Gastronomy & Wine

Do you agree that traditional Japanese cuisine reinvents itself as an art form? Kaiseki cuisine definitely does. Kaiseki is a traditional Japanese meal made up of many small dishes usually served at tea ceremonies or other formal occasions.

The main feature of kaiseki cuisine is the use of the freshest seasonal ingredients. In Japan, they are called “shun”. They can be lightly seasoned to make each ingredient stand out.

Ready-to-eat meals are carefully arranged on plates chosen to highlight both the look and the seasonal theme of the food.

Dishes are beautifully presented and decorated, often with real leaves and flowers, as well as edible decorations that resemble natural plants and animals.

Make your own bottle of cava or vermouth

For this truly unique experience, you can travel from Barcelona to the heart of the El Penedès wine region, where an expert guide will take you through the vineyards, a small winery, and the 10th-century estate of Can Batlle. You will taste 100% artisan cava and make your own bottle of this famous Catalan sparkling wine to take with you.

Artcava is an initiative of two young people who have decided to promote wine tourism from a more modern point of view based on “slow travel”. To do this, they revived a family tradition dating back to 1730.

This is a completely unique master class in the world of wine tourism. You will be accompanied by professionals every minute so that you can learn all the secrets surrounding this drink.

Included: visit + 3 Palago caves, tasting + disgorgement workshop + bottle of cava as a gift. Price: 49 euros/person (from 2 to 20 people). Duration: 2 hours. Availability: all year round. Schedule: from 10:30 to 12:30

You can also participate in the second adventure at this winery – make your own vermouth and take 3 bottles home. You will use a library of over 80 herbal ingredients that make up the basis of vermouth and create 3 liqueurs to your taste.

*All experiences include a complimentary glass of cava or vermouth at La Manela, our gastro bar located in the cellar courtyard and next to the vineyards.

https://artcava.com/

Throughout the year several Catalan municipalities organize “gastronomic days” to highlight local products and local gastronomy.
Alcanar, for example, celebrates its Clementine Gastronomic Days until December 18th, when the clementine becomes the star product of many restaurants in Alcanar.
In this edition of the Clementine Gastronomic Days, some restaurants have modified their menus to offer the most original and innovative clementine-based dishes. Clementines are used in all kinds of recipes, from traditional home cooking to the most daring creations in signature cuisine.
Do not miss the opportunity to taste these magnificent dishes that perfectly mix the essence of traditional cuisine with the most advanced signature cuisine.

Julia Chesnokova for Hotel Alabriga

You won’t find another winery with such a unique design as Celler Brugarol. Designed by a group of architects from Olot, Finca Bell Lloc winery is built entirely underground. Very little natural light enters the room, so the wines are stored in a dark and quiet environment.
Brugarol wines and sparkling wines have been awarded various prizes and awards for quality, craftsmanship and the absence of additives. The cellar hosts wine tastings, corporate meetings, as well as events related to art, landscape and social inclusion.
As you slowly walk through the labyrinth of metal beams, using only a small lantern to guide you, you will be surprised at how beautiful and unique the winery is. You can book a visit to the winery through our concierge. The winery is only a 20 minutes’ drive from our hotel.

Julia Chesnokova for Hotel Alabriga

According to The World’s 50 Best Bars, three Barcelona bars have been named the best in the world in 2022. Among them, the third place in the world was awarded to the modern creative project Sips.
The story goes that two of the best bartenders in the world came together to open the Sips bar in the heart of the Eixample district. We are talking about Mark Alvarez and Simon Caporal. The former was responsible for the cocktail bar at El Barri Adrià restaurants for seven years, while the latter ensured that the famous Artesian Bar (London) remained at the top of the list of the best bars in the world for four years in a row (2012-15).
Alvarez and Caporale pride themselves on making haute couture cocktails at ready-to-wear prices. The menu features all the great classic cocktails, but attantion is immediately focused on “Primordial”, served in a cup in the shape of a hand, “Crypta” based on kiwi, gin and armagnac, or “Pera , pera , pera” based on pear in three different extracts: fermented, distilled, juice and syrup.
The founders of Sips Bar designed it as a social space and decided to eliminate any physical separation between guests and service people. They designed an open and welcoming space where you can be inside the bar and exchange views with other guests and bartenders.

