#Vegetarian
📍Coordinates: Barcelona, Spain
The restaurant has very high ratings on Google Maps, but I was quite disappointed after the meal. The chef is trying to innovate on traditional dishes, but I found the combinations strange and not quite to my taste. 🥲
The restaurant has a nice ambiance and is quite charming. During dinner time, every table was occupied, and the waitstaff were very busy, but it felt like they were still trying their best to serve the guests, which I found quite friendly.
We ordered a total of four dishes and one drink for this meal. The only dish I found tasty was the “Fresh Scallops🐚,” which was quite good and there wasn’t much to critique; the “Garlic Shrimp🍤” was tasty in itself, but the more I ate, the greasier it became. It’s a dish you need to eat quickly while it's hot; the “Tuna Tapa” was very ordinary with no memorable points; and the “Grilled Octopus Legs🐙” was my favorite dish—definitely a must-try in Europe! However, it was also the most anticipated and the most disappointing. I’ve shared more detailed thoughts in the photo section.
The “Sangria🍹” was beautifully prepared, with an impressive gradient that was perfect for photos, and it tasted really good too. The flavor was on the sweeter side, so I recommend it. 👍
After evaluating the service and dishes, while everything had a certain standard, there weren't many standout points. High-rated restaurants in good environments usually set the expectation for better quality. Throughout the trip, this was the restaurant that left me with the least impression. I only remembered visiting when I went back to look through photos to write this review. 😂 Therefore, I can only give it three stars. I believe there are better options at the same price point.
📍Location: Barcelona, Spain
Churros are a snack that Spaniards and Portuguese often eat for breakfast or as an afternoon treat. In Taiwan, they are translated as “jinna sticks” 😆 This place specializes in jinna sticks! It’s very inconspicuous by the roadside, but the taste is really good👌.
We ordered the traditional churros, with six pieces, which are perfect for a post-meal snack on the go, paired with the classic hot chocolate ☕️, which locals enjoy this way.
These churros are short and different from the ones I've had in Taiwan that are shaped like horseshoes. They are very crispy when freshly fried, with a bit of saltiness, and sprinkled with white sugar outside, which gives them a delightful salty-sweet flavor!
The hot chocolate ☕️ is quite thick, and locals use it as a dipping sauce, which is quite special!! I find it really delicious; the hot chocolate isn’t overly sweet, unlike the ones in Taiwan that are full of cinnamon and accompanied by super sweet churros. I think I might prefer the salty-sweet version from Spain more.
The staff here are very friendly and chatty, and it seems they don’t sell churros that have been left out for too long. When we entered the shop, there were still a few on the counter, but the staff asked us to wait for fresh ones, which felt great 😌 If you’re passing by, I recommend getting a portion to try!
I checked on Google Maps and found that this place seemed quite good, so I decided to give it a try.
First of all, this restaurant is very large, there’s no need to queue, you can just go in directly, pick up a menu, and after making your selection, go to the counter to pay.
I ordered baked smoked chicken rice this time. I initially thought it might take a while for the baked rice to be served, but the wait was quicker than I expected, and it arrived in about ten minutes.
Since it's baked rice, it was very hot when it arrived, so I recommend waiting a little while before eating, otherwise it could really burn your tongue.
Personally, I think this baked rice is indeed quite delicious. First, it was baked just right, and the white sauce used for seasoning is also very good; it’s not overly rich. The chicken was tender as well.
Moreover, the portion size is not too much, which is just right for me, but friends with a bigger appetite might find it insufficient.
Overall, I highly recommend everyone to try this baked rice; it’s really quite tasty.
📍Location: Barcelona, Spain
This is a restaurant that specializes in Spanish tapas. If you open a map, you'll find tapas restaurants all over Spain, and each one has high ratings, so you can't go wrong with whichever you choose. This time, I picked Vinitus, which has been highly recommended multiple times on Xiaohongshu. Besides locals, I also saw quite a few Asian faces there.
Business is very good during lunch on weekdays, but the turnover rate is quite high, so you just have to wait a bit for a table. The lighting inside is set a bit dim, creating an atmospheric dining experience.
When in Spain, you obviously have to order the famous fruit wine, Sangria. As soon as we sat down, we ordered a pitcher 🤪. You can choose between red wine 🍷 or white wine 🥂 for the base, and either a half bottle or a full bottle. We chose half a bottle of red wine 🍷, and while the alcohol content was quite strong, I found the sweetness a bit lacking for my taste as I prefer it sweeter. However, it was still enjoyable.
For tapas, we selected some recommended dishes from the internet, with detailed impressions written on the images. My personal favorites were:
⭐️ Grilled bamboo fungus
⭐️ Garlic shrimp
⭐️ Galician-style octopus
⭐️ Grilled asparagus and mushrooms
The seafood was very fresh and delicious, and the seasoning suited our taste. These dishes can be safely ordered. However, some dishes I was looking forward to that were highly praised online turned out to be quite average, such as:
I found the cod too sweet and greasy, which was highly recommended online, but personally, I didn’t like it very much. The foie gras was truly excellent, but the filet was too rare 🥲—with too much blood, making it tough to chew. The filet mignon with Padrón peppers had the same issue; it was such a waste of good meat, and halfway through, I really wanted to ask if I could take it back to heat it up.
These two dishes might be a matter of personal preference, or maybe the chef was new that day… so I remain cautious about it, and if you’re curious, you can still give them a try.
