Carmelitas

Tapas Carmelitas y Vermutería Carmelitas

During my visit to Barcelona this summer, I discovered a neat restaurant in El Raval. Not far from the Biblioteca de Catalunya, Carmelitas is located on c/ del Carme 42 and offers a solid range of tapas and drinks. The restaurant also specializes in vermút. The location has comfortable indoor seating  and a terraza where you can enjoy the sights and sounds.

I decided to explore their lunch menú de degustación, and it was a delight. The menú offered the opportunity to sample several classic Catalan dishes. It consisted of gazpacho, ensalada con embutidos catalanes, salmón a la plancha con verduras, fricando de ternera. For dessert, I had a recuil de miel y frutos secos.

The starters were gazpacho and salad. The diced pieces of Catalan sausage (especially fuet) in the salad were especially superb and made for a tasty beginning. The gazpacho complemented the salad and was equally delicious.

The next course consisted of the grilled salmon with veggies. A simple dish and full of flavor. The fish was followed by a traditional Catalan meat stew, Fricando de ternera. A stew like this makes more sense during a cooler time of the year. Nonetheless, I had no complaints with this course. It was delightful with a rich broth and superb seasoning.


For dessert, I had a recuil con miel y frutos secos, white cheese accompanied by nuts drizzled with honey. It was a delightful way to end this meal. It was a simple, elegant dessert that balanced the stew and cleansed the palate. I order a café solo to finish the meal.

And I forgot to mention the vermút. During the meal, I sipped the excellent vermút for which they are famous. It was served in a small glass with ice.

The staff was very attentive and amiable. I selected the terraza, which allowed me to take in the world around the restaurant. The people-watching was entertaining, but the meal was the focus. The portions were ample and generous with reasonable prices. I definitely recommend the restaurant, especially if you want to sample some traditional Catalan dishes. I plan to return another day to savor once more the delicacies prepared by the chef and his crew.

How to get there:

Location: C/ del Carme, 42, El Raval, Barcelona
Metro: L3 at Liceu

Hours:

• M-T 08:30-00:00
• F-Sat. 08:30-02:00
• Sun. 10:00-00:00

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Colm Tóibín

Colm Tóibín

Colm Tóibín is an Irish novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, critic. and poet. Born in 1955, Tóibín grew up in Enniscorthy, Co. in the southeast of Ireland. He attended secondary school in Wexford and later studied at University College Dublin where he was graduated in 1975. Immediately after graduation, he decided to move to Barcelona where he lived until 1978.  The South, his first novel (published in 1990) is inspired by his experiences in Barcelona during the late seventies.

In 1990, he also published Homage to Barcelona, a work of non-fiction that explores the rich history and culture of the city. His work draws from his own experiences in this city during the turbulent years of transition from dictatorship to democracy. His observations in Homage celebrates the vibrant culture and art of Catalunya and provides insight into the dynamics that shape Catalan society. The book is witty, elegant, and written in an extremely engaged fashion.

In 2011, The Observer named Tóibín one of Britain's Top 300 Intellectuals. His literary output over the years has grown to 10 works of fiction and 18 of non-fictions. He currently holds the Irene and Sidney B. Silverman Professorship of the Humanities at Columbia University.