It is open from 13:00 hours to 16:00, and from 20:00 to 00:30 hours. It was highly recommended to me, and it did not disappoint.
While reservations are recommended, we took our chances on a Monday night and arrived shortly after 8pm.
We found a place at the bar, but moments later, there was a line waiting at the door. A tapas place is a no non-sense, fast paced hustle and bustle kind of place. But this place had an elegant charm.
A waiter quickly asked if we wanted Spanish or English menues, we opted for English and started to look over the wine list and the various tapas.
Not being in a rush, we decided we would order a bottle of wine. Wine in Spain is an excellent deal, and while back home it usually pays to buy a bottle, the per glass price is about the same.
We ordered a bottle of Salceda Reserva, a Rioja, for 25.50. It had a lovely nose, and the flavours did not disappoint.
Ordering the tapas was another matter. They all looked so good. The advantage of sitting at the bar is that one can see what others are eating, as well as look at the various items set out.
We gave an order for a few items to start, and the waiter suggested the usual bread with tomatoes which was the best we have had. For 3.70 we got four pieces of warm bread, with rich flavourful tomatoes rubbed on it along with olive oil.
We shared a glass of Gaspatcho that was very rich and so so delicious.
I do not think I have had a Gaspatcho as good as this one.
We each had a Bomba (2.40 each) that is a bit hard to describe. It is sort of large spicy meat ball. A dish that most everyone seemed to have ordered.
Another tapas that I ordered, was the breaded anchovies (5.50). While good, this is perhaps the only dish that I did not flip over.
It was very good, but it was something I was familiar with, and similar to what Hera had made last week. With this first set of tapas we also ordered the Potata Braves (3.90).
Potata Braves is made throughout Spain, but thus far I was not overly impressed. However, their Potata Braves were excellent. He did warn us that they were spicey hot, and we nodded that we knew. They were quite spicey, but not too spicey. It reconfirmed that Potata Braves can be well made.
We took a little break and enjoyed our wine as we perused the menu. We knew that we could not order too much more, and it all looked so good.
We decided to order three more. We had chosen the Tuna carpaccio, but our waiter suggested that he prefered theTuna steak (11.30).
While more expensive, it was well worth the cost. It was a delicious fair size piece of tuna, with olive oil and some soya sauce. It was served with toasted bread, but I agreed with Hera, that the tuna was better savoured on its own.
We also orders steak tartar (3.55 each) that was excellent. Not relevé as we are used to back home, but simple and exquisite.
Lastly we ordered a plate of grilled razor clams (9.70). I never had razor clams before, and they were so good.
A couple had just sat next to Hera, and we noticed them eyeing some of our dishes. So we had commented and suggested some, most of which they ordered.
We too did the same. A English gentleman who lived here, was taking a client out. They ordered dessert, and we asked our waited what it was.
Our waiter had said the Torradeta de Santo (1.70) with Gelato (1.63) was one of his favorites, so we order one to share. It is sort of a french toast, not too sweet, topped with an ice cream which I think was vanilla, but much richer in flavour than I am used to. It was just perfect.
Until today, while I have enjoyed most of the restaurants and tapas I have had, I could not say that I was swept away with any of them.
But tonight, at Paco Meralgo, I was. At a total price of 79.73, that included a full bottle of wine, the experience of the myriad of flavours was well worth it. Without hesitation, if in Barcelona, you must go and have a meal at Paco Meralgo.
The mini video above was taped with a Samsung Galaxy SII cell phone. It is the tiny kitchen seen from our bar seat. The entire photography was done with Samsung Galaxy SII cell phone.
