It
always seemed to me to be a bit of a tacky, touristy "cash cow" and Barcelona
has so much quality food to offer - for that reason, I was never too fussed about
booking a meal at Tickets.
On a spare evening, with
a few formal meals in ‘high end’ places lined up later in the trip, we fancied something a little
more relaxed and headed out with a vague intention of eating at either Cañota Casa de Tapes or Lolita Taperia (formerly Inopia) –
passing Tickets, my interest was piqued enough to see if we could bag a ‘walk
in’.
What they say: “What
the Adrià brothers did next…” recently voted the S.Pellegrino 77th
Best Restaurant in the World by Restaurant Magazine.
What
we ate: Long story short, I asked our waiter to bring us some
dishes, asking for, “A mixture of ‘clever stuff’ and ‘stuff that tastes good’…
preferably both.” He hooked us up with:
Watermelon Infused with Sangria
(Sandía impregnada en sangría) – with mint, coriander and cinnamon; my wife’s favourite
new thing.
The Ticket’s Olives (Las
Olivas Sféricas del Tickets) - an elBulli favourite.
The Ticket’s Pizza (Las
Pizza del Tickets) – wafer base, tomato powder, paprika pearls, mozzarella and
basil jelly.
Oyster with Hibiscus Infusion & Orange
(Ostra con infusión de flor hibiscus y naranja) Oyster with Passion Fruit Caipirinha (Ostra con Caipirinha de
fruta de la passion) – interesting accompaniments for oysters.
Miniairbags stuffed with Manchego Cheese
(Mini airbag relleno de queso machego) – filled with creamy Manchego cheese and
topped with hazelnut oil ‘caviar’.
Crostini with Tomato Seeds &
Cantabrian Anchovies (Xuxi de semillas de tomate) – a classic
dish crafted perfectly.
White Asparagus with Truffles Vinaigrette
(Espárragos blancos con vinagreta de trufas) – two of my favourite ingredients
in white asparagus and truffle with chervil and ‘dried miso’.
Avocado crushed with Codium Jus & Spicy
Tuna (Majado de aguacate con atun picante) – an absolutely
delightful dish; perfect spicing and the seaweed added a wonderful depth and
dynamic.
Razor Clams with Lemon Air (Navajas
aire de limo) lovely clams with black garlic (which goes beautifully with
seafood.)
Confit Potatoes with Iberian Cured Ham &
Pork Rib Jus (patatas confitadas con jugo de costilla de
cerdo y Jamón ibérico) – a dish all about flavour… spot on!
“Mollete” with Double Chin (Mollete
de papada) – great to see ‘mollete’ on the menu, which are a speciality of
Antequera, close to where my parents live. I am used to them as a breakfast
dish spread with lard the Adrià version fatty pork ‘chin’ is a little more
technical but no less delicious.
Marinated Fried Fish
(Fritura de Peix “embarrat”) – with a taste somewhere between ‘Scampi Fries’
and ‘Frazzles’ these were delicious.
Ticket’s Cone
(el cornet de Tickets) Ice Cream Box
and The Worms (Los gusanos) – fun
and flavoursome desserts.
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Food high points: on
taste alone the best dishes for me were the ‘confit potatoes’ and the ‘avocado
and tuna’ dishes. The ‘white asparagus’ and ‘razor clams’ were also pretty
special.
Food low points: The
‘pizza’ was perhaps the only dish I wouldn’t bother ordering again but in
reality there were no duds.
Décor / ambience:
the whole place is a bit Willy Wonka meets Ronald McDonald… in a good way.
Service: Slick, swift and
friendly – our waiter also served us at ‘sister restaurant’ Cañota Casa de Tapes a couple of days
later, which was a bit of a coinky-dinky!
Verdict (Would I return?):
Tickets is a cool place with a great vibe – dishes are fun and flavoursome.
That said, I feel that I have now ‘done it’ – I’d be happy to return on our
next trip to Barcelona but would most likely prefer to see what else the city
has to offer.
Follow @HungryHoss
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