPAS TIME.  The silver-coated cocoa beans and candied walnuts looked mighty tempting. But at 63 euros (=$95) a liter of chocolate, my wallet was thanking me for sniffing instead of tasting.

The next phase was dinner (lunch? Dessert? I can’t keep track of mealtimes anymore). It was my first tapas & sangria (aka quintessential Spanish) meal, and Lu had pinky-promised it days ago. Now that my bank issues were resolved, it was time for some feastin'. 

• Pintxo bikini txapela: Layers of parmesan and asparagus stacked in a mini double-decker.
• Pintxo tudela: A skewer of tomatoes, eggplant, and mushroom served on its own crostini.
• Pintxo bilbao: Layers of tomato and parmesan cheese on a round crostini (seeing a theme here?)
• Pintxo igualdo: Crumbled goat cheese on a circle of eggplant.

I basically wiped the kitchen clean of its vegetables. Everything else is centered around ham and seafood. 

And the sangria was divine! Maybe because I was tired already or because I had built up such anticipation, but I was good with one glass of the light, fruity beverage. Txapela has been my most memorable meal here--and for a total of 9 euros (=$13.50) including sangria, it's considered a steal. Though it's not completely filling, but that's the Spanish way.

Txapela
Passeig De Gracia 8
08007 Barcelona
93 412 02 89

In fact, I've started to get used to not filling up at restaurants. We rarely take dinners to go (count: 1 at a Spanish diner where my spinach had bits of ham cartilage peeking out), and lunch is non-existent. Baguettes with cheese and miscellaneous sandwiches are typical fare. GOD do I miss a good salad. A big, loaded, Togo’s egg sandwich/wonton asian salad combo. Kristin, Kevin, and I were talking about how much we’re deprived of veggies and how psychologically it seems impossible for us to be satisfied without them.

The market we go to has a poor selection of veggies. Redeeming quality: 1 euro wine. New place has 0.80 euro sangria as well.

