There is no city more beloved by youth than Barcelona. The street of Las Ramblas is filled with them far into the night. At a convivial bar Kalderkold Cerveseria, the less wasted youth swoon in between soccer matches and order expertly concocted drinks. It’s supposed to be a craft beer bar but the mixed drinks are its specialty. (The place is unfound online but is near Carrer del Cardenal Casañas, 4; 4.5€ sangria.) On subways, the youth can sit in peace as by the looks of it, no one in the city is older than 50. A particularly raunchy group, wearing face paint and other world cup adornments, was going to Sónar, the base-pumping music festival that drove up hotel prices two-fold. By all counts, Barcelona is a lively, happening city.

The epicenter of the city, where Sonar fanatics congregated, is home to the gorgeous waterfall that was constructed to fall from Montjuic. The palace that sits atop is the MNAC (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya). Its modern art section was closed but it still has a venerable selection of medieval and gothic pieces. Many frescoes taken from churches and other religious buildings had been re-plastered in this building, in the name of conservation. It also affords a breathtaking view of Plaça d'Espanya and Barcelona proper. Nearby, CaixaForum always has an interesting range of exhibitions (this time, of the talented sea painter Sorolla) and Pavelló Mies van der Rohe is an architectural museum. Or take a walk up to the Funicular of Montjuic to get a ride up to the Montjuic castle. Along the way, the Joan Miro Foundation showcases the modern artist’s disfigured subjects in all sorts of mediums. On the other side of town is the Museo Picasso, which primarily showcases the artist’s earlier works, but most importantly exhibits his “Las Meninas” collection, which is a reinterpretation of Velazquez’s famous work currently in the Prado. A few steps from the Picasso Museum is the Museu Europeu d’Art Modern, which seems to specialize in nude paintings.

Of course, go see the half-complete gothic cathedral of Sagrigada Familia, a towering and ominous work of the late Gaudi. Definitely book tickets ahead of time. With audioguide and a ride up to one of the towers cost 20€. On the way down from the tower, be sure to look down the centre of the winding staircase for the perfect spiral, as if the staircase connects the earth directly to the heavens. If 20€ is too dear, then you can see the two facades on the east and west side of the building. One is of life and the other, death and the artistic style augments the contrasting motifs.

After missing Tickets in 2013, I tried to avoid the same fate this time. But reservations at the most sought after restaurant in Barcelona are near impossible to secure. Instead, I tried walking in early in the evening. A circus master called my rejection but offered two pieces of advice: one was to go across the street to Bodega 1900, another project by the elBulli brothers; the second was to come back the next day at 2pm and ask for cancellations.

Bodega 1900 is supposed to be time travel back to the turn of the century, following the Spanish tradition of sipping vermouth before a real meal. From a corner seat, I stare at the ceremonial Jamón carving station. Beside that is where much of the food is prepared. The menu is a simple one pager, but the best things are off-menu. Choose the carte-blanche option where the server brings you troves of food until you say stop. Most competent are the veggies, like the pudgy white asparagus or the leeks in vinegar. They are deceptively simple dishes that accentuate the core flavour of the vegetable. Tuna roe comes pressed and pickled, making for a salty sashimi that breaks on contact. The fish roe returns with garlic; this time the sweet garlic is the operative ingredient. But the most redeeming dish is the white vermouth soaked melon. It looks like a hami-melon but where the white flesh has turned into a translucent lime green. It is soaked in dill-infused vermouth, giving it a fresh and aromatic quality. Melon has never been so refreshing.

Bodega 1900

Crispy seaweed

White asparagus

Pickle

Small leek in vinegar

Tuna egg

Smoked Mackerel

Fish roe and garlic

Sliced beef

Small meat pie

Spicy squid’s “mollete”

Melon infused with White Vermouth

80€ including drinks

Again, following the circus ringleader’s advice, I returned the next day to Tickets at 2pm. In an unprecedented turn of luck, I was alone and another singleton had cancelled. I was let in. I had won the lottery. The restaurant is an odd one, glowing in red and adorned with odd knick-knacks, like waving Buddha cats. Several stations around the perimeter supply the endless stream of food that comes out. At times, a wistful ice cream trolley is pushed around, with bells ringing.

Again, the best thing to do is to give the chef a carte blanche. As is customary in these post-elBulli establishments, the meal begins with a spherified olive. It looks and tastes like an olive, but yet is not an olive. Then, anchovy is served on two slices of tomato over bread so it takes the shape of a camel back, perfect for two bites. The tomato is exclusively the seedy, watery part, and so bursts on each bite, neutralizing the saltiness of the anchovy. Of all the anchovies served up in Spain, this one wins. An oyster lies in a mojito mix, a perfect palate cleanser after going through the oyster. The octopus, eaten with tweezers, is gummy and fun to chew through. Mushroom is shred to make spaghetti, lying in a mushroom sauce. It’s a king oyster mushroom overload. The beef cheek sandwich looks like it could have been bought off the street. It looks like a breakfast sandwich. But a bite into the soft, sweet and chewy beef allays all reservations. For dessert a halved wine bottle is loaded with wood chunks and holds two corks – one edible and another inedible. The edible one is a cylinder of dark chocolate mousse wrapped with pastry. For 60€, elBulli ingenuity has never been so affordable. Fine food has never been so accessible to the general public, the ones that can get a reservation anyway. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghf5gGKgAkg.

Tickets

~60€ with drinks

Solid cocktail with watermelon infused in sangria

Ticket’s Pizza

Tempura of pistachios

Tickets’ olive-S

Bread, olive oil, anchovy, tomato

Tuna in a nori seaweed cone, piparra jus and tomato seeds

Mojito oyster

Octopus with ginchi sauce

“King oyster mushrooms” spaghetti with porcini pil pil sauce

Beef cheek sandwich

Nori seaweed jelly, mango, marshmallow

Chocolate shaped like a cork

Gaig

An affordable Michelin-star experience presents itself at Gaig, a white tablecloth restaurant in the l’exempli district, known for its bougie shopping and dining options. At lunch, 32€ affords you a 3-course tasting menu. Most memorable is the hearty cacao e pepe, a welcomed carbo explosion after a string of fine dining. A block of moulded lamb breaks apart effortlessly and melds well with mash and sweet sauce. The dessert was a block of egg tart, though it tasted like Chinese moon cake, according to one commentator.

For more tips on Barcelona and a guide of Madrid, see here.