Foodie in Barcelona

Curious about food, culture and what people put in their mouth

  • Home
  • Favourites
  • Best Of
  • Map

Fat Veggies, Vegetarian, Eixample

24th March 2021 Leave a Comment

Fat Veggies is busy. Even though I have arrived at one o’clock. Maria, the head chef,  gives me a tour of the kitchen. It’s a collection of heating sources: smoking slowly or being licked by flames on blackened robata grills. Maria opens doors to ovens that serve distinct purposes.

In the dining room, dark and moody with bright spots picked up by low hanging lights, Celine the Belgian fermentologist pours liquids in and out of large glass jars. Invisible to our eyes save for froth or bubbles at the surface, Celine is nurturing a metropolis of bacteria. Making sure they are getting enough to eat and that the good strains are triumphing over the evil. Because even in Kombucha, this ancient battle goes on.

Before it gets pre-covid busy, the Venezuelan chef comes over to explain, her long blond pigtails swaying as she tips her head. There is a beetroot dish, nose to tail style. Caramelized beetroot preserved root (in a 2% salt solution) and stir-fried leaves. Served on a smoosh of labneh. The first time I have tasted a labneh like that in Jordan. The tartness and the salt at fever pitch.

There is a potato dish described as a Fat Veggies Bravas. It’s nothing of the sort, more like a dauphinoise without cream or a Jansson’s Temptation without the anchovy. They are neat rectangles of thinly sliced potatoes, heavy with roast garlic.

A bowl of risotto with pickled mushrooms and slippery seaweed is our main of sorts. And while I get the umami from the mushrooms, the dish feels clean and light, virtuous even the wheatberries popping between my teeth. Unlike the reassuring stodginess of a traditional risotto.

At some point, I look up and think:
“Wow, it looks like they are a real success”.
Only for that thought to be followed by “But I wonder if they make enough money?”
And then it occurs to me that the idea of success as money is such a knee jerk reaction. Money can be attained, but time can not. Time on earth is non-negotiable. We only know when our clock starts, not when it stops. When I think of that as a context, then success means more than euros. It’s not happiness either, an import from America, where if you are not happy there is something amiss. My equation for success is engagement, inspiration, connection & flow.

Which on the day I have lunch at Fat Veggies I see in abundance.  From Celine and her bacteria farms to Maria her ovens. Being around that delights me as much as their veggie-focused dishes do. Because I know the feeling they are getting. As a writer, when I am stretching into the depths of my consciousness to touch fingertips with a tentative flickering of an idea. Shivers. Where does it come from? Probably from where all the other things in the Universe came from. That is a success.

There is one other success here. The vegan chocolate brownie. I have never tried a vegan dessert that I like. But this chocolate brownie with sesame and cardamom. Wow! Rich with no discernable bitterness from a wildcard ingredient like cauliflower or aquafaba. Everything a brownie should be but mysteriously vegan.

Fat Veggies
Carrer París 168
www.fatveggies.com
instagram.com/fat.veggies/

Fat Veggies has a sister restaurant called Fat Barbies

More Vegetarian Restaurants on Foodie in Barcelona:
Flax & Kale Passage
Honest Greens 
Teresa Carles
The Green Spot 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • More
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket

Like this:

Like Loading...

Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: L'Eixample, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

« Coroto Asian Caribbean, Eixample – CLOSED
Boa Bao Barcelona, Asian, Eixample »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

What Are You Looking For?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 772 other subscribers.

Foodie In Barcelona on Instagram

I feel like the one coffee shop per block thing ha I feel like the one coffee shop per block thing has been done ad nauseam - instead I would like to petition for one cheese shop per block. Found this darling one on the corner from one of my favourite restaurants.
What about you? Do you think we have reached peak coffee shop saturation in the city?
22:22 Cultura Dulce is all about pretty patisserie 22:22 Cultura Dulce is all about pretty patisserie and many layered savoury butter pastries. I think we may have tried a calçot riff when we were there. It’s a large place with corners occupied by big personality plants. 

#patisserie #barcelona #foodieinbarcelona #foodbcn #bcnlovers #bcnfood #bcnfoodies #bcngourmet #bcnrestaurants #bcninspira
The foie sauce pasta @maleducat should be illegal. The foie sauce pasta @maleducat should be illegal. It’s not a plate to share - even with someone you love. 🫣
Of course the tomato tartar with mackerel continues to make me happy.

