GR8 2CU BCN: More cheap eats - olé!

After several hours of having our senses assaulted by the tremendous wealth of high art inside the MNAC on the slopes of Montjuic, it was high time for a bite to eat. Heading downhill back towards Plaza Espanya, our intention was to look inside a former bull ring which had been converted into a shopping mall and would be bound to have a food court inside. Instead, right before we were ready to cross the street, we spied a sign promising a 'cerveseria' down a side street and decided to have a look. Good thing too, because we were in time to catch the tail-end of the lunchtime service.

As readers of this blog will know, we are big fans of the Spanish menu del dia. Franco's finest legacy requires that most all restaurants provide a three-course lunch with drinks, usually for €10-12 a head. This particular cerveseria turned out to provide one of the finest lunches we've ever had in Spain, mainly catering as it does for the local suited office workers. The premises were huge inside and quite smart.

Our friend José raved throughout our meal about the quality (and quantity). For starters they had huge portions of salmon risotto, while I opted for a pile of mixed steamed vegetables in a cheese and garlic sauce. To follow, Christian and I each had the pork ribs with roast potatoes. There was a surprising amount of meat, but by the time we separated this from the bones and gristle our plates looked like the results of an autopsy. José was very complimentary about his handmade tuna pies (empanadas). He passed on dessert in favour of coffee, while we had the cheesecake with yoghurt. Our meal also came with a cold beer.

All around it was delicious food in large portions at an unbeatable price, only €11 each at the time. If you find yourself passing through Plaza Espanya (which most travellers to Barcelona are bound to do at some point, since it sits atop a mainline train station and a popular metro interchange at the foot of Montjuic), head a couple doors down Avinguda Paral-lel and look for the awnings of Xop d'Or on the left.

One interesting cultural observation to make: when we arrived, the waitress walked up to take our order, pulled out her notepad and announced 'digame' (literally, 'talk to me'). No 'hello and how are you?' or the Catalan equivalent. After requesting an English menu from her (because José could not translate all the items for us), she suddenly became polite and talkative, dropping in plenty of phrases like 'excuse me' and 'thank you.'

This greatly amused José, who had pointed out before to us how polite the English tend to be, cluttering conversations with trite phrases, most of them empty of any meaning by how routinely we spout them. Spaniards, he said, prefer the direct approach and don't make small talk. Their thinking is why should the waitress introduce herself, ask how we were doing and comment on the weather when all we were there to do was eat?

We carried on to the former bull ring across the plaza, which as I've mentioned is now a shopping centre. A glass lift attached to the side took us to the roof for €1 each, giving us good 360-degree views as we circled around, passing the eateries, nightspots and even the theatre which has been built on top of the shopping centre.

Here we are looking out towards Mount Tibidabo, the pinnacle of which is crowned by a church and amusement park.

 Here is the ceremonial entrance to Montjuic, with the spires of MNAC on the horizon.

A park next to the old bull ring is crowded with palm trees.

It's a popular spot to get some fresh air and admire the views, so do pop in if you're passing by. The late afternoon light lit up Montjuic beautifully and it was a good spot to stretch our legs after our big meal. For even more fresh air and far-ranging views, click back next time for our day trip to the stunning Montserrat!