" La Boqueria "

A trip to Mercat de Sant Josep may not be enough for an hour,



to appreciate the local market, one needs to delve into their fresh produce,
try a few Jamons (hams) and then taste their rich cocoas and maybe those gooey colorful candies.
so, let's tour the market and see what we can find.

first, a handful of gummies


and chocolates! , almonds and roasted nuts...




nutty goodness and mushrooms...


did you say wild mushrooms?!


fresh veggies, dried goods.






must try "pintxos" = a snack typically eaten in bars, popular in the Basque country.
typical with a skewer or toothpick, often to a piece of bread + a nice slice of pizza and a cute server.


some out-of-the-blue frozen favorites




feast your eyes on Jamon galore




marinated cod fish




hope you enjoyed this as much as we did. ^-^
by the way, check its official website


* where was this *
Mercat de San Josep
Carrer de la Boqueria
BCN

" La Boqueria "

a trip to Barcelona isn't complete without spending a few minutes at La Boqueria.



The place, which is Mercat de Sant Josep, located along Las Ramblas,
spells a plethora of fresh foods from Iberico Jamon, cocoas, candies, heavenly wild mushrooms and more.



During weekends, the market is not only filled with curious tourists but local Catalans as well.





here's a historical photo of how it looked ages ago.


I mean, really, it's literally a dizzying array of food stalls and tempting delicacies.



if you walk further, there's a small outdoor market as well.


I was looking up for more interesting sights and was startled when this guy
was looking at my lens directly. yikes! ^0^
But i love the view from up there,
a nice balcony too.



but wait! there's more on my next post.
sit tight okay?!

* where was this *
Mercat de San Josep
Carrer de la Boqueria
BCN

" Chez Jaafar "

It was a long and tiring walk in Paris that foggy tuesday afternoon,
I remember that day because we were looking forward to see the Unicorn tapestry,
inside Musée de Cluny,
but in a hurry, forgot to check about its closing hours.

Anyway, we decided to walk around its environs.
When it was around 2pm or thereabout,
having just a piece of bread and a cup of Instant noddles for breakfast,
we finally felt our stomach grumbling. ^0^
This street called Rue de Sommerard was our stop,
lined with restos and cafes.

We chose Chez Jaafar instead,
the menu outside matched our taste,
plus we love anything couscous. ^0^



The interiors are inviting,
the ambiance, très cozy,
and the owner, who is I think of Tunisian descent welcomed us
with a smile.



I can't stop looking at those lamps,
although, not real, they looked very antique.
I also like the quaint bric-a-brac displays, that makes one feel homey. ^0^



when we got there, the seats are almost empty except for two Japanese tourist
sitting on the other table.
after a few minutes though,
the seats were almost full, there were a group of tourist, some local Parisians too.
and I thought, we were too late for lunch! ^0^



for 12 euros,
the price was already affordable,
the food was served hot and delicious, simply said.
you choice between:

1 appetizer + 1 plat du jour (main meal)
( Chorba ) and (couscous poulet)
( soup ) (couscous chicken)
or

1 plat du jour(main meal) + 1 dessert
( couscous merguez ) and (pattiserie orientale)
(couscous african sausage)

we clearly got confused at first,
we thought we were having all 3.
and drinks not included btw,
so, we had a glass of table wine instead for 3 euros.

total cost:
around 27 euros.

Parisians, like Catalans, take their food seriously,
they dine slowly, while chatting away,
unfortunately, for these two young females,
time is of essence, so in less than hour,
we were wandering the side streets of Paris again. ^0^

* where was this *
Rue de Sommerard- Paris

" Un monton de Almendras "

for those who have a sweet tooth,
freshly baked Almendras con Cafe...
es siempre una combinación muy perfecta. ^-^

* where was this *
Fleca els Angels ( cafe )
Carrer dels ángels
infront of MACBA-BCN

" Cafe Catalunya "

The name may sound tempting, but don't be fooled by it.
We were warned beforehand not to dine in restos near hotel chains and touristy area.
But it was our 2nd night and we were already beat from a whole day of sightseeing.



and from the looks of it, the interiors looked inviting.



the bar for tapas or for a quick drink looks promising,



and of course, the hungry travellers couldn't resist its
affordable Menu al Dia for only 14 euros,
a plate (for 2) of seafood Paella ,which includes Sopa y Comida.
but take note though:
it doesn't include the drinks or Bebida.






so, silly me, thought why not, might as well,
order a litre of their house Sangria.



oh boy were we surprised when we were charged for almost 16 euros for it.
for a budget traveller, that is a bit expensive for me,
as I would've opted to order something more worth it.

What I had learned from this dindin galore though,
was to check and ask for the price first before ordering
and never assume. ^0^
take note though,
some of the camareros ( waiters) hardly speak any english, they will deliberately
try to speak spanish in a super fast tone,
and can be a bit snotty, and will even try to fool you if they know you're a tourist.


As for the quality of the food that we had that night:
= It was mediocre and typical.
If I were a food critic, this would certainly be NOT on my list.



so, the next time you're heading here,
better try elsewhere.

ps; just found out minutes ago,
that they have a twitter account and
a website!

* where was this *
Catalunya Plaza
beside H10 catalunya hotel-BCN