Botafumeiro

What have the King of Spain, Julio Iglesias and Woody Allen got in common? Not the start of a bad joke, in fact these three illustrious folk have all sat down for dinner at one of Botafumeiro's equally illustrious tables. This Galician restaurant prides itself on bringing the best of the West of Spain to Barcelona with imported shellfish, crab and veal prepared according to traditional cooking methods of the region. Meanwhile Madrid-style tripe, prawns from Palamos and even Iranian caviar add plenty of variety to the kitchen, although the emphasis remains strongly on seafood. Perhaps that explains the nautical feel of Botafumeiro's wooden interior replete with painting of fishing boats and model vessels.

I read a lot about Botafumeiro before I went and I wasn't disappointed by the experience. The shellfish was excellent and the service highly professional. It seems that not too many tourists have discovered Botafumeiro verses many of the restaurants in central Barcelona and it was a plus that many of the other diners were clearly locals or foreigners who lived in the area.