#foodieinbarcelona #foodbcn #bcnfood #bcngourmet #bcnrestaurants #bcndelicatessen #bcnfoodie #eatbcn
We had such a great lunch @williswinebarparis ! Un We had such a great lunch @williswinebarparis ! Unexpected because it’s right behind the Louvre, it’s gorgeous, good value with charming servers. 

#foodieinbarcelona #paris #parisfoodguide #parisfoodguide #parislife #pariswine #pariswinebar
Out of curiosity I joined the queue @bouillonlinst Out of curiosity I joined the queue @bouillonlinsta - a warehouse of a restaurant with continuous service and small prices. I can see the appeal - the rice pudding with caramel sauce was ace. Three courses with cider 18€!

#bouillon #bouillonpigalle #paris #pariseats #république
David Hockney at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in P David Hockney at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris is an extraordinary exhibition. I had goose bumps 15 minutes in. 

#paris #davidhockney #davidhockneyexhibition #fondationlouisvuitton #paris #artparis
#southoffrance🇫🇷 #cannes #monaco #france #southoffrance🇫🇷 #cannes #monaco #france
Something for the weekend @tangana_restaurant beca Something for the weekend @tangana_restaurant because it’s chef led, with good chairs and just the right feeling. Gilda - yes. And the Mitake mushroom but with way more colour then this picture - I hadn’t realized that apricot panna cotta is what’s missing from my life - (not pictured because the best moments often aren’t captured.)

#foodieinbarcelona #foodbcn #bcnfood #bcnfoodies #bcngourmet #bcnrestaurants #bcndelicatessen #bcnblogger #bcnexplorers
Here is a great share for the Easter weekend @lacu Here is a great share for the Easter weekend @lacucanya in Vilanova. 

#vilanova #barcelona #foodieinbarcelona #foodinbcn #bcn #bcnmoltmes #bcn_turisme
Another solid lunch menu option st Club Nàutic de Another solid lunch menu option st Club Nàutic de Sitges. 24€ menu with coffee or dessert, two courses and a drink. Reservations necessary- even on a Monday. 2/4 of the restaurant has the sea lapping at its  side. 

#sitges #sitgesrestaurant #sitgesanytime #sitgesbeach #foodieinbarcelona #foodbcn
Incredible brunch at Cecconi’s today. I am not s Incredible brunch at Cecconi’s today. I am not sure anyone is doing it better. Shout out to the staff who were doing a great job of serving us today! 

#foodieinbarcelona #foodbcn #bcnfood #bcnfoodies #bcngourmet #bcnrestaurants #brunch #bcnbrunch #barcelona
I am going to increasingly direct you outside of t I am going to increasingly direct you outside of the city. To places like @barquet_tarragona - a multi generational fish restaurant with many accolades. Inside it’s a mishmash of nautical references- and an extraordinary selection of things from the sea along with arroces. Even though it’s in Tarragona, I recommend booking in advance. 

#tarragona #tarragona_imatges #tarragonaturisme #tarragonaexperience #pescado #pescadosymariscos #pescadofresco
Follow on Instagram

Foodie In Barcelona on Substack

On Substack? Get Foodie In Barcelona on your favourite newsletter platform by scanning the QR code below.

Substack QR Code

Recent Posts

  • Jiribilla, Mexican, Sant Antoni
  • 3 Barcelona Wineries to Visit by Nika Shevela
  • Hiu Restaurant, South East Asian Fusion, Cambrils
  • Glug, European, Eixample
  • Guy’s Best Healthy Places in Barcelona

VoiceMap: A Culinary Tour of El Born

VoiceMap logoVoiceMap QR CodeFor the best experience, install the VoiceMap app for Android or iPhone. Then just scan the QR code to be taken to my tour. A 2-hour tour for only $6.99!

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • X
  • Email

Posts by Area

  • Barceloneta
  • Gòtic
  • Born
  • Eixample
  • Gràcia
  • Poble Sec
  • Poblenou
  • Raval
  • Sant Antoni

Popular Posts

  • Ten Best Tapas Restaurants in BCN by FoodJungle
  • Best Italian Restaurants in Barcelona
  • The Best Spots to Enjoy Catalan Cuisine
  • Best Pizza Barcelona
  • Coffee Guide Barcelona: Specialty Coffee
  • Bar del Pla Tapas, El Born
  • Glug, European, Eixample
  • Barcelona's Best Mexican Restaurants
  • Bar El Pollo, Spanish, El Raval

Posts by Category

  • Cafés & Delis
  • Days Out
  • Miscellaneous
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
  • Shops & Markets
  • Tours
  • Travel

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie in Barcelona · info@foodieinbarcelona.com

Site by Web Harmonics

%d