Barcelona | lemonsaresweet

I’ve never really expressed it on my blog before, but I’m a huge foodie and one of my favourite things to do is to dine out with my family and friends. I love being adventurous and trying new restaurants, rather than playing it safe by only sticking to the same places. Don’t get me wrong, some of the big chain restaurants are in my top twenty, but there’s only so many times you can go to Nando’s or Wagamamas before you start to feel bored of the menu.

When I went to Barcelona this week, I couldn’t wait to try out the smaller, independent eateries and my friend recommended an Italian restaurant called Luzia. When it comes to dining out, I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a food snob and would much rather go to somewhere fancy and chic than an overly casual restaurant. Let’s say I’m more a fine dining sorta’ girl (although I am partial to the occasional pub lunch). Luzia restaurant is located in the hub of Barcelona, along a side street off the renowned La Ramblas. The décor was spot on, in that it was modern, airy and chic, but with a wall of vintage photographs that added a nice homely touch and instantly removed it from the uppity category.

The staff were super friendly and accommodating and most importantly, the food was of a high standard. The open kitchen meant that I could see that my food was being freshly prepared in a clean environment, which I think is a huge factor especially when dining somewhere for the first time. After spending most of my days in Barcelona stuffing my face with ice-cream and waffles, I opted for a light, healthy lunch with Foccacia bread, Olive oil and Rosemary for starters (was too greedy and forgot to take a photo, oops) and for my main course: Wild Salmon from the grill, Tartare sauce and salad drizzled in balsamic vinegar. I had the choice of how I’d like my salmon cooked and settled for well done seeing as I’m not the biggest fan of raw fish. The salmon was grilled and seasoned to perfection, flaking off as I cut into it with a soft texture that was full of flavour. The meal wasn’t too stodgy or heavy on the stomach meaning I had room for a cheeky dessert: warm apple pie and vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel syrup – truly delicious.

In terms of cost, I’d say Luzia is excellent value for money. I had a three course meal and a glass of traditional Spanish sangria, and my bill came to just over 22 euros, which equates to about 19 GBP.

If you’re planning a trip to Barcelona, I definitely recommend visiting Luzia.

Post to you soon! xoxo