The one dish I absolutely do not recommend ❌ is the fried eggplant and sweet potato chips 🍆🍠. It had a very strong oily taste and was greasy, with strange seasoning, and we ended up not finishing it, so please avoid this one.
Overall, I can only say it was pretty good, and I would consider coming back. The atmosphere and environment were great, but I felt that the prices were a bit on the expensive side, and unfortunately, some of the most expensive dishes didn’t suit my taste.
As our first meal after landing, we were also eager to indulge 😂. This place is suitable for just a drink or ordering a couple of small dishes; however, if you want to have a full meal, the value for money isn't very high.
The waitstaff were very kind, but possibly due to the push for table turnover, I felt subtly rushed from ordering to settling the bill, making it hard to relax and enjoy chatting while drinking, which added a bit of pressure. This aspect has its pros and cons, so I hope this helps everyone.
After multiple visits, this restaurant consistently serves delicious food.
The bread is excellent; the sourdough has a crispy crust that remains crunchy even after cooling down a bit. Be sure to add some smooth, non-greasy butter to enhance the layers of flavor in the bread.
The truffle burrata is a must-order every time. The cheese has a slight firmness and elasticity, and the marinated tomatoes pair wonderfully with the sauce-soaked bread. The tartness of the tomatoes combined with the creamy texture of the cheese is absolutely delightful.
The pappardelle has a great chewiness, and the tomato meat sauce is rich and thick—also a must-order. The clam pasta is seasoned with the aroma of garlic and fennel, with clams fully absorbing the sauce, which is fantastic. The pizza is good, but personally, I think the pasta is even better! The drinks are also well-crafted with no flaws.
I’ve tried the desserts before, and compared to the savory dishes, they are rather ordinary. In my opinion, you can skip them.
In summary, the food is delicious, the service is great, and it’s a perfect place for gatherings!
A new Italian pasta place has opened nearby, and as a pasta enthusiast, I was naturally curious to step in and give it a try.
This restaurant is quite unique; it offers a few main pasta dishes and then allows customers to choose their sauces, such as red sauce, white sauce, garlic sautéed, etc. Additionally, there’s a choice of noodles between straight noodles and penne, providing customers with a good amount of flexibility.
This time, I ordered a German sausage and chose the garlic sautéed sauce with penne. Personally, I found the garlic flavor a bit weak; it tasted somewhat bland, and the penne was cooked a bit too hard.
Overall, I think it was decent, and everyone should definitely give it a try if they have the time.
Listening to recommendations for "stock cancer," I decided to give it a try while in Taichung. It looks like there are two rounds for Chinese dining, both of which are completely full, so if you're going, remember to make a reservation.
The service and the dishes were all quite good, and the speed of service was stable; it was neither rushed nor took too long. This time, something interesting happened when I was drinking the clam chowder; I bit into a small round foreign object that looked a bit like a small pearl. After consulting with the chef, the restaurant confirmed that it was indeed a pearl. Because of this little incident, we didn't have to pay for our soup~~~
I'll share my thoughts on the dishes in the explanation below the photos.
🍝 Creating the charm and deliciousness of Italy with locally sourced seasonal ingredients!
The restaurants under this brand are all of very good quality! The DRA series of Italian pasta restaurants is famous for its focus on seasonal lunch and dinner, offering a wide range of exquisite dishes made with seasonal ingredients.
This branch, located above a department store next to Yokohama Station, includes a colorful salad made with fresh Kamakura vegetables in its lunch set, paired with a refreshing and healthy vinaigrette.
The soup served as an appetizer is a chilled corn chowder, with a sweetness that tastes almost like dessert, which is not surprising even though it’s cold!
The pasta is made from hand-pulled dough, paired with sauces and ingredients that change with the seasons. The noodles have a soft yet chewy texture, and this time I chose the beef and eggplant sauce with autumn eggplants, its rich flavors were incredibly satisfying!
The dessert, tiramisu, is authentically Italian, with a soft, moist cake and a rich flavor of cheese and coffee, making for a wonderful finish!
This restaurant requires ordering using a QR code, but if you’re unsure how to do it, you can always ask a staff member. The overall atmosphere of the place is very cheerful, making it suitable for couples or gatherings with friends!
This restaurant in Chiang Mai wasn't originally on our list of places to visit.
We suddenly wanted to have a glass of red wine🍷, so we looked for a place on Google that seemed to have good reviews.
When we entered, we found that business was very good, but the service from the staff was fast as well.
Soon, we made a reservation and could start ordering...
❤️ Red Wine
We ordered two types of red wine from the menu, which we preferred! We thought everyone could actually order with a blind taste, trying a few glasses to find their favorite flavors, because here, the red wine🍷 is temperature-controlled and imported from proper wine-producing countries... you won't find unknown red wines!
❤️ Cheese 🧀️
We originally wanted to order some cured meats to pair with the wine, but the best one had already sold out, so we ordered two types of cheese instead. They had a variety of hard, soft, and extra soft cheeses. We picked one soft and one extra soft... I have to say they were really delicious! Paired with their red wine, it was truly exceptional; the creamy flavor spread completely in our mouths and lingered for a long time! We ordered small portions of both types of cheese, but after we finished, we both wanted to order another round... you can understand how enticing the aroma was!
I highly recommend that everyone come here for a leisurely afternoon to enjoy a glass of red wine. Most of the diners were Westerners, so if you're tired of Thai food, you can come here to enjoy other dishes!