Finally this shall be the last of my Barcelona series. There are a lot more fantastic restaurants that we've tried during the trip since we basically had 4 meals a day including supper but both of us agree that this is the only one we will visit again if we ever return to Barcelona.
Flauta is recommended by Lonelyplanet and a few other travel websites as an often packed restaurant being one of the best place to try a variety of tapas in the Catalunya area. We arrived slightly early to avoid the 9pm dinner crowd which is the Spanish's usual dinner time with the restaurant being more than half empty (this caused slight panick as I thought my nagivation skills went wrong and we were stuck in a wrong restaurant).
Service was prompt and we were served by a waiting staff from Philippines who asked if we were from Sout East Asia moments after we requested for an English Menu (it's easy to spot a Singaporean trust me!) Went on to have a nice chat with the lad and he recommended me to go to the bar where all the fresh seafood and cold tapas were displayed and take my pick from there since the English menu was not too extensive on the selection available. It was fun to order via the pointing method and most of the food came way better than expectations.
A bottle of sparkling wine to mark the last night of our trip.
The razor clams (also known as bamboo clams), with a nice touch of mere olive oil and parsley, was a nice change from the usually garlic loaded ones we get from Singapore. Cooked just tender enough without being over rubbery, this is my favourite dish so far!
There's grilled salmon with white raisin sauce and grilled cod fish with prawn.
Fried cheese coated with nuts and topped with cranberry sauce which remsembles deep fried camberet without the layer of nuts.
Deep fried anchovies
Deep fried squid (calamari)
More clams
For greens we ordered asparagus which was overcooked and way too limpy as can be seen from the picture.
And lastly...a slice of chocolate mousse cake with whipped cream for a sweet finish...
The bill came up to a little under 100 euros for 2 pax which I find reasonable given the overall standard of the place but it certainly showed not much mercy towards my student's pocket. Service was great, attentive and all, althought GQ felt they were all directed at the fairer sex but I bet he enjoyed himself just as much.
Flauta (La) Bar & Restaurant
Aribau 23,
Barcelona, CT 08011
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When choosing the hotel for this trip, we made a mental note to avoid international chains and landed ourselves in Hotel Montecarlo.
As quoted from their website: "The Hotel Montecarlo, an old nineteenth-century palace which used to be the home of the Royal Artistic Circle of Barcelona, opened its doors on one of the world's most famous avenues, Las Ramblas, next to Plaça Catalunya, in the centre of Barcelona, in 1945."
I have but only raves for this hotel...strategic location, personalised service, huge in-room jacuzzi with Champange's campange, automated bed with remote control to adjust the inclining level, balcony facing Las Ramblas (ours is the balcony on the third level towards the left from the picture) and chocolates were given thoughtfully everyday after room service.
All in all, this has been a great trip (discounting the pickpocket experience of course) and if given a chance someday, I'll definitely do a stopover just for its tapas!
*Finally touched down in Singapore last night and am up now with barely 3 hours of sleep...jet lag...jet lag...*
Flauta is recommended by Lonelyplanet and a few other travel websites as an often packed restaurant being one of the best place to try a variety of tapas in the Catalunya area. We arrived slightly early to avoid the 9pm dinner crowd which is the Spanish's usual dinner time with the restaurant being more than half empty (this caused slight panick as I thought my nagivation skills went wrong and we were stuck in a wrong restaurant).
Service was prompt and we were served by a waiting staff from Philippines who asked if we were from Sout East Asia moments after we requested for an English Menu (it's easy to spot a Singaporean trust me!) Went on to have a nice chat with the lad and he recommended me to go to the bar where all the fresh seafood and cold tapas were displayed and take my pick from there since the English menu was not too extensive on the selection available. It was fun to order via the pointing method and most of the food came way better than expectations.
A bottle of sparkling wine to mark the last night of our trip.
The razor clams (also known as bamboo clams), with a nice touch of mere olive oil and parsley, was a nice change from the usually garlic loaded ones we get from Singapore. Cooked just tender enough without being over rubbery, this is my favourite dish so far!
There's grilled salmon with white raisin sauce and grilled cod fish with prawn.
Fried cheese coated with nuts and topped with cranberry sauce which remsembles deep fried camberet without the layer of nuts.
Deep fried anchovies
Deep fried squid (calamari)
More clams
For greens we ordered asparagus which was overcooked and way too limpy as can be seen from the picture.
And lastly...a slice of chocolate mousse cake with whipped cream for a sweet finish...
The bill came up to a little under 100 euros for 2 pax which I find reasonable given the overall standard of the place but it certainly showed not much mercy towards my student's pocket. Service was great, attentive and all, althought GQ felt they were all directed at the fairer sex but I bet he enjoyed himself just as much.
Flauta (La) Bar & Restaurant
Aribau 23,
Barcelona, CT 08011
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When choosing the hotel for this trip, we made a mental note to avoid international chains and landed ourselves in Hotel Montecarlo.
As quoted from their website: "The Hotel Montecarlo, an old nineteenth-century palace which used to be the home of the Royal Artistic Circle of Barcelona, opened its doors on one of the world's most famous avenues, Las Ramblas, next to Plaça Catalunya, in the centre of Barcelona, in 1945."
I have but only raves for this hotel...strategic location, personalised service, huge in-room jacuzzi with Champange's campange, automated bed with remote control to adjust the inclining level, balcony facing Las Ramblas (ours is the balcony on the third level towards the left from the picture) and chocolates were given thoughtfully everyday after room service.
All in all, this has been a great trip (discounting the pickpocket experience of course) and if given a chance someday, I'll definitely do a stopover just for its tapas!
*Finally touched down in Singapore last night and am up now with barely 3 hours of sleep...jet lag...jet lag...*
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