La Cova Fumada

It's been awhile but since we're in the middle of reliving our amazing experience in Barcelona, which was exactly one year ago, it seems like a good time to get back to recaps!

One of our most memorable lunches in Barcelona was at La Cova Fumada, a small spot in Barceloneta. La Cova Fumada is a tiny hole in the wall place, filled (packed, really) with mostly locals and without any signage whatsoever. It was a good thing we had the street address or else we never would have figured out that those plain brown doors were the entrance to an amazing find.

They don't really have a menu at La Cova Fumada, at least not one that they hand out. There is a menu board near the back of the room but no one really looks at it and we didn't even know it was there until we were on our way out. Usually they just make suggestions based on what you like and what's good that day. It was good practice for my rusty Spanish since they don't really speak English (nor should they need to since they're in Catalunya). 

We started out with the usual pan con tomate, which came with two large pieces of bread. The bread was fresh and crispy, the crusts were crunchy and flaky, and the tomato sauce on the bread was tasty. We didn't like it as much as the one at Paco Meralgo, but we still enjoyed it. A big difference in the way they made their pan con tomate was that they skewered and grilled the bread instead of toasting it. All in all, it was a good start.

One of the items that La Cova Fumada is known for is the bomba. The legend is that the bomba originated there, so we definitely wanted to try it.

The bomba is basically a mashed potato ball that is deep fried and topped with garlic aioli and hot sauce. Like a potato croquette but so much better. It was the best kind of mushy, creamy, delicious potato ball you could get. We immediately wanted more bombas but we knew more food was on its way.

Next up, alcachofas (artichokes). When the server suggested artichokes, we said yes. We saw plates/baskets of them all around the kitchen, but we had no idea what would be coming. The only types of artichokes either of us had really had prior to lunch were the pickled/preserved ones in the jars.

When the artichokes arrived, we were perplexed. How do you eat those? Luckily I had an international data plan so I googled it. After peeling away and eating all of the outer layers, we discovered the soft, meaty artichoke hearts that had been soaked in olive oil and it was a revelation. We had never had artichokes that tasted this good and we fell in love with artichokes right there. One thing we found fairly amusing is that after our order came out we kept seeing order after order of the artichokes going out to other tables. Clearly they were a popular item.

There's something really special about the artichokes in Spain. We can't find any artichokes here that look or taste like those, with so much soft flesh in the hearts. Would love to have a plate of those right now.

After a few vegetarian plates, it was time to dig in to the seafood. We ordered bacalao (cod), which came broiled and topped with plenty of tomato sauce. The fish was flaky and soft, and the dish tasted really fresh and light.

The calamar (squid) was next. I was expecting grilled rings of squid, but instead there was one large piece of perfectly grilled squid - head, legs and all. It was cooked with olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper. A made sure we each had a piece of each part of the squid as each held its own flavor and texture. The legs had a bit of crisp to them from the char of the grill, and the head was incredibly soft and tender. This was exactly the type of preparation and flavoring we had been looking for and expecting in Barcelona - fresh and simply grilled. 

The last dish of our lunch was the pulpo (octopus). Like the squid, it didn't come in pieces, but was one large single octopus. It was so tender, perfectly cooked unlike some other octopus we've had before. Between the two, we preferred the squid, but the octopus was also really delicious.

A also got a cafe con leche. It was smooth much like most of the coffees he ordered while in Spain, and had a nice earthiness to it.

We loved our meal at La Cova Fumada and were so happy that we had made the trip over to Barceloneta for lunch. It was exactly the type of authentic Catalan meal we had been hoping for, and everything we ate was so incredibly fresh and flavorful. We definitely want to return whenever we make it back to Barcelona.

La Cova Fumada is located in the Barceloneta neighborhood at Carrer Baluard, 56.  Closed Sundays and most evenings. In our opinion, lunch during the week is the best option.