REVIEW: Bracafé (Ronda Universitat 35, Barcelona, Spain)

We went to the Bracafé on Ronda de Universitat (around the corner from Catalunya Plaza) to eat on 14th June 2013. This is not a sponsored review, and the meal was paid for by us. The opinions expressed below are our honest opinions.

The waitress who greeted and seated us was very approachable and helpful and polite.

The prices were clearly set out and the meals had good explanations in English as well as Spanish.

Both myself and my husband got tapas, tomato bread, a meal and a drink for under €30 (around €27) for both of us. Very reasonable.

The tapas were beautifully presented and as delicious in taste as they looked.

My roast chicken and vegetables were delicious and cooked to perfection. My husband was pleased with his vegetarian rice dish too. His was not listed on the menu, but when he asked for his options as a vegetarian, they were happy to cater for him too.

My chicken & veg - I had already nibbled some chicken before taking the photo - oops!

Paul's vegetarian rice dish

The tomato bread was delicious as well. Our meals were plentiful and filling and absolutely delicious too. A drink was included and I had a glass of white wine, while hubby had a glass of sangria. The drinks were good too.

We were both very pleased and I would recommend Bracafé to everyone.

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REVIEW: Store Café (Travessera de Dalt 25, Barcelona, Spain)

After going to Parc Guell, we went here to eat (on 16th June 2013) because we were really hungry and of all the eateries we passed it was one of the emptier ones. We saw the food prices were maybe a few Euros more than some of the others we'd passed, but as it was emptier and looked quicker to get seated and served we picked here.

This is not a sponsored review, and the meal was paid for by us. The opinions expressed below are our honest opinions.

I had a hamburger that was actually gristly and fatty and I'm sure it had bits of bone or something inedible in it too. It came with chips which were quite nice, but nothing special and a salad that wasn't the freshest you'd ever seen. Definitely not worth the €13.50.

Hubby had a 'cuatro cuesta', four cheese pizza, which he said was very nice however it was nothing special and probably not worth the €9.

Drinks were not listed on the menu, and when asked if we'd like a drink, we just asked for 2 sangria's assuming they would be reasonably priced. However, we were shocked when the bill came and we had been charged €7 each for them.

Through and through this was overpriced yet sub-standard. If you're tempted to stop, I'd suggest you think again and go elsewhere!

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RECIPE: Spaghetti & Meatballs With Spicy Tomato Sauce

My quick and easy recipe is for spaghetti with Swedish meatballs and my home made spicy tomato sauce. It serves four people. Preparation & cooking time is approx. 15-20 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:
12 fresh, ripe tomatoes
140g concentrated tomato puree
2 small onions, chopped roughly
3 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
25g fresh, chopped basil
4-6 chopped green birds eye chillies (seeds in if you like it super-spicy or removed if not)
40 Swedish meatballs
280g dried spaghetti

METHOD:
For the sauce:
- Get a pan of boiled water
- Lightly score the tomatoes into quarters and place them into the water for a few minutes
- Remove the tomatoes from the water and the peel should come off them with ease
- Put the peeled tomatoes into a food processor
- Add the onions, garlic, chillies, basil and tomato puree to the processor
- Whizz it all together on a high setting until the sauce becomes purified

Put the meatballs in the oven on gas mark 4 and cook for 10 minutes.
At the same time, place the spaghetti into a pan of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.
In the last few minutes of cooking the meatballs and spaghetti, put the sauce into a pan and warm gently on a medium heat.

Lay the spaghetti on the plate, leaving a well in the middle. Put the meatballs and sauce into the well and serve.

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RECIPE: Indian Shepherd's Pie

My recipe is a delicious turkey curry shepherd's pie, quick and tasty...

Serves: 4
Cooking time: 30-45 mins

Ingredients:
1 tbsp sunflower oil
500g lean turkey mince
1 onion, finely chopped
1 inch cube ginger, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp hot curry powder
400g tin chopped tomatoes
450ml water
6 finger green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
4 large sweet potatoes
10 white potatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh coriander
Knob butter

Method:
- Fry the mince in the oil until cooked over a med-high heat approx. 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from the pan, drain and set aside
- Fry the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli until soft
- Add the spices and fry for 2 mins
- Add the mince and stir well
- Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and the water
- Boil at a high temperature, and stir frequently until the mixture is reduced and thick
- Add to a glass cooking dish
- Chop the white and sweet potatoes into small chunks and boil in lightly salted water (in seperate pans) until soft enough to mash
- Drain, then add the butter and black pepper to each pan and mash until smooth
- Add some plain mash onto the mince mix in the cooking dish and top it off with a layer of sweet potato
- Put in the oven on gas mark 4 for about 15-20 until the potato crisps over slightly
- Sprinkle chopped coriander on top and serve

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