Crema catalana is Catalonia's signature dessert: a citrus-and-cinnamon-flavoured pastry cream baked thin and topped with a hand-torched layer of brittle caramelised sugar.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
The dessert predates the French creme brulee; written recipes go back to medieval Catalan kitchens of the 14th century, when monks at Sant Cugat del Vallès cooked a version flavoured with lemon zest, cinnamon and a hard-caramel sugar lid. The earliest version was eaten with bread on Saint Joseph's day in March; by the 19th century it had spread to every Catalan kitchen as the canonical sweet course. Barcelona's restaurants today serve it from December to August; the trick is the careful baking of the cream and then the burn-pass with a salamander iron rather than a torch. Casa Leopoldo runs the classic version; Disfrutar deconstructs and reassembles it as a modernist tasting course.
Common allergens: Dairy, Egg
Tip from the editors. Cornflour gives it the proper Catalan texture; do not substitute with double cream like the French brulee. Burn the sugar at the table for full theatre.
Casa Leopoldo in Barcelona's Raval, founded 1929 and revived by Romain Fornell, holds the canonical version of cap i pota and the Catalan suquet.
Signature: Cap i pota, Suquet de peix
Order: The cap i pota with chickpeas and the fish suquet for two.
Tip: Closed Sunday dinner and all Monday. Lunch menu del dia is the easier price point.
7 Portes in Barcelona's Born has run since 1836: arched rooms, brass plaques on regulars' tables, a paella for each day of the week. Priced at €€€.
Signature: Parellada paella, Catalan cream
Order: The Thursday paella Parellada and the crema catalana to finish.
Tip: Lunch is easier than dinner; the noon paella is held on the menu every day of the week.
Semproniana in Barcelona's Eixample is Ada Parellada's family-run Catalan creative room since 1993: the crema catalana sandwich and Iberian carpaccio.
Signature: Crema catalana sandwich, Iberian carpaccio
Order: The crema catalana sandwich for dessert; Iberian carpaccio to start.
Tip: Lunch carte is the price point; book Friday or Saturday a week ahead.
Bar del Pla in Barcelona's Born is the locals' counter on Montcada that draws the chef trade for the modernised tapas and natural-wine. Priced at €€.
Signature: Beef carpaccio with truffle, Iberico pork cheeks
Order: The beef carpaccio with truffle and the slow-cooked Iberico cheeks.
Tip: Open daily lunch and dinner; book the bar over the back room. Walk-up after 22:30 is the easier slot.
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