Can Valles
Olives
Warm Bread
Pork Trotter Cannelloni
Three Cheese Risotto
Chuleton on a Hot Stone
Fries
Iberian Suckling Pig Confit with Roast Apricot
Green Salad with Onion Vinaigrette
Chestnut Pudding
Double Espresso with Ice
Widely known to be a difficult reservation thanks to its call-in-only system and ownership speaking primarily Catalan it was through an online contact that lunch was booked at Can Valles Restaurant, a failure to ‘confirm 24-hours in advance’ almost leading to a refusal of service but management eventually conceding a four-top for two persons after claiming the couple was ‘lucky’ another party had cancelled earlier that morning.
Located at Carrer d’Aragó 95 and every bit as unassuming inside as the street on which it is located, a bar up front and to the left lined with several bottles of Booze plus hanging legs of Iberico Ham, it was at precisely 13h30 on Friday that the space was entered to find absolutely no patrons present nor a line in waiting, the aforementioned situation settled only after suggesting there were plenty of other good Restaurants in Barcelona at which lunch could be enjoyed, though the man tending bar still seemed to be against making an exception despite the fact that the restaurant would only reach 1/3-capacity during the course of a 90-minute meal.
Surrounded by flimsy ceiling tiles and grey walls decorated in bargain-basement Impressionist paintings, the neighboring area almost exclusively office space with ample street parking, it was with seats taken and Wine declined that daily specials were recited in addition to offerings from the bilingual menu, a three course meal for two ordered to a tally of €100 with a bowl of Olives and warm Bread soon to follow.
Known as a restaurant where tradition and quality ingredients are the focus, everything including the crusty Sourdough made on site, it was with the occasional entry of additional guests interrupting the two-man service that first courses were served after a twenty minute wait, the Three Cheese Risotto nicely cooked with tender Rice that still had some chew in a fairly sizable portion while two of the signature Cannellonis were blanketed beneath baked Cheese with plenty of fatty Pork Trotter and various Herbs rolled inside.
Still a little annoyed about the dogmatic greeting, at this point nearly fifty-minutes in and only eight other guests seated, it was with two trips to the kitchen that Entrees and included Sides were presented, the Iberian Suckling Pig offered as supple confit beneath crispy Skin around a dollop of warm Apricot Compote with a simple Green Salad while the €29.50 Bone-in fillet of mature Beef was an absolute bargain given both its quality and portion with guests encouraged to cook it to the desired temperature on a hot stone plate.
Amply salting the Steak but not Fries, a shame as the crispy Shoestrings were otherwise quite good, it was after listening to a the waiter describe Desserts that the decision was made to finish with Coffee alongside two selections, the ‘Chestnut Pudding’ a somewhat bitter €6.50 square barely bigger than a Petit Four and not particularly remarkable which made it a bit more acceptable that the server failed also deliver a requested slice of Apple Cake.
http://canvalles.es/