Selina
Google
One of the things I had on my list of things to eat when coming to Barcelona was fideuà, a Catalonian version of a paella which is made with small noodles instead of rice. So when I saw the dish available as part of a menu del día at Gaig a Casa, a sister restaurant to the Michelin starred Gaig, I just had to give it a try.
As part of the menu del día, your get your choice of an appetizer, main and dessert for only (19.50€). I got the gazpacho for the app and it was the star of the meal. The soup was poured tableside from a cute little teapot and then you get to choose your toppings which is also served tableside. The gazpacho was cool, refreshing and surprisingly filling and thick. I liked how the red and green peppers added sweetness while the cucumbers added a lighter flavour and the croutons gave the dish some crunch. Definately fulfilled my gazpacho craving.
The fideuà was interesting. It was served in a paella pan so diners can see the yummy crispy crust (which is responsible for some of its aromatic salty browned flavour) on the top and bottom of the noodles. The fideuà also came with a side of garlicky aioli to give it a rich creamy texture. Since the noodles are fried before cooking, the noodles are a little more firm than regular paella rice. There were little bits of squid scattered in the noodles and the taste was overall quite rich, earthy and creamy. What I would have liked to see is a lot more seafood in order to vary up the flavours a bit - especially since there was an extremely generous amount of noodles in the pan - I ended up getting bored of the same flavours after a while.
For dessert, I chose the profiteroles de nata. The puff pastry was light and airy and was filled with fresh whipped cream. The whole thing was then covered in a dark chocolate sauce which was rich but not too heavy.
Overall, this was a nice way to eat like a local - meaning not one tourist here and there was a bit of a language barrier. Nonetheless, service was still exceptional and I got my Catalonian experience.