Paris in Barcelona

Some restaurants are especially for the bon-vivant guide. We have written about tapas and sandwiches, but we can't forget the places you would search in order to impress somebody (your boss, your girl/boyfriend, your sister in law...). The Flo Brasserie belongs to this group. In fact, Flo is a chain of Brasseries which can be found all over France (Paris, Toulousse, Nancy, Nice, Reims, Metz). On the top of the Printemps Galleries in Paris Boulevard Haussmann, you may find one of those, under a beautiful art nouveau domed glass ceiling 16 meters high; useful after an exhausting shopping day.
In 1982 the Flo expanded abroad, and the city they chose was Barcelone. Hidden, at Jonqueres Street, really close to Urquinaona Square, there is a "morceau" of Paris, adapted to the Spanish kitchen (that means, more olive oil- less butter). The first time I went to this restaurant, I had just arrived from Paris, and it seemed we hadn't moved from "le quai d'Orsay", until I tasted the great Fideuá. The first French touch is the seafood stall outside, in a corridor which leads to the restaurant. The warm atmosphere was created by the architect Antonio Moragas. We are talking about sophisticated cooking, at very affordable prices.

Seafood is one of the best choices. Well... it's expensive, but it's worth it. I must say it has nothing to do with Britanny's or Galician seafood, especially for the price, much higher; however, some oysters can be tasted, in case you can't afford the whole Parrillada (lobster, crawfish, prawns, clams, razor clams and mussels), although it would be a pity.
Some people don't like seafood (really????); for them, and for anyone who would like to eat something else (take this choice if your uric acid is beyond the limits), there are great dishes, such as the catalan Fideua, or the Black rice. The cuttlefish ravioli were wonderful; another good choice is the curly endive salad with figs and duck confit.
Usually, after having eaten all this, you should call up an ambulance. For those who haven't had enough, as myself I'm ashamed to say, there's a wide range of delicious desserts. From the lightest to the heaviest: pinneaple carpaccio with chocolate, mango mousse and berries or... gratiné figs in a crepe.