Barcelona - lunch on the beach

The next day, with the markets and most decent restaurants closed, I headed to the same place everyone else in Barcelona, tourist and local, seems to go on Sundays in summer, to the beachside fish and paella restaurants of Barceloneta. Last year, my wife and I went to the excellent and recommended Can Majó twice, so I decided to visit another place, Julius, but was saddened to discover it no longer existed. My other option, located next door to where Julius used to stand, turned out to be a winner.

I noticed that, as displayed in the window, the chef of El Suquet de l'Almirall (Passeig Joan de Borbó, 65, tel. 932-216233), Quim Marqués, has published a cookbook in Catalan called "La Cuina de la Barceloneta" (The Cuisine or Kitchen of Barceloneta). This was proof enough for me that he knew his way around the kitchen, so I settled into a nice table on the terrace with a view of the passing parade of beachgoers.

I started my meal with a divine bowl of steamed white cockles (berberechos al vapor in Spanish) that were tender and tasted of the sea. Unlike the clams marketed in the United States as cockles, these are true cockles, with a beautifully colored bright orange hook that protrudes from each morsel. The salty juices were so good, I soaked up every drop with some pa amb tomaquet.

When I learned that the restaurant doesn't require the usual minimum of two people for the rice dishes, I happily ordered and devoured a bowl of arroz caldoso con bogavante (soupy rice with lobster). Unlike paella, which is native to the province of Valencia, this dish is more traditional in the region surrounding Barcelona. It reminded me somewhat of a risotto, especially the soupier style of seafood risottos you find in Venice , although it wasn't as creamy (presumably because you don't stir it like a risotto, so you don't release as much starch from the rice). The flavor was better than any lobster bisque I have ever had and the presentation was beautiful (and again no camera). The only fitting end to this lunch on a hot day along the beach was a refreshing lemon sorbet, followed by a stroll along the boardwalk.