When I’m in the market for charcuterie—think thin slivers of smoky cecina de Leon, sweet glossy strips of jamón, peppery longanissa or a link or two of cooking chorizo to put in a lentil stew—I usually head for Mas Gourmet in the Boqueria.
They are pretty much the market-stall equivalent of a chain since there are several of them these days, but the quality is always great, the price fair and the service bright and friendly. Plus, they are a solid, well-established Catalan company now in its 66th year and that’s something worth supporting.
Given the current trend for barbecue joints in London and New York, I have felt lately that Barcelona has been missing a trick (and let's face it, the city simply can’t sustain many more burger bars). So I have high hopes for Mas Gourmet’s latest innovation, BBBQ (botifarra, bellota, barbacoa), which opened in the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid a few months ago and is due to open in L’Illa, Diagonal and the Boqueria here in the next couple of months.
Think of it as the ultimate barbecue hot dog stand in the sense that these dogs will be grilled rather than boiled and as gourmet as is possible for a hot dog to be, boasting such delights as sausage with rose petals or membrillo and foie with finger-licking accompaniments like smoked allioli, cola salsa and ultra spicy ketchup.