A few weeks ago, after a glorious road trip through Basque Country, Mamma Parla and I stopped in Barcelona for a couple of days. Our objective was to discover restaurants, markets, and shops specializing in locally sourced ingredients. At Mam i Teca we hit the jackpot. Alfons Bach’s casual and unpretentious eatery serves delectable local dishes in a single dining room on Carrer de la Lluna in the Raval quarter. We started with an assortment of small plates, including serrano ham, which was beautifully marbled and possessed a richly nutty flavor.
We also had two cold dishes that consisted of tuna, anchoives, and bits of salt cod. One was a variation on Mamma Parla’s famous summer salad of white beans, chopped tomatoes and onion, and high quality canned tuna.
These were followed by eggs with little local shrimp and asparagus tips. The eggs were fluffy and buttery, the shrimp were sweet and the asparagus brought a delicate bitterness and crunchy texture.
Local mushrooms with peppers and asparagus were a seasonal delicacy worth a flight.
Ribs with blood sausage and chickpeas were heavily seasoned with coarse black pepper. The ribs fell off the bone, the blood sausage disolved into a savory liquid on the tongue, and the chickpeas were firm and earthy.
We paired the meal with Almogaver, a craft beer made in Barcelona.
Mam i Teca’s fresh, seasonal ingredients and Alfonso Bach’s thoughtfully preparation put this restaurant high on the list of Barcelona’s gastronomic destinations.
Carrer de la Lluna, 4
08001 Barcelona, Spain
934 413 335
