Sunday, April 11, 2010

MARCH 23, 2010 : Paella round two

















After living in Barcelona for three months, I am embarrassed to say that I have not experimented with Catalan or Spanish food as much as I should. I constantly find myself returning to the same restaurants when I am craving a taste of the local cuisine rather than taking the opportunity to explore somewhere new. Even though I have been living here for quite some time, my diet is still more limited than the average person. La Fonda is a restaurant that I now have grown to love and enjoy. Not only do they serve one of the best paella I have ever tasted, the ambiance is magnificent. La Fonda is located on the boardwalk of Port Olympic. It is not everyday that you have the opportunity to eat your food in a restaurant that is located right next to a marina, and don't let me forget the incredible view. The location of this restaurant is perfect, yet there are other factors that draw me in as well. This restaurant is set up in a large white tent. It has the feeling as if you are sitting outside, but the tent is very comfortable and looks like it could be indoor as well.

Other than the comfortable atmosphere there were many other things I enjoyed about this Catalan food experience. When I ate my first meal at La Fonda I was surprised to see how different the Paella tasted than the previous ones I have tried. This Paella dish seemed less authentic than I was used to. While for my main course I stuck with my original chicken Paella dish, there were other foods that I experimented with. Accompanying my Paella, we ordered a a plate of black rice. I was very skeptical and taken back by the harsh appearance of this dish. It is not common for me to experiment with new foods, especially one that looks as little appetizing as this one. After this meal I realized that Black rice will not be incorporated into my daily diet, however, I am glad that I tried something new and unusual. During this meal I also experimented with other seafood dishes that I normally would not have selected to eat back at home. This experience was different for me, but the food at this restaurant was outstanding.

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