Origens 99,9% and whatever else I feel like.

Before we do anything else I need to talk to you. I've got one thing to tell you and that's: Cacaolat. It's Catalan Yoohoo. That's right, and it's even better than the original. This is me at Park Guell drinking it and giving a thumbs up. If anyone representing Cacaolat is reading this I would like you to be my sponsor. Here's the deal: I will drink Cacaolat like all the time. In return you give me all the free Cacaolat I want. Deal? Good. Now on with our post.






Hola. It's been a while. My bad. Spain is crazy, and I'm crazy busy. I missed my flight to Mallorca today, but I intend on making the best of it and posting about some food experiences in Barcelona. I don't know if anyone who reads this blog will get a chance to visit Barcelona, but just in case this can give you an idea of restaurants to check out. Also, I'll probably throw some recipes on here you can try out.

First, I will start out with my lunch today at Origens 99,9%. In case you are wondering why there's a comma instead of a period it is because that's how they roll in Spain. France too I think. Well, prolly a lot of places.
First off, the menu is sweet it's actually a magazine it talks about where the recipes come from (they are all traditional Catalan recipes, but with a slight modern touch). It gives recipes for a lot of the food. And also it talks about the people who grow the food and how and where and such. They have a great wine list as well. On the inside they sell a lot of the products they cook with at the restaurant.



Now on to the food that was had. The meal was good, but there were a few problems. My food was not as hot as it could have been and Kayla's cauliflower was wayyy to salty. The stuff that was good though, would make me give it a second try. Not everyone can always be perfect. And the waitstaff were nice (for Spainards, that is). O yeah, they have an English menu!

This is a stew of rabbit with pears and turnips and these little purple berry looking things that I don't really know what they were. Here's what Origens saysabout it: "Rabbit with pears and turnips. The turnips from Talltendre in Cerdanya, Capmany in Alt Empordà and the ones from
Banyoles are the most appreciated in Catalonia. To prepare this dish they used pears
for cooking, winter pears, although you can make it with Blanquilla pear or the one
from Puigcerdà."

Next we have the Cannelloni. They say, " The origin of the pasta is still uncertain. It seems that it comes from the Orient and still the argument continues if it has been the Italians or the Arabs who have introduced it in Europe. In Catalonia the canneloni is a festive dish, typical for San Esteban day. It used tobe prepared with roasted left over of chicken or from the meat broth of Christmas." Kayla said ummmmm... This one was a cheesy creamy winner.


This was my spinach and pine nut pastry thingie. It was flaky and good. Not to doughy. If it had been a little warmer it would have been perfect.

The Cauliflower I spoke of before. Too salty, but the other flavors where quite nice. Origens says, "Cauliflower with hazlenuts. Cauliflower boiled and sauteéed with bacon, garlic, hazelnuts and hot pepper. It is a custom in Catalonia to sauté the vegetables once they are boiled. It has
anti-cancerous properties, and a high content of potassium and vitamin C."



This place is worth a visit. I think that the problems we had were not routine, and it was still a good meal despite them. The URL for the restaurant is Origens. Click on one of the locations, then "ver la carte", the click on the picture at the right. This will show you the menu, and you can get some authentic Catalan and tapas recipes to wow your friends with. Anyway, I've got some other restaurants to post soon. And most importantly I have some recipes of my to post on here check it out soon. Peace.