My only previous experience of Barcelona was also my first experience of Tequila aged 16 and so I was treating my trip into the city for a night as a complete new timer. We had eaten well a la camping but we were ready for Barcelona to show its trump card and we were not disappointed.

Jono (brother) had done his online research as well the experience of Frida (brother’s girlfriend) who had visited before – they guided us to three venues around the old town and gothic area.

The first stop was a street cafe, bar, market, cave type place, hidden in a back street near the port. The only real sign of life was the huddle of satisfied looking people lingering on the crowded pavement outside. Having approached the entrance we were greeted with a wonderful cavernous view of a timeless bar with curing meats hanging from the ceiling. People were crowded near the bar shouting their orders and everyone, literally everyone, had a glass of 0.80EUR Cava in their hand accompanied by a plate of freshly made tapas – meat was clearly the speciality in this place. It was beauty and chaos combined.

Then the Gothic area where we went to a place that had a similar feeling but somehow managed to be a completely different experience. Family run we could see children, fathers and grandfathers working behind the counter. Grandfather slicing up Iberico ham and placing it directly onto the pre-oiled bread ahead of someone snapping it up as the perfect partner to the sweet home brewed cava. Granddaughter balancing endless plates and glasses and serving the whole floor in one swift movement- and somehow managing to be charming at the same time. A unique collection of characters all squashed in like sardines all united in a smug feeling to have found such a great treasure. Everything about this place was how I wanted Spain to be and I would have gone there every day if it was possible…although the sweet/light cava would have been dangerous.

Finally we worked our way through the back streets of the old down following Jono who had been given a tip by a local waiter. Nestled in a stone cave just off a church square was a little restaurant called Cafe a L’Acamedia just tipping out the tourists and getting ready for the locals, notoriously late eaters. What followed was probably some of the best food any of us had ever eaten. Testament to this was the fact that we all spent most of our time reacher over and trying each others food and trying to work out who had chosen the best dish; duck orange, salted cod, fresh cannelloni, fried squid and mushroom sauce and spanish sausage with poached egg. I am sorry that the pictures are so bad and I am also sorry that you were not all there to try it all! Just go to Barcelona – wonder round the old town and go in anywhere there is a huddle of people outside after 8pm and order a cava!