Quick Bites: Travel & Cake

Every now and then I come across something so bizarre in the restaurant world that it blows my mind. And nothing could be more worthy of a few column inches than ‘eggs Benedict’ two ways: on top of an organic hot dog, or on top of a sweet waffle! I kid you not, but oh the horror when you’re starving and have already had to hike across town from one branch to another—there was a 40-minute wait on a Sunday morning at the original Brunch and Cake on Enric Granados, where they serve a near-legendary truffled bacon and egg bun—to get a table and the food press has been hailing the joint some kind of breakfast Mecca.

I was assured the menus were the same, but they weren’t (the clue was in the name: ‘travel’ not ‘brunch’). Now, at risk of sounding old fashioned, there are certain things where the rule ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ applies, and surely eggs Benedict is one of them? So here I am in a place that is lovely to look at and hosted by the most gorgeous staff, yet there’s not one thing on the menu that I really yearn to eat. Sure, I could have the bagels with scrambled eggs, and the ‘big’ salads all looked pretty good, but it wasn’t what I fancied.

Finally I go for the organic hot dog option, mainly because when I ask if I can have the eggs Benedict without the hot dog, the lovely lady serving says, “What, so you just want the bun”? “Well,” says I, “Not really, don’t suppose you have a muffin too”? “No,” she says, firmly this time, “We do things differently, you see.” I am starting to see, but I’m also about to chew off my own arm, so I order this wacky creation marvelling at what sort of a person would come up with such a thing. I mean, was he or she sitting at home one day staring down at their hot dog when suddenly they thought, I know what would improve this…  a couple of poached eggs and some hollandaise sauce. And, as if in a final fit of madness it was served on a bed of baby spinach scattered with walnuts, raisins and a smear of balsamic vinegar.

I got about half way through the thing before I abandoned ship and slipped off down the road for a Bloody Mary instead. The truth is it wasn’t too awful, it was just a bit too odd for me. The place was rammed and folk seemed to be lapping it up so I guess I can only blame myself. After all, what sort of a loon orders an ‘eggs Benedict hot dog’ anyway?

Roselló 189. www.cupcakesbarcelona.com.

About €20 for brunch with coffee and a glass mimosa.