Flax & Kale Passage
In just under four years, Flax & Kale, the most popular restaurant from Grupo Teresa Carles, has grown into Barcelona’s brand of reference for healthy, ‘flexitarian’ cuisine. I went to the original Flax & Kale on Carrer dels Tallers in the Raval several times, joining in the city’s excitement when chef Teresa Carles first opened the doors of the big, bright restaurant in 2014. However, I quickly grew bored with the concept and found the structure of the menu tiresome. It was always busy, and the vast offering of snacks, juices, smoothies, brunch and more began to feel chaotic. So, it was with wary curiosity that I tried the new Flax & Kale, which opened in November 2017, on Carrer de Sant Pere Més Alt, but I’m happy to report that I am utterly convinced that it has the potential to become the best vegetarian restaurant in Barcelona.
Similar to the other Flax & Kale locations, the menu is mostly vegetarian and vegan, though it offers about a dozen appealing dishes with ‘oily fish’, be it Alaskan cod with miso and black garlic dashi, steamed teriyaki salmon with wild black rice, crunchy yellowfin tuna tacos with chipotle and avocado, or anchovies with pappardelle and capers. In place of meat and dairy, braised green jackfruit imitates slow-cooked pork to perfection, and almond and cashew cheeses, cultured as a dairy cheese, melt beautifully over wood-fired pizzas and vegan breakfast sandwiches. The new kombucha laboratory in the back of the restaurant has yet to reach full production, but the F&K team plan on offering these tangy and effervescent fermented teas in the near future.
Mar Barri, head of research and development and daughter of Teresa Carles, explained that in addition to presenting a menu that is very limited in animal products, gluten never enters the kitchen. After extensive experimentation, Barri and her team have created what I would confidently say is the best gluten-free pizza I have ever tasted. The dough is a mix of whole grains and non-wheat flours—the exact recipe is understandably kept secret, but I would bet that tapioca flour plays a role—and is both light and chewy, but crisps up splendidly in the big oven at the centre of the dining room. Try the four cheese pizza, loaded with San Marzano tomatoes and four plant-based cheeses: cheddar, blue cheese, mozzarella and a Parmesan-style cheese dubbed ‘parmigiano teresiano’.
Living just down the street from Flax & Kale Passage, I have already had the opportunity and pleasure to visit a half-dozen times, be it for dinner, lunch, breakfast or coffee (which comes from Right Side Coffee Roasters, based in Castelldefels, and is exceptional). Therefore, for this review, I have tried various dishes at different times of day, in contrast to my other reviews, which are often based on a single meal. I have enjoyed nearly everything I have tried, and the service is always exemplary. In fact, the only things I didn’t like were the ‘JB’ pizza of sundried tomatoes, spinach and plant-based mascarpone, which was bland compared to the other tasty pizzas, and the ‘Impossible Croissant’. This vegan, gluten-free croissant is made with coconut oil and presumably a mix of different flours, but the texture was tough, dry and a bit oily. I’ll be sticking with my new breakfast favourite: the ‘Bac & Cheese Simit’, a ring-shaped roll that is marbled black with activated charcoal and filled with fresh tomato, melted plant-based cheddar and faux bacon made from smokey baby coconut shavings.
Of all the things we sampled from the three menus (breakfast, weekend brunch, and lunch/dinner), the star has to be the bizarrely-named but delectable ‘My Vegan Japanese Girlfriend Bowl’, a hearty dish that could easily serve as a stand-alone lunch. The mix of black rice and quinoa, jackfruit, sliced green onions, bright green soybeans, tomato and vegan ‘scrambled eggs’ (a sauté of ackee fruit that mimics the texture of scrambled eggs astonishingly well) is delicious.
I had tasted jackfruit (a lowland, tropical tree fruit native to India and Sri Lanka, which can reach up to 35 kilogrammes) on a few occasions, but the texture and taste of Flax and Kale’s ‘BBQ Pulled Pork’ jackfruit is astounding. This hearty ingredient is present in numerous other dishes on the menu, including the ‘BBQ Pulled Pork Bao’ steamed buns with vegan mayonnaise and chilli jam, and the ‘Superfood’s Pho Soup’, a vegan Vietnamese pho with mushroom ‘scallops’, fiery chilli peppers, rice noodles and ribbons of sweet potato.
For a sweet finish, there are numerous pastries and plant-based ice creams, including toasted hazelnut and bitter almond, matcha tea and fresh coconut, topped with banana, chia seeds, goji berries, mango, cacao nibs and more. The list of unique menu items goes on, and diners can also enjoy the full range of cold-pressed juices from Teresa’s Juicery, vegetable milks and smoothies.
Flax & Kale Passage. Sant Pere Més Alt 31-33. T. 93 524 0052. Mon-Fri 9am-11.30pm. Sat-Sun 9.30am-11.30pm.