El Japonés

El Japonés: Passatge de la Concepció 2, Barcelona 

El Japonés can be found on one of the most darling streets in the Eixample: Passatge de la Concepció. El Japonés is one of three restaurants housed in the building, part of the Grupo Tragaluz. The decoration is modern with a Japanese feel and is clean and beautiful.

The sushi rolls are each outstanding. You can’t go wrong when you order but keep in mind the portions are quite petite. You take your order on a checklist which is fun, and makes sure you get exaclty what you ordered. You will be pleased with whichever plate you order, they’re all colorful and delicious.

 

The best thing on the menu which you’ll need to save room for is the maki dessert. They essentially make a thick chocolate crepe and wrap up a creamy mascarpone filling. They then slice them and arrange them to look like sushi, topped with powdered sugar. They’re amazing.

The chocolate wrapping is not overly sweet and the mascarpone cheese just melts in your mouth. It’s such a lovely and creative dish. I highly recommend the restaurant even if you only order this dish, it’s a must visit.

The sushi rolls are around 10€ each, so it’s easy to spend 30€ or more a person. So this isn’t somewhere to eat each night, but definitely give it a try!

         

Kibuka

Kibuka: Calle Verdi 64 & Carrer de Goya 9, Barcelona

As we’ve said time and time again good service is a hard thing to come by in Barcelona. The American mentality of “the customers always right” and “working hard for tips” just don’t translate to Spanish. Here at Kibuka you will find gracious servers and attentive staff. (Yay!)

There are 2 locations in Barcelona’s cute Gràcia neighborhood. We’ve tried both to see which we prefer. The one at (Calle Verdi, 64) is quieter and nicer to have a romantic date. The more central one at (Carrer de Goya, 9) is loud and always bustling; go here if you’re with a group of friends. They’re both nicely decorated and both have lovely employees. Great service is so hard to find here, so be sure to visit! 

 

Our favorite sushi roll was the Hot Philadelphia roll: a breaded roll filled with tempura shrimp and cream cheese. The foie roll was more rice than foie and rather tasteless. The rainbow roll was colorful and delicious. The tempera shrimp were enormous and we highly recommend them. There are two maki rolls with shrimp tempura in them, they’re outstanding. Also try the Kibuka Urimaki with anguila fish and salmon with avocado and a swet eel sauce. The breaded chicken was really moist and flavorful topped with lime and served with an amazing “Japanese mayonnaise.” Don’t miss this one!

For dessert we highly recommend the chocolate coulant which is a small chocolate lava cake. It can be paired with a selection of ice creams. We loved the Japanese option of wasabi ice cream. Save room for this dessert! We were hesitant at first. But it’s more of a sweet wasabi ice cream than a spicy one, but definitely has the wasabi taste!

 

This restaurant is very well priced, for 20€ per person you will eat incredibly well. Of all of the dozens of sushi places we love, this is certainly the best bargain. 

Read my Spaniard’s thoughts on Kibuka.

Related articles

• Rio Teppan (californiatocatalunya.wordpress.com)
• Restaurant La Cuina de l’Uribou (californiatocatalunya.wordpress.com)

Rio Teppan

Rio Teppan: Carrer de Minerva 6, Barcelona

Rio Teppan is located on a tiny street in the old neighborhood of Gràcia. It’s the definition of a hole in the wall place. If we hadn’t happened to walk by while wandering aimlessly as we often do, we never would have discovered it.
It has eight small tables and two chefs that are passionate about making traditional Japanese food.

The options for main plates are yakisoba noodles prepared in different ways, such as folded in an omelets. The noodles are moist and flavorful and just amazing.

 
For the starters there are two types of maki rolls: one with shrimp and one with ternera (veal). They’re both enormous and with a homemade mayonnaise which makes them different than any sushi we’ve ever tried. We highly recommend trying both. There are a few other simple and original starters too.

 
This is shocking, but we’ve never tried dessert here. We’re always too full to order any and we’ve eaten here at least four times! So I can’t report on the desserts but if they’re prepared with the same care and inventiveness as the rest of the menu I can assure that they’re lovely.

The service is very attentive and welcoming, you can tell they’re doing what they love. It’s so refreshing in Barcelona to find people at restaurants that are happy about what their employment. They are helpful and are patient when explaining the menu and dishes. Great staff and environment.
You will need to call ahead to get a table as the seating is limited. You’re sure to have a great time here and sure to leave full and happy.

 You can even pick up your food to-go. Amazing! 

Related articles

• Nomo (californiatocatalunya.wordpress.com)
• Kibuka (californiatocatalunya.wordpress.com)
• Una Mica de Japó (californiatocatalunya.wordpress.com)