MUST VARY DIET. No tofu in sight. Must find beans.

~~~Responses

Linds: We’ve definitely been cooking at home—I’ve had 3 meals at home, some yummy frozen veggies with rice (found in cabinet), spinach-cashew pasta that Lu made, and tomato pasta that Evan made. I haven’t eaten this much pasta in my life.

Susanna: I will try to eat out as much as possible, I’ll just have to budget.

:D Wait who is this?

 

New Apartment & Papas Bravas: Barcelona

~Barcelona, Spain

I've spent the morning scouring the winding roads of Barcelona to get an internet cafe and update the blog. The things I do for the love...of you, of course!

   

The Chew		The View
Tapas de queso y atun (cheese & tuna)		Carrer de Sant Pere Mes Alt, Our Home

Much has happened, and I have such little time to share it. Ironic in a country where time is never watched, and everything can be done manana, tomorrow.

We've been eating dinner at around 9-10pm, and ending at midnight. Ironically enough, my great meals thus far have been at an asian buffet called Wok and a Mexican restaurant around the corner from our apartment called Rosa Negra.

It was Junie's birthday on Saturday, so we opted for a night of Asian-style dining, complete with a noodle station and sushi buffet. Good god, Spaniards have a thing for buffets. The other popular style is Buffet Libre, mostly with salads or Brazilian style. We still lack the stomach (or gumption) to feast on those.

Another funny thing is the menu del dia or menu of the day. It is a law left over from Franco that mandated an affordable prix fixe menu offering for the working man. By affordable, I mean 8-15 euros...which is still $12 to $22. Did I mention how expensive food is here? Most menus offer un primero (first), segundo (second meal), y postres (dessert) or cafe.


AND you have to pay for water here. Nothing but battled, as the Europeans fear tap water. AND no free bread. Lots of small portion sizes, which I'm loving, but my friends generally dislike. They want American portions similar to the exchange rate (multiply portion sizes by 1.5 they say) and I just have to laugh at how unassimilated they really are. They talk about integrating into the Spanish lifestyle and such, but all they do is wolf down their meals and expect huge portions. We all get laughed at for how quickly we eat.

I also have an announcement: I FOUND HOUSING! Yes ladies and gents, on my third full day here, Lu and I found us a 3 bedroom, 2 bath for the 6 students. 

That there is my bedroom, with my bed on left. These are initial photos, so I'll be working and getting you more in the future. Just know that I'm happy and safe in a kitchen-equipped living space worth of an Ikea center spread :)

 And now I leave you with a video of our new haunt down the street, called Arabia. A Morroccan cafe where, fittingly, Lu and I have been planning a trip to Morocco.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUVxAMlIepg

Wishing you less rainy weather wherever you are,
The Chew

BARCELONA Beginnings: The Chew sips Chocolate Caliente

     

The Chew		The View
"Veggie" Salad (with Tuna)		Arc de Triomf, Barcelona

Hola mi familia y amigos, and greetings from Barcelona! We've talked about it, laughed about it, cried about it (love you mom), and now I'm living it--albeit in a half daze. It's been nonstop for the past 36 hours, in which I've gotten about 6 hours of sleep on and off. And yet I want to stop my small nibbles, mile-long strolls, and barhops to share the first leg of my journey.

It all begins in the airport. And I nerdily was on the lookout for food, even at 10,000 feet. And a little booze. Thank you international flights...

And the breakfast packages from British Airways were a delightful surprise that I awoke to, as crinkling filled the air. Almost like Christmas morning without the smell of pine trees.


The 10-hour flight didn't feel quite so long, partly due to anticipation, partly due to a little chardonnay. After watching Dorian Gray, we were in Heathrow in no time.



And just when I thought I was to wander without the guiding light of Japanese food for 5months, fellow traveler James and I found a sushi bar with conveyor belt. For those that haven't enjoyed this active dining experience, the plates travel before you and are color-coded by price. By the end of the meal, the colors are tallied to create your total check. My love for Japanese food lives on!

By the time we got off our second flight from Heathrow to Barca, I was doing surprisingly well with only 2 hours of sleep. I calmly walked into the airport, with my enthusiasm bubbling over in a few leaps and bounds, then calm again. This is the story of my life these past 2 days--I am in utter shock, and fear waking up to find my 2 days in Barcelona to be an in-depth but rushed dream.

We are staying in a hostel, right on the famous Passeig de Gracia. A famous architectural feat of esteemed Antoni Gaudi fits snugly between the modernized hotels, cafes, and boutiques that line the boulevard. I've seen a collection of westernized stores (Starbucks, Puma, Rip Curl), which have proved a comfort to me when the unnaturally cold temperatures and foreign pigeon-flocked town squares start to instill culture shock.

Happily, I have yet to give in to a Starbucks coffee. Instead, I've enjoyed the rich flavor of a Catalan favorite: chocolate caliente. This isn't a mere hot chocolate, but rather a sippable chocolate fondue with a foccaccia slice of savory-sweet bread or even a churro for dipping. The churro/chocolate combo is to Barcelonian party-goers as Chano's is to USC frat-revelers: drunken munchie food.

The place we went to is called Buenas Migas, and it calls itself a "focacceria." You'll see lots of "-erias" in Spain, including the taparia which I still have yet to enjoy!

But goodness almighty is it cold here. I've realized I'm temp-tarded and have no idea as to the science of "layerism" and what it takes to keep warm. Who knew scarves and gloves could be more than fashion accessories. Certainly not a poor, young Angeleno like myself.

I'd say its in the 40s/50s by day, and 30s by night. My first night, I enjoyed a brisk run to Chopita's Bar to enjoy the wide selection of shots and performances--and by performances, I mean true surprises.

