Haggis,Porridge,Sushi

"Do you like Japanese food?" Like Haggis or porridge I suppose, marvellous or disgusting all depending on whom you address the question to. So when a friend asked me that last weekend, I said yes, as I have been to Japan and what I had there were all excellent, so was that I had in Hawaii, where there were a large population of Japanese, and many authentic Japanese restaurants. I am not over fond of Sushi, but the other pan fried, deep fried and grilled dishes are wonderful. So we set off to what's supposed to be a real nice and new one in Barcelona. Quite a long drive, over 2 hours each way from Roses to Barcelona and back for dinner. But I will just about go any distance if the meal is expected to be an outstanding experience.

The restaurant was, how should I describe it, very dark, almost like being inside a cinema with the film about to start, but with some wall-lights telling you 'not yet'. I barely made out that it was very lush, perhaps post-modern was the word I am groping for. The proprietor was Italian, and the decor, a mixture of Art-decor, Chinese touches here and there, and some Japanese paper lamps and lacquered wooden everything. Kimono clad waitresses and a couple of Spanish waiters in oriental gear trying very hard to look Japanese.

Very low tables, even lower seats, and you need a miner's lamp attached to your forehead if you are half serious about looking at the menu. I found the word 'Nudel' appeared all over the menu and guessed this meant 'Noodle', and was confirmed that it was. It seemed to me too much work to try to find out what's what, so I gave up, and asked them to tell me what there was and best to be had. The food took absolutely forever to come, so I got plenty of time to look around. Even in the dark, one thing stood out, the absence of customers. Either they were all hiding in the darkest corners or, more likely, they were not there. For a very large restaurant I could only see about 20 people or so there.

That's definitely a bad sign. Most restaurants in the centre of Barcelona are nearly always full, regardless of what food they serve. So even before the food arrived, I was busy thinking where should we go and eat something simple but decent afterwards. Not a lot of point telling you what the food was like, except that my friend kept apologizing throughout the meal about it not being his fault, that it was highly recommended by some idiot (his words, not mine) he would never trust again.

I am sure there are marvellous Japanese restaurants in Barcelona, but not in this one. Just as well I do know that Japanese food can be heavenly, or I would have been misled to avoid it forever. That would have been a great tragedy in my book.

We drove back to Roses. Before taking me home, my friend suggested that we stop in one of the restaurant-bar for a drink. Guess what, we shared 3 Tapas (typical local dishes served in smaller portions than a main course): battered squids, Palma ham, and spicy meatballs. Delicious! 

Tags:Haggis,Porridge,Sushi