Canned products from Lata-Bar
Having a side snack has been a classic for years in places like Quimet i Quimet and companies like Espinaler have forged their business on this healthy custom. ** Lata-bar ** and Caravela Gourmet put the spotlight on cans that ooze beauty and have the stuff of Instagram stars.
CAN-BAR
When Carmen del Pino tried the preserves of the French brand of ** La Belle Iloise ** she liked them so much that she thought that she could set up a business around them. As they were not for sale in Spain (only through the Internet for large orders) she did what so many people think of at some point in her life but never do out of cowardice or excess of common sense: she set up a bar, traveled to Brittany to meet the cannery , she reached an agreement with the owners and now she is dedicated to serving them a step away from the Sagrada Familia.
What do you do when you fall in love with a canning brand? A can-bar
Lata-bar's place is warm and simple, and It does not need better decoration than the bottles of wines and vermouth from Casa Mariol (almost neighbors) on the shelves and the cans winking at us from the wall. Carmen has selected from the extensive catalog of the French house about 24 varieties (among spreadable creams, migas and canned fish) that range from the classic sardines in oil (the first variety with which La Belle Iloise came onto the market in the 1930s), to elaborations as seductive as curried mackerel fillets or spicy sardines with peppers.
She also prepares salads, charcuterie boards to vary the fish offer, serves homemade cakes and offers a menu of the day with a drink, can of choice on bread or cous cous and dessert for less than eight euros . By using only seasonal products –and despite being one of the graces of the can precisely to preserve the food so that it can be consumed at any time- sometimes La Belle Iloise momentarily cancels the production of some of the varieties, to the chagrin of those addicted to that elaboration. If this happens, there is no need to regret it, it will be time to try some of the other daring canning discoveries, made with top quality products with tempting recipes that always surprise.
The colorful and irresistibly old-fashioned tin designs , are an invitation to photograph them (yes, you can take them home) and makes them perfect for making a different gastronomic gift . The content is up to par: when you try them you understand why there are already those who go on pilgrimage in search of sardines with olive oil or **the Marie Galante tuna migas (with coconut and lime)**.
Can and wine = perfection
CARAVELA GOURMET
If we talk about later customs, we must mention Portugal, which has a long tradition of not only good but also beautiful cans, although the traditional thing there is to consume them at home and not in restaurants. Taberna da Rúa das Flores, in Lisbon, would be an exception, crafting first courses and salads with some of our favorite neighbor's classic preserves. As we are dedicated fans of Portugal, we celebrate the landing (wink wink) of Caravela Gourmet in Carrer Manso, a shop and tasting site for Portuguese products (and also Catalans) that brings us wines, beers, sweets and preserves.
Some items we already know from the already emblematic Casa Portuguesa (another hot spot in Barcelona), and others are presented to us by Hugo, the owner of the Caravela , that he has carefully selected each one and that it is a pleasure to listen to him speak of the virtues of each one. Caravela is not a typical tasting shop . Hugo and his partner Alexandra, with the help of the interior designer Andrea Soto , have managed to turn a car parts store into one of the most pleasant places to be in the new Sant Antoni.
The inside of the novelty in a can from Barcelona
They keep the floor, which could not be more of a battle, the warehouse shelves and some of the sideboards, and add a lot of light, individual tables or to share and sympathy in abundance. They serve Portuguese coffee that is a guarantee of good taste, they have books available and it is a simple and friendly place perfect for having a glass of wine (a Casal de Ventozela or Castellroig, for example), a beer ( there are Sagres but also Hop Love Pils or Orval ) and end up cheering yourself up with a Porto or Muscatel from Setúbal that necessarily involve ask for a can to snack on.
And here the product shines: from the classic sardines and cod from Minerva to the grilled peppers from Terrius, passing through the captivating designs from José Gourmet, that propose veal tongue or cod with turnip greens . They also serve chorizo and cheeses that can be contrasted with the pumpkin and walnut jam of the Quinta de Jugais (look out for their wild boar, deer and partridge pâtés) and, in general, endless temptations that are available to try, take us home and make, in general, our lives a better place.
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