Kristin's "Eagle Scout" was a flaming shot that engulfed a marshmallow skewer, to make a perfect campfire on the bar. Lu's "Harry Potter"was also a fire-laden shot that engulfed an orange segment to create sparks. And we won't get into my "Monica Lewinsky."

How has my vegetarianism held up in this meat-filled world of Spanish cuisine? Asi asi. My order of a "special veggie salad" was special alright--came with a topping of tuna. I guess the Spaniards just can't contemplate my small work for the animals.

Interesting tidbit: The reason that Spanish cooking is so heavily on ham is because of its religious strife. In 1492 when the Catholics exiled the Jews and Moorish Muslims from Spain, the ruling Catholics enforced religious loyalty by including the meat that the exiled peoples would not eat: pork. How's that for bite with a political subtext?

The one thing that's missing to these exhaustive and food-filled days is, of course, sleep. And earplugs. Sharing a 12-person room in a hostel, with people coming and going and odd hours of the nights, is troublesome to this light sleeper.


Here's to siesta,
The Chew

Recipe #1: Down the Rabbit Hole

With my travels to Barcelona looming near (aka the day after tomorrow!), I've come to a stark realization. I will not have the luxury of my own kitchen for the next 4.5 months. Granted I will have a kitchen, just not my own like I do back at my house (which I share with my mom, but get to tinker around with by day and late at night).

Inspired by a particularly fitting episode of "Cake Boss" on TLC, I decided to sculpt a dog. Not just any dog, but a Rottweiler. Why? Well, I was baking for a football party, with plenty of Rottweiler lovers in attendence--namely my mother and uncle.

So I began baking:

I began with a Rice Krispy base for the head, which was quite a bit of fun to make. Lots of tasty marshmallow morsels to mop up after the base was formed. Simply get:

3 tbs margarine
4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies

After melting butter and marshmallows, simply mix with Rice Krispies and shape! Let sit overnight, and lick fingers well.

Next came the fondant. This is the pretty covering that looks quite a bit cleaner than your basic icing topping. This one merely requires:

16 oz mini marshmallows
2 T water
2 lb powdered sugar

Here you melt the marshmallows with water, and add in the powdered sugar in parts. Much like kneading dough, this process took me forever by hand--partly because I was chatting with Lu about Spain, partly because I lack big enough biceps.

Another helpful shortcut came with the buttercream frosting. I decided to buy it, since they are easily found at the supermarkets (unlike everything else, INCLUDING my food coloring!).

I tried this out first with a heart shape, and used cherry juice for the pink food coloring:

Oh yes, I hadn't located the rolling pin at that point. Hence the lumpy heart with clumped arteries.

But, alas, for the dog, I covered the base with a thin layer of buttercream frosting. After rolling out the fondant, I draped that over. The frosting helps it STICK to the base, and tastes mighty yummy too!

Drumroll please...

 

 

OK so it looks like some odd rabbit-dog (reference the popular Nickelodeon show "Cat Dog"), but it was mighty tasty nonetheless. And the dark chocolate-covered blueberry eyes were the first to go--sorry little buddy. You were just too tempting.

Any special requests? Expect to see more of these concoctions as birthdays start to roll around...

Reeling from a post-sugar high,
The Chew

Le Saint Amour: A french gem in the heart of Culver

     

The Chew		The View
Cheese-flecked pommes frites		Cheers to dessert wine!

Preparing for the food marathon around Europe has not been easy. Not only have I been reading up on Spanish cuisine and food culture in The Complete Book to Tapas and Spanish Cooking (Christmas gift courtesy Luia!), but I've been training my stomach as well.

I began with a trip to Saint Amour, a wonderful French brasserie in Downtown Culver City. My parents actually know the owners, an amazingly hospitable French couple who used to own Angelique Cafe in Downtown LA.

Although I love butters and creams as much as the next American, I must admit that there is such a thing as overload. I cook mainly with olive oils and stir-frys, so when faced with crème fraiche (that delectable fresh cream atop fruits and desserts) I face the dilemma between taste and stomach.

Luckily, Saint Amour offers a variety of vegetarian-friendly and lighter dishes as a supplement to the typical beef tenderloins and rib shanks.

I began my meal with an Endive Salad topped with candied walnuts and truffle vinaigrette. I love me those caramelized nuts to complement the lightness of salads--I only wish I had more! Although I could eat nuts peppered with salad instead of the other way around.

My diningmates also ordered a round of Moules Marinieres or mussels for the table. While I'm not the biggest fan of seafood, I was addicted to the broth of white wine and shallots that the mussels were cooked me.

I dipped lots and lots of bread into that pool of wine sauce. Thank goodness that wasn't the only wine for the night!

When in France, or eating at a French brassiere, you must order the French Onion Soup. And I'd heard that Saint Amour's was a good one. What used to be viewed as a dish for poor people is now a classic go-to in French restaurants. 

The signature melted gruyère is always the most amusing part of the dish: you have to break through it to get the broth, and it hovers on the surface for you to savor throughout the meal. I've never been dainty when I eat, and that layer of cheese on the crouton or bread slice certainly got me messy. But I relished it with all the glee of a Parisian.

Bruno and Florence, the husband and wife team that made this Euro palate teaser possible, joined us to chat before dessert. We discussed everything from the long hours of the restaurant business (Bruno didn't leave until well after 8pm, while Florence wo-manned the night shift) to where to eat in France. Takeaways there:

• French brasseries (a brassiere is a bra, so don't make the mistake in spelling I first did) are more casual than bistros and more upscale than cafés. They line the streets of Paris, and I'm out to find the best one.
• Lyon is apparently the food capital of France. It abounds with bouchons, which were originally wine bars but in Lyon apply to their special brand of restaurant. Expect to see many many photos from Lyon!

