During my trip to Budapest, I stole away from the group to eat by myself and obviously Barcelona was no different. Only a short 30-minute walk from my hotel stood Barcelona’s Balco Gastronomic, a vibrant food hub sporting dozens of restaurants and bars.

On my first evening in the city, I stumbled upon the Balco Gastronomic and made note of a few menus from restaurants that I wanted to try. I did not double-back to all the restaurants but settled on one that caught my eye, Eldelmar Hermanos Torres. The menu, decor and ambience were all a bit of me and it made perfect sense for me to have a late solo lunch at the restaurant on my designated self care day. The restaurant is now featured in the Michelin Guide.

While in Barcelona I developed a love for local Spanish cuisine and became mildly obsessed with ‘Patatas Bravas’, fried white potatoes served warm with a spicy "brava" sauce. Wikipedia tells me that the brava sauce is ordinarily made with sweet or smoked paprika and olive-oil. I first had them at Xiroi which I mentioned in my Winter Sun: Five Days in Barcelona post and decided to try Eldemar’s take on the local staple. I was not disappointed.

Please ignore my expression… I promise you I’m very happy to be here.

I washed down my Patatas Bravas with a very tart cocktail which honestly, I cannot remember the name of. That’s the downside of trying to recount a restaurant experience nearly a year later… shocking scenes.

I had those bits at the bar and was then seated in the main restaurant dining area so that I could enjoy an A La Carte lunch service. Because my back is BIG, I went all in with a starter, main, and dessert and a glass of red.

What I ordered

Whether Salmon, Tuna or Steak, I will be seated for a good tartare. When I saw the Galician Beef Steak Tartare on the menu, I had to have it. The menu boasted that the tartare is made with 80-day aged beef from Cárnicas LyO, with pickles and carasau bread crisps. One fork full and you knew that you were eating QUALITY beef. (5/5 no notes)

For my main I put the bigness of my back to the test by ordering the LyO Selected Chop, 100 days aged lamb chops served with piquillo peppers new potatoes. I had never seen lamb chops served this way before and the flavours were absolutely stunning. The menu had wine pairings next to the dishes and so I ordered the recommended glass of red (5/5).

For dessert, I treated myself to a sweet treat that featured vanilla custard, strawberry jam and fresh strawberries coated in powdered sugar with pastry. This was lovely and rounded out my perfect lunch date. (5/5)

Pulling in the ambience, service, stunning views of Port Olimpic and the quality food, Eldelmar Hermanos Torres secures a solid 10/10 rating. I don’t know when, but I will be going back to eat there.