I was beginning to despair at the limited choice of food on our recent Barcelona trip. Most restaurant and cafe menus were dominated by meat, fish and omelettes. A quick internet search at our hotel led us to this brilliant restaurant called the Cafe Blue Project.
We quickly got into a conversation with one of the members of staff who helpfully guided us through the menu and happily told us a little about the place. It seemed there was such a shortage of vegan restaurants in Barcelona and this really was a good find. The Cafe Blue Project serves vegetarian and vegan food, also it was pointed out how keen they are to support the raw food movement. The food, as you might expect, is all organic and they’re making a valid statement about being able to run a sound business on ethical principles. They’re only too happy to talk about their heritage, their vision and what they’re trying to do.
Javier Medvedovsky
We got to see a book by renowned chef Javier Medvedovsky (above) who has given them so much inspiration and has guided their menu planning.
One thing I always look out for in whole food restaurants is what the staff look like. Are they slim, healthy looking or on their knees and fat? All the staff who I encountered were certainly bright, healthy looking and were enthusiastic and proud of the food they serve.
The Good Roll
I went for one of the raw food options and it was mind-blowingly good! I had the Good Roll which cost me €12 and it was a vegan roll stuff with magic hummus (normally ground chick peas, sesame sees, olive oil, lemon, garlic), onion, olives, carrots, sprouted seeds and some salad leaves. It was so flavoursome and, of course, utterly healthy! I could taste so many of the different flavours individually and it all came together beautifully. The actual flat bread appears to be a mixture of seeds which are ground and pressed together and some kind of dehydrating method is used to achieve the right structure. Not a quick procedure it would seem; moreover one with time, care and attention to the right ingredients and flavours.
Beetroot, ginger, lemon & carrot smoothie
In terms of what I had to drink, I decided to try out a smoothie. Not cheap but worth every cent. I went for the Beetroot Smoothie in which ginger, carrot and lemon are carefully blended together. This was surprisingly sweet and lovely; again I could almost taste every single flavour! This was followed up by a coffee which, was okay, was not outstanding in anyway.
I liked the overall ambience. As soon as you walk in through the door you are met with that certain ‘whole food’ aroma which is always promising. Although the premises are quite grand on the outside, it was fairly down-to-earth inside with a nice pleasant style. Everything was easy going and informal, which is how I prefer things if I’m on holiday. I did like the decor which was rustic, contemporary and quite stylish. This is such a welcome change from the rather cold, uniform decor in so many restaurant chains. I would certainly like to have been there at different times of the day, perhaps on a summer’s evening, where I think the experience would be entirely different – perhaps another time! I could also have enjoyed chatting more extensively with the staff, alas we were there as paying guests and, as time went on, they were becoming increasingly busy and filling up with new, hungry customers (not that there was any rush at all).
If you go there and have the time, it’s worth checking out the gallery which is alongside. While we were there the exhibition was certainly interesting and thought provoking. This reinforces some of their vision with the project not simply being a restaurant or cafe; there’s far more to take in.
As mentioned earlier, we think this vegan restaurant in Barcelona was quite a find and our experience there simply adds to the memory of a near perfect February holiday in Barcelona. Highly recommended.
Here’s their website – Blue Project Foundation
Here’s just a few more photos to give you the feel of the place:
RSS – Posts