I am at La Pubilla Gracia today and I am thinking. About how I’m always joking. Poking fun at others and myself regularly. Jokers tend to have been fat children or perhaps funny looking children. I was a Romanian/Jordanian kid who didn’t speak English well and wore the same (ugly) sweater every day to an International school. Obviously, the other kids made me cry.
Humor is a great asset. I rely on it to get me through every day. I didn’t realize how important it was to me until I was having dinner with someone the other day, I was throwing jokes out there and they were just kind of thunk, thunk, thunking away on the other side of the court. Nada. No cheers from the audience.
“I think I can only be friends with people who laugh at my jokes,” I said bewildered to another friend who does laugh at my jokes. (It made her laugh).
So for lunch, I went out with Rob. To La Pubilla Gracia. He laughs at my jokes and who redesigned my website inside and out. He also makes me laugh but he’s one of these people that doesn’t realize he is being funny.
Like the time he called me, exasperated, to discuss my punctuation.
“So your spacing.”
“My spacing…?”
“You double space after a full stop.”
“Aha…” waiting for the point of it all.
“I know two people who double space. You. And my nan. Stop. Stop it-now. It’s visually disruptive and sometimes it upsets Google and your website information will not be listed correctly.”
Well in this world: where Russian aircraft are flying in European airspace, Greek guys without ties are testing matriarch Merkel, not to mention the horror going on in the Middle East and Africa, the last thing one wants to do is to upset Google. (And now Foodie in Barcelona has been left to languish on the 19th “o” of Google.)
We went to La Pubilla, a place that has been around and loved by many for a while. We showed up at 1 pm without a reservation and considered ourselves lucky to get 60 cm of bar space between us since half an hour later there was a solid line of people waiting for our 60cm. The lunch menu is €16 and gets you 3 courses including wine.
Rob started off with a tender chickpea stew while I had a couple of fingers of mackerel interlaced with diced peeled tomato, perfect segments of bright and juicy orange on some well dressed ruffled leaves (it makes sense that there are Thomas Keller books displayed).
We both had the rice as the main course, with pieces of blood sausage and some succulent cod – probably from the guy that has the cod shop next door. That’s another thing about La Pubilla, it is just across from the Llibertat market (one of my favourites) and shares the square with a number of fantastic shops. Like the cod guy, who has large marble sinks in which he desalinates his cod. Or the chicken lady who sells cockscombs and live snails. And the dairy shop of Armengol farm.
Rob had a lemon tart with italian meringue and I had to order the apple and pear compote with cinnamon. Stewed cubes of fruit, a spoonful of whipped cream and a liberal shaking of cinnamon. Sometimes, all you need is a nudge of sweet to round off a perfect meal but most kitchens lack the self confidence to send something as simple as that out.
Not this kitchen though.
La Pubilla
Plaça de la Llibertat, 23
08012 Gracia
www.facebook.com/lapubilla.gracia
Ha. Thanks Suzy. I think.
Let me just clarify before anyone starts hurriedly removing double spacing from their website (and my reputation is tarnished) that I said the whole Google thing in jest as I thought it might make Suzy stop doing it. Google has no problem with double spacing. I do.
One thing though is for sure. La Pubilla is well worth a visit. Google thinks so too (allegedly).
You were joking? Wow, you can tell me anything about technical stuff and I will believe it. So I don’t have to rub my legs together like a cricket when pressing the “publish” button…?
I love this place. Nightmare to get into though; you were very lucky!
I always go for lunch and I eat lunch early, in fact I usually arrive hungry when the kitchen staff are still having lunch. They usually tell me to go away : )
Do they take reservations?
I have no idea but it would be great if they did!
Ate there today upon your recommendation. Delicious!
Also bellied up to the bar as all the tables were reserved (making me assume they indeed take reservations) but totally worth it. Reminded me of a cool Lower East Side restaurant…totally into making clever, gorgeous and yum food. Thanks for spreading the word. xx
I am so glad you liked it!!!
They take reservations. I called the night before and got a 1pm seating for two. Place we packed (strangely by 7! Tables of single men)… Anyway as of May 2017 menu is now 16 Euro incl. Wine. Hubs had a great looking salad with meat, a paella inspired rice dish. I had cured anchovies with Apple and red onion (very refreshing) and a fish (what I would call monkfish) and potato dish in broth. We both had a simple fruit dessert. Nice part of town to explore and the market next door is great.
Ah – good to know! It’s always packed. Will update the menu price. Thanks for letting me know.