Cal Pep, Barcelona

Cal Pep was so highly recommended by our friends way before we could do some research on where to eat *hiak hiak hiak*
the Power of Friends *big grin* :D

it was a bit difficult to locate this little outlet
yeah and even more difficult to secure a reservation
they only allowed reservation from 4 to 20 pax
anything outta this range u gotta go and queue

Soon we found out it is better to come 30 mins before opening to queue

coz then u'll get to sit at the bar!!!! Where u'll get to watch all the actions and cooking done right in front of your own eyes
instead of the restaurant, which is at the back of this outlet.

sorry for the mess and dirtiness
we found different place mats for all of us

ouch!!!!
apparently all these illustrations were drawn by Cal Pep's owner
Cal Pep is the name of the owner

naked lady on a fish
with a chef hat

to be early by 30 minutes is quite sufficient
coz after 15 minutes, the queue outside the restaurant is about 40 people?
and before the workers can pull the shutter up and on the lights there were already 70 odd ppl queue
with more onlookers wondering wat are we queue-ing for

the thing bout Cal Pep is, there's no proper signage and it's too dark
hence it's quite difficult to locate esp after the Sun has gone down
they open at 7.30pm so it was pitch black by then

our friendly ever reliable waiting staff
we don't speak much bcoz of language barrier
so the moment he started seating the crowd and us being number 3,4,5,6,
*we commanded nice seats at the counter/bar*
the 1st thing he asked was.....wat do we wanna eat...
Monkey answered with a nice graceful hand gesture..."Everything!!!"
and so we had "everything" for the day
:))))))))))))))

here we go..........

freshly toasted bread with sun-ripen tomatoes being scrubbed ferociously on it
there's just one man doing it....
slicing the buns into 2, dunk them into the toaster *the roller type*
and those that came down on the other side, he just scrubbed the fresh tomatoes onto it

wow didn't know such simple bread can taste so good
key is....good quality sun-ripen tomatoes

fresh sea clams cooked in Catalan Chillis and white wine
the concept at Cal Pep is....casual, fun and dishes for the day is according to fresh produce from the market

really super yummy sweet deep fried Chillis with a dash of sea salt
it was so good we had 2 big portions

deep fried mixed seafood
of sweet prawns, some red mullet fish, squids and Baby Octopus my favourite!!!!!
basically u eat everything including its bones and head

freshly grilled even fresher mushrooms
just drizzled with mediterranean olive oil and parsley

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the best-est Razor Clams I've ever had
just grill it on the flat pan

the texture was crunchy to the bite
and very very juicy + sweet

Monkey didn't know how to eat this and started with a knife and fork
and was about to lay the knife onto the pretty razor clam
when Mr. Cal Pep the man himself saw it and howl in horror!!!!
-_-" yes it was that bad...

"No no no.......madam...."
he came over fr the cooking station at the back of the counter
took over my plate...then my knife..and lastly my fork
and showed me the way any Catalan would eat it...

First, remove the meat off its shell
then twist/fold the long razor clam meat into 2 and poke it with a fork
and chomp chomp chomp

never ever cut it...coz all its juice will be gone...onto the plate instead of the mouth

oooOOoooooooo
JS was even better...he left all his cutleries on the counter
and started with his fingers and hands
Mr. Cal Pep gave JS a big Thumbs Up!!!!!
so folks, it is better to eat with your fingers here...hehehehehe

u can never ever miss thinly sliced Iberico ham here in Spain
loads of it
eat till it comes outta your ears
:))))))))))))))))

the Catalan lady next to us ordered this
she was on queue no.1 and 2 with her boyfriend
seeing it was so yummy we ordered one too!!!

she in return also gave us Thumbs Up and started speaking to us in Catalan
with such language barrier, we can still exchange opinions, details, traveling stories etc
I dunno how we understood each other but we did :P

this is how u consume it
deep fried white baits that was so crispy
top up with an organic egg
then u just destroy everything

this can definitely replace my cereals breakfast every morning!!!
it was totally orgasmic!!!!!
crispy and tasty
with the moisture fr the silky smooth egg yolk

Tuna Tartare with toasted sesame seed
hey that's a good idea...never thought of these fragrant sesame seeds

another favourite~~~~
chick peas cooked with baby octopus
I'm not really a chick peas person...but now I am...:D

Grilled fresh scampis!!!!
or Langoustines......well both are the same
it's like mini lobster

sweet juicy and succulent~~~~~
finger licking good...yeah I ate these with my fingers hehehehehe

Burped!!!!!
heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I forgot the name of this fish *need to ask fish expert aka JS*
saw it at the market and it was an ugly looking fish

but it was so tasty and smooth and moist
served with deep fried artichokes :)))))))))))

when this came out............we know it is our main course and the courses are soon to be over
:(((((((( sad
the beef was not fantastic
Cal Pep is still famous for their seafood :)))))))))))

Crema Catalana
similar to Creme Brulee but its caramelized sugar is thicker

we were very surprised by this......Mille Feuille
a french dessert but it was better than those we had in Paris *at a 3 Michelin Starred restaurant*

Cal Pep is a must visit in Barcelona
it was very good, we went back the 2nd round :)))
just come early to queue and make new friends as u join the line
ppl from all around the world and of all walks of life :)))
also join in the fun of snapping pics for each other...huahahahahahaha

Cal Pep Restaurant
Pl de les Olles 8,

08003 Barcelona, Spain.
Tel: +34 993 107 961
www.calpep.com