Baked cod with aliolí and quince meringue – Las Fernández – Barcelona, Spain

Smack in the middle of ciutat vella, Las Fernaández will surprise you with its delicious homemade fare. From the outside, it might look like a hole in the wall but wait until you walk through its funky red door. Red walls everywhere – they say this color stimulates your appetite so it might be a deliberate move to make patrons eat as much as they can. But truly, their food alone can make you do it without any help. A menu that is just as eclectic as its decor:  daily seafood stews, innovative salads such as the ensalada de espinacas con confit de pato, fresh spinach with duck confit  and apple  for €11.50 or the rollitos de lacón con aguacate  for €6.50,  broiled pork shoulder ham rolls stuffed with avocado in a creamy béchamel sauce, among many others. I chose the bacalao con alioli de membrillo al horno, codfish fillet covered in a light alioli and quince merengue au gratin for €12.00. The unorthodox combination of the tangy alioli sauce and the quince gives the fluffy meringue a unique sweet and sour taste that will have you coming back for more, even if you decide to blindfold yourself to avoid all that red.

Las Fernández

Carrer de les Carretes 11

Barcelona 08002

Tel: 934 43 20 43