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| La Paradeta |
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La Paradetta
I’m not a fish fan and so it took me some time to get round to going to a restaurant that sold exclusively fish and sea food. This was a big mistake on my part as I was missing out on one of the most delicious, exciting and good value restaurants in my neighbourhood.
Admittedly La Paradetta is no frills eating. The restaurant is bright and noisy the service brusque but helpful and it’s not unusual to see small groups put together on larger tables when busy. Upon entering you are confronted with an incredible array of seafood on a vast market style counter with prices clearly indicated on boards or sometimes even written on the shells of the poor creatures themselves. Razor clams bubble, lobsters look up pleadingly and all looks delicious. There are probably around thirty different options to choose from all at very reasonable prices. The counter staff are very helpful with recommendations as well as advice on how much food you actually need depending on the size of your party and different cooking options. Bread, basic salads and deserts are available but apart from that it’s all up fish!
We sampled around ten varieties. The tuna steak was fantastic, calamari was incredibly non-chewy for once and extremely tasty, a rarity in Barcelona, prawns were just right and easy to peel but perhaps my favourite of the evening was the white bait. These tiny fried fish work well as a kind of chip substitute, crispy salty and very morish a massive plate of them disappeared in moments. All the fish we ate were very nicely cooked. Nothing was too greasy or tough, though the calamari did come in the oil it was cooked in but this added to the flavour greatly. We also ordered a couple of different sauces, the slightly spicy red sauce being a favourite over the mayonnaise based ones.
Once you have conquered the extensive line (waits can be an hour or more any time after eight thirty on weekend nights) and ordered at the front counter, your table number is called out and you collect your chosen dishes as they become ready. This informality adds to the bustle of the place and the authentically chaotic atmosphere.
Overall we paid around €15 a head for a group of ten sharing all the dishes, dessert, decent wine and beer. Note that the cheapest white wine, vino turbio is not wine as many would know it but unstable “cloudy” wine which is a cheap, popular, Galician alternative, but not to my taste, whereas the price level up offers some very decent options. But it’s the seafood and fish that you’re there for and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.
There are five branches in total, in addition to the main central Born restaurant there is one located near the Sagrada Familia, (Passeig Simo,18) One in Sants (C/ Riego, 27.)Another near Horta (C/Pacific 74) and a final one located in the beach town of Sitges, 45 mins south of Barcelona.
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Carrer Comercial, 7, 08003
Born
Jaume I/ Barceloneta
Tues-Thurs: 8-11.30pm
Fri/Sat: 8pm-12am
Closed: Sun/Mon
€10-15 pp
Seafood
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