Allergico's Armchair Adventures in: Barcelona

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Here's our lockdown-friendly tour of this iconic city!

TAPAS

Arguably the most recognisable form of Spanish cuisine, tapas has been a popular option for many a foodie around the world. It’s also a great option for allergic people due to its customisability and flexibility. It’s therefore no surprise that we easily found tapas in the beautiful Catalan setting of Barcelona.

After walking the gorgeous streets of the city and investigating countless tapas bars, I settled upon a charming little place called Tipo Tapa on Carrer de Rogent. I was welcomed into the bar by the very friendly staff who right from the start did their best to assist with my enquiries. Ordering food in a country where I’m not familiar with the language usually makes me nervous, but the staff helped put me at ease here. Through a mixture of broken Spanish and English, alongside Google translate, I was able to order a delightful selection of tapas.

Firstly, I went with a classic of Padrón peppers, which are delicious sweet peppers that are often simply grilled and served with a little olive oil and sea salt. I cannot recommend these enough, they were the perfect vegetarian tapas dish, sweet and mild and so wholesome. If you’re new to tapas, I’d highly recommend this as a starting point as it’s nice and simple, but really flavoursome.

Next up came a dish that surprised me on many levels, croaker-fish ceviche. The second of those words I know and am a big fan of, ceviche is definitely on my list of favourite foods. However if you were to ask me what a croaker-fish was, I’d have zero clue (or those of you wondering, it’s actually a relative of the trout). Nevertheless, it sounded really nice so I took the plunge and ordered it. One-word review: wow. The fish was really nice, firm-textured and with a good robust flavour which worked perfectly with the sharp ceviche marinade. It’s also a good option for those who aren’t keen on the raw salmon texture as croaker-fish is much firmer. This is the dish I’d most recommend from Tipo Tapa if you’re looking for something both delicious and a little bit different.

My final tapas selection was Morcilla, or Spanish Black Pudding. I know black pudding divides opinion, but I think this Spanish version might just turn the haters into lovers. Morcilla shares similarities with the French Boudin Noir and as such is more heavily spiced than its UK counterpart black pudding. Due to a slight translation mishap on the English page of the menu, it took a while to identify this dish, but once I did, there was no question of me not ordering it. The Morcilla was topped with a sweet pepper sauce, something which proved a winning combination. The sausage slices were rich and flavoursome, with the pepper providing a slightly sweet lift to the dish. I fully understand some people’s reservations about this dish, but if you can overcome those, a truly wonderful bite to eat awaits.

This selection of delicious bites were paired with a beautiful rich glass of Catalan red wine and a beautiful atmosphere within the bar. Tipo Tapa is a must-visit if Barcelona’s on your post-lockdown travel list, from great ambience to good prices to wonderfully helpful staff, it’s a great find for any foodie.

FIND THIS FOOD AT:

Tipo Tapa, Carrer de Rogent, 21, 08026 Barcelona, Spain

P a d r ó n P e p p e r s ALLERGICO USEFUL PHRASES GUIDE:

I am allergic to....

Spanish: Soy alérgica/o a Catalan: Sóc al·lèrgic a

Eggs: Spanish: huevos Catalan: ous

Nuts: Spanish: nueces Catalan: nous

Dairy: Spanish: lácteos Catalan: lleteria

Shellfish: Spanish: mariscos Catalan: marisc

M o r c i l l a ( black pudding )

Helado

When visiting world-famous shopping street Las Ramblas, one of the first things that catches your eye is the sheer number of helado, or ice cream shops there are! However, we think we may have found the best one for allergy-friendliness and creativity. What’s even better is it’s run by some Catalan food legends.

Picture this: it’s 30 degrees Celsius outside and like the good foodie I am, the search for ice cream has begun. Whilst at my hotel, I’d spotted a Buzzfeed review of some of the best ice cream parlours around the world and one was right here in Barcelona. Not one to let an opportunity like that go to waste, I set out to find Rocambolesc and what I discovered was nothing short of magical. You walk into the store and are greeted by a shop Willy Wonka would be proud of. Just as fantastical are the ice cream flavours, from the traditional dark chocolate to the more unusual blueberry. As if that wasn’t cool enough, they have a myriad of toppings, from violet marshmallows to candied sesame seed. Possibly the only thing more exciting than the products is the place’s provenance. It was opened by one of the Roca brothers who are owners of the legendary 3 Michelin star El Celler de can Roca restaurant which has ranked as best restaurant in the world 4 times in the last decade.

With such famous names at the helm, it’s no surprise that the ice cream and assorted toppings were amazing. On my first visit I had the blueberry ice cream with caramelised black sesame seeds and flakes of coconut (pictured: top right), the ice cream was beautifully soft and flavoursome with the toppings a beautiful accompaniment. Not content with just one visit, I returned a few days later and got the violet sorbet with sesame seeds and violet marshmallows (pictured: below). When ordering this one, I was about to complete the order when I spotted a candyfloss machine in the corner and so I just had to add that to the mix! This was another delicious creation, full of flavour and a creativity that is what made the Roca clan famous.

As well as amazing flavours, the service was great too, with the staff friendly and happy to accommodate for allergy requirements. There were plenty of vegan ice creams and sorbets on offer alongside the regular fare and all of it at a price that for Las Ramblas was pretty good.

I can’t recommend this place enough as it’s possibly some of the best ice cream I’ve ever eaten and one day I intend to return for more. The other nice thing was the accessibility of the ice cream as those with food allergies know how often the allergy friendly options leave us severely restricted. Here that wasn’t the case though and I was able to enjoy a delicious ice cream in the baking heat of Barcelona.

FIND THIS FOOD AT: Rocambolesc, La rambla, 51-59 (al lado del gran teatro Liceu) 08002 Barcelona

DID YOU KNOW?

- In Germany, the popular desert “spaghetteis” is designed to look like spaghetti.

- Some parts of the USA make ice cream with an egg custard, rather than a traditional cream base.

- If you want to taste the world’s most expensive ice cream, you’ll have to fork out $1.4 million for the privilege. Strawberries Arnaud is an ice cream dish made at the Arnaud Restaurant in Louisiana, USA.

- No-one’s 100% sure who invented ice cream as many nations, including famously China and Italy, have tried to claim the title.

Parc Guell

Anyone whose read a guidebook of Barcelona knows that this Gaudi-founded park is a mustsee. But aside from the gorgeous scenery, it’s also got a surprisingly good selection of food in the cafe.

Normally when visiting famous locations, I avoid the cafe as if it’s not horrendously expensive, it’s usually not the best example of that nation’s food. However on this occasion we were hungry and needing a drink to cool us in the searing 30-degree heat of Barcelona in July so we braved the cafe and were pleasantly surprised. Many of you allergicos will know how tough it can be to decipher ingredients lists in other countries on what are usually tiny labels. Here though, that wasn’t a problem as the wide range of sandwiches or “bocadillo” were lined up at the front of the glass counter with clear lists of ingredients. I decided to go classic with a ham and cheese bocadillo and pair that with a glass of fresh orange juice and a mojito ice lolly. These choices were just sublime, the ham was really rich and complemented the Manchego perfectly which combined to make one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever tasted. The ice lolly was really nice and refreshing too. But the star of the show was the orange juice, freshly squeezed from delicious oranges that had spent time soaking up the Catalan sunshine. This resulted in a gently sweet and really punchy orange juice that made all the supermarket brands pale in comparison. When you taste that orange juice you will never see that drink the same way again. Overall the price of the products wasn’t bad as well, which makes this place a certified allergico recommendation!

FIND THIS FOOD: Carrer d’Olot, 5, 08024 Barcelona, Spain