Grant van Gameren’s new tapas bar is being lauded as Barcelona’s gift to Toronto. And it is. But life is complicated and Toronto isn’t Barcelona. Oh well. We race to dine at Raval but guess what, they don’t take reservations. That’s no surprise; but the chairs are. Or should I say lack thereof.
And that’s where the rubber hits the road. Toronto isn’t Barcelona. In Barcelona people crowd into tapas bars after work, they stand three deep at the bar and munch on tapas, quaff a dry sherry or three…. And then move on. Barcelonans aren’t eating dinner at tapas bars.
Are we? Is our eating culture the same as theirs? Does it matter?
It does to me. I just wasn’t sure about dining standing up. Even for Grant.
The room is a spectacular homage to Antoni Gaudí, designed to recall the fanciful grand curlicues of the master of whimsy and joy.
And it does. Go for the Gaudí, if not for the food. The Partisans design team turned van Gameren’s love affair with Barcelona into glorious homage to its master architect. The great swooping curves and cutouts, all executed in lustrous mahogany, make the room swooningly gorgeous — walls, bar and ceiling.
Image: CJ Baek
Van Gameren, of Bar Isabel, has two partners at Raval; they make the bar hop. But the food is his vision: The menu is all finger food, designed to be speared with toothpicks. No cutlery, no chairs, no fuss, no muss. It’s pintxos — small bites either speared on toothpicks or on great bread.
Grant has always adored pickles. His crunchy dills and chile-pickled green beans jazz spears of melt-in-the-mouth sous-vide tuna. Lightly pickled tender white anchovies play nicely with marinated red peppers on bread.
Image: CJ Baek
Small clams which are canned as soon as they’re harvested in Spain are the best thing I’ve ever had from a can. Similarly charming and delightful are small chunks of grilled octopus. Same deal with tender fried sweetbreads for spearing. Less exciting: scallops in uni sauce, the sauce too buttery and soupy for the context; and shrimp and cream on toast, the cream a francophilic mousse from yesteryear.
The regulars say breakfast at Raval is their fave. I can see it. Croissant stuffed with moist salt cod is divine. Grant’s fresh flaky dulce de leche doughnuts are the sexiest carbs in town — especially the one topped with crisped jamon. Pintxos like morcilla sausage topped with a fried quail egg make bacon ’n’ eggs seem antinque. Try it on the terrace, you’ll be several steps closer to heaven.