What is a great meal without dessert? My mom was game for a crème caramel, a type of flan. The caramel top is soft in this dish (as opposed to the caramelized sugar that rests firmly atop a crème brulée).

This dish had a surprisingly refreshing lemon component, which made you feel like you were eating air. Except it's far more than air. The fluffy custard was accompanied by that soft top, which had the stronger, almost smoky flavor that reminded you of all the wonderful calories you were enjoying.

If the hospitality of Saint Amour's fine service and management is anything like that in France, I think my food trip around Europe could be truly transforming. If I can sit and eat for 3 hours with food appearing in stretches as opposed to a mashed platter of varied food groups thrown together, if I can enjoy separate wines and ports to complement each course as opposed to forcing down cheap alcohol, if I can glean local tips from the gracious owners of restaurants--well, I may come back a restauranteur myself.

Au revoir,

The Chew

What "ohana" really means: Uncle Clay's, Kona Brewery & Sansei

   

The Chew		The View
Uncle Clay's lychee Icee		Koko Marina

Yes, this entry is all in hindsight, as I look out the window and see a chilly, barren, 50-degree L.A. landscape. But writing this is cathartic in a way, letting me get the last bits of warm, aloha sentiment out of my system...ok I don't think I could ever get Hawaii out of my system.

But it does get me warm and fuzzy just thinking about the Pure Aloha at Uncle Clay's Doe Fang in the Aina Haina Shopping Center on the east oahu. My aloha buddy Bronson brought me out here to introduce me to his very own Uncle Clay!

Feeling the aloha with his personal greetings and introduction to his ohana or family--the other lucky guests in his shop. I was presented with walls of mui and other preserved plum Asian treats. Right behind the counter, however, are the infamous Icee machines where Uncle Clay creates his greatest concoctions.

After seriously considering the Azuki Banzai, and then realizing I had had 3 shave ice in the past week, I decided to go with the favorite: Hawaiian Superman.

AND it comes with an island blessing from Uncle Clay's heart to yours. Good choice.

You get a choice of base flavors (Blue Vanilla, Melon, Strawberry, Pepsi) and then the creative mixture of Li Hing seed+powder is layered with the "creamy sauce" that's akin to a condensed milk. Purely fresh and refreshing. Pure aloha.

Mind you, I came here twice in my 9 day trip, sampling the KooKoo For Coconuts and Lychee-licious. The Coconuts was accented with real dried coconut, making it a really fun drink to get to the bottom of.

This second visit followed our ritualistic meal at Kona Brewery in the Kokohead Marina on the eastside. This island chain is known for their unique beer concotions, some flavored with hints of passionfruit and chocolate! But I stuck with their Hawaiian inspired menu, which has consistently presented me with winners.

I had the Tofu Stack, a sandwich that was stacked with sesame-encrusted tofu, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and a creamy hummus base. The awesome side was of a Papaya Slaw that my mom and I both had the pleasure of savoring. Instead of the creamy American cole slaws that I tend to despise, this reinvention had a citrus base with the light, flavorful slices of green papaya. A good side in between bites of that mega-amazing sandwich.

And the view was nothing to balk at.

We then drove up the eastside towards Sandy Beach, Obama's favorite beach (though I hear that the Secret Service hates when he goes there. They have to go all Navy and patrol on jetskis when he's out in the ocean).

Just south of Sandy is this protected cove, where adventurous-but-not-too-adventurous tourists can get a taste of cliff-diving...from a 3-foot face. Adrenaline is adrenaline, I guess.

Fast-forward to our final dinner. The Last Supper should always be a memorable one. If not for the food, then for the company. Luckily, I got both.

Sansei is a fabfabfab Japanese fusion restaurant, with its homebase in Maui and an outcropping in Waikiki. Actually RIGHT NEXT DOOR to our hotel, which we didn't find out until the end.

AND if you go before 6pm on Tues-Sat, you get 25% off (Sun-Mon is 50% off!).

We started with a calamari salad, which was served in a wonton bowl on a bed of greens. The toasted sesame seeds garnished a well-seasoned gaggle of calamari. The mango and crab roll was a perfectly light way to get you in the mood for sushi. I feared the overpowering tang of sweet mango, but the blend was a perfect match. The crab (the only type of seafood I actually enjoy) was creamy and, dare I say, refreshing. And the chili-lime vinaigrette was a good way to provide moisture without too much sauce.

The Kapalua "butterfry" roll is another Sansei favorite, with smoked salmon and blue crab. The battered, crunchy exterior complemented the soft interior nicely. The salmon, however, was rather pronounced.

See that guy on the table chilling with the butterfry? That's D.K. Kodoma, the third-generation Japanese (hence the name "sansei") who is the mastermind behind this culinary institution. Worship is in order.

Overall, a trip to Oahu is a trip fit for a foodie. The heritage of the food is just as rich and complex as that of the islanders--with waves of Asian immigrants coming to Hawaii to work on sugar and pineapple plantations, enriching island communities. These Asian influences are represented in the varied Japanese, Chinese, Philipino, and Thai populations, who brought their best cuisine with them.

The immigrants who came to Hawaii were given new opportunities and new lives by the island itself. Hawaii bestowed them with her own aloha. So it is in that spirit of ancestral giving that the locals of Hawaii bestow their island and their cuisine on travelers like myself, all in the hopes of furthering a community that they love so.

In that sense, it's fitting to have ended my trip with a surf session with my friend Bronson, a visit to Uncle Clay's, and drinks at the Moana Surfrider with fellow traveler Danny and family. So much aloha, I'm full :)

As we welcome a new decade, I can only hope that you live your life in this tradition of fostering love and being open to new relationships. I wish pure aloha to you all in the coming year.

Cheers,

The Chew