Ponsa

A restaurant that dates back to the 1940s smack in the middle of the Eixample neighbourhood. Could you ask for anything more divine? There aren't many of these types of restaurants left in Barcelona, and the first time you dine at Ponsa won't be your last. Their website says 'In 1972 it was remodelled by architect and designer Santiago Roqueta (1945-2005), giving it an air of a classic, bohemian and cosy space that you'll fall in love with.' And it's true. You will fall in love.

At Casa Ponsa the cuisine is so traditional it's a rare find in Barcelona these days. For example, for starters I ordered green beans sautéed with ham and an asparagus omelette, and I couldn't find a thing to complain about. The beens were gorgeous, perfectly al dente, and the omelette cooked well.

The menu features dishes Catalans have eaten our whole lives. There's a different special every day: Monday it's fighting-bull stew; Tuesday, cod with tomato; Wednesday oxtail stew; Thursday you get paella; and Fridays are for oven-baked lamb. Other dishes include whitebait omelette, vermicelli soup, Catalan-style spinach, prawn omelette, fresh red mullet, battered hake, sautéed kidneys, battered kid ribs, home-made flan... This is all Catalan tradition with a modern taste. Some dishes just sound especially good to my ears, like the tuna with tomato. My Grandma Josefina, who was born in La Garriga, used to make this dish, and it was heavenly.