La Llavor dels Orígens is a fun place to eat good, honest, fresh food for a reasonable price in Barcelona. The menu comes in three languages—Catalan, Spanish, and English (sometimes with quirky translations!). It also shows a photo of each dish, with a description of the ingredients (very helpful if you’re unfamiliar with the local cuisine). Many of the menu entries tell you something about the origins and historical background of each dish, too. You can also find this information on the restaurant’s website, along with recipes for some of the traditional Catalan dishes.
Since the menu varies by the season, you’ll have a different choice of dishes depending on the time of year you eat there. In spring, try the coca d’almadroc i tupí amb figues, a flatbread topped with an egg, garlic, and cheese sauce from a medieval recipe, garnished with a mixture of cow’s and sheep’s cheeses along with fig marmalade. The favas i pesols amb alls tendres combines Catalan fava beans with green peas and garlic. Cigrons amb espinacs i bacalla is a hearty dish of chickpeas, codfish, and spinach, as is the platillo de xai amb pesols i carxofes, tender pieces of lamb cooked with peas and artichokes. For dessert, try the classic crema catalana, egg custard with a crunchy caramelized sugar topping.
Although this is simple food, not the haute cuisine for which Barcelona is famous, you’ll still enjoy eating at any of the four little eateries in this unusual restaurant chain that claims to be the only chain dedicated to Catalan gastronomy. Each restaurant also includes a shop where you can buy Catalan wines and regional food products.
La Llavor dels Orígens has four locations in Barcelona:
Calle Enric Granados 9
Tel. (093)-453-1120
granados@lallavordelsorigens.com
Calle Vidriera 6-8
Tel. (093)-310-7531
vidrieria@lallavordelsorigens.com
Calle Ramón i Cajal 12
Tel. (093)-213-6031
gracia@lallavordelsorigens.com
Passeig del Born 4
Tel. (093)-295-6690
born@lallavordelsorigens.com
*For general information and recipes visit their homepage www.lallavordelsorigens.com