Julia Chesnokova for Hotel Alabriga

Tupí is a traditional Catalan cheese made from cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk mixed with liqueur or olive oil. The cheese is fermented in a clay pot (called tupí, hence the name) and has an intense, spicy, tangy and fruity taste. It does not need to be refrigerated, so it is traditionally consumed straight from the pot. Tupí is often flavored with garlic, and to dampen its strong flavor, it is sometimes mixed with honey, butter, or tomato sauce. This cheese is recommended to be served with bread and a glass of strong wine.

Julia Chesnokova for Hotel Alabriga

We are aware that not everyone likes snails, but it´s a speciality of our region. If you go to the Lleida area, we recommend you try the snails a-la-launa.
They are cooked in different ways: with salt and pepper, with aromatic herbs, with sauce, with bacon… It is important to serve this dish with aioli sauce!
Do you want a recipe?
We start by preheating the oven to 200ºC. In the meantime, we wash the snails. Then, we grease a baking tray with oil and place the snails “face up”. Season with coarse salt and place in the oven until the foam evaporates. Moisten with cognac and bake another 15 minutes at 200ºC.
It is time to prepare the aioli sauce. To do this, peel the garlic and put it in a mortar with salt and lemon juice. Grind until you get a paste. Add the oil little by little, mixing well.
We serve the snails with alioli and parsley.
Ingredients:
1 kg of snails, 250 ml of cognac, 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, coarse salt, olive oil
For Alioli: 4 garlic cloves, 1/2 liter of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt.

Julia Chesnokova for Hotel Alabriga

Catalan ratafia is a rich and aromatic nut liqueur that belongs to the vast category of ancient ratafia liqueurs, mostly associated with the Mediterranean countries. It originated as a homemade drink made from readily available ingredients and without a specific recipe. Recipes were usually passed down from generation to generation. Catalan ratafia is made by macerating unripe green walnuts in aguardiente (distilled spirit). Additional ingredients may include various fruits and herbs. It always includes lemon verbena, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, while citrus peel, bay leaf, chamomile, and fennel are also common. Ratafia can be consumed neat or with ice. It is an excellent aperitif or digestif, but can also be served with desserts, nuts or dried fruits, and is sometimes used as a culinary ingredient. According to ancient belief, herbs picked on the morning after St. John’s Eve (June 23) will have the best properties for making ratafia.

Julia Chesnokova for Hotel Alabriga

Imagine starting your leisure Sunday with the perfect Italian-style brunch. We suggest you stop by the Soho House hotel in Barcelona. Lavish brunch (45 eur/person) is served every Sunday from 12:00 to 17:00 on the ground floor of the Soho House at the Cecconi’s restaurant.
Old cookbooks are stacked in such a way that you can see all food options in a checkerboard pattern. Antipasti, vitalo tonnato, large knots of mozzarella… among main dishes you can find lasagna, parmesan risotto, meatballs. They serve three types of meat: roast beef, lamb chops and porchetta. The seafood station is filled with fresh oysters and tartar.
Sunday brunch from 12:00 to 17:00 at the Cecconi’s Restaurant:
Passeig de Colom, 20
El Born 08002

Julia Chesnokova for Hotel Alabriga

Trinxat (trinchado) is a dish typical of Cerdanya, Alt-Urgel and Andorra. It looks ike a small “tortilla” with a splash of cabbage. Trinxat is dark green in color and has very original taste. It is made with potatoes, fried pork or bacon and cabbage as the main ingredients. Sometimes a clove of garlic is added to give it a little more flavor. The mixture is seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and salt. It is a famous dish of the Catalan mountain cuisine. Its calorie content makes it one of the most typical dishes in autumn and winter. The Festa del Trinxat is celebrated in Puigcerda every year.

Julia Chesnokova for Hotel Alabriga