Crafted by the Barcelona Metropolitan marketing team and sponsored by Spicy.
The emergence of Asian food in Barcelona can be interpreted in two ways: it can be both repetitive and surprising. The harsh competition that has existed between Asian restaurants in the city for years has made it increasingly difficult to combine strong gastronomy with unique and groundbreaking decor. While it is always going to be difficult to truly transport people to the Asian continent while they sit here in Spain, the best places try to offer a different concept, combining the elements they already have here with the influence of the east.
When you go to the right spot and you realize that it stands out above the others, the charm is then twofold. When the place is not showy, trying to go unnoticed, you feel the joy of being an explorer who comes across a small jewel in the middle of the city. It’s an incredible feeling, and one which I found when I stumbled across a place called Spicy.
Spicy is a place that wears its food and atmosphere on its sleeve, a breath of fresh air in Barcelona’s busy restaurant scene. It’s sincere and it shows; the attention to detail in the decor is truly impressive. Walk in and you immediately feel like you are on a busy Asian street, picking up street food in the purest Chinatown style. The interior combines a classic kind of low-level lighting with typical furniture and graffiti to give it an arty punch.
Foodies often look for new, different and fun places to eat, and most will agree with me that you can tell what the place is about within a few seconds, knowing whether there really is proper culture behind the concept—or if it is just a decoration to paper over the cracks of bad food. For me, that comes from the music. That’s one of Spicy’s strongest points, they know the ability music has to envelope customers in a unique experience. When you have been in the restaurant for a while, you begin to taste the songs, which ranges from Asian and Japanese hip-hop of the 90s to French rock, going through the funkiest, purest rock of the 1970s. Everything is shaken together with a series of projections which reference record sleeves and popular culture.
The efforts that Spicy puts into the sound and decor of the place proves how in control of detail the owners are. And if you arrive on a live music night, which Spicy also has a big commitment to, it’s twice the fun. Every Thursday, and on some weekends too, regulars pop in to hear the sound of some of Barcelona’s best up-and-coming live musicians.
Last, but by no means least, to the most important thing: the food. It’s important to clarify that the name "Spicy" does not refer to the amount of spice in every meal. It more relates to the place’s fiery, roguish air, the atmosphere that gives spice to every meal. Its star dishes are Asian concepts with a Mediterranean twist, seeking to take the diner through an experience of discovery, bringing new concepts out of classic flavors.
Try the incredible Peking duck or the delicious chilli bao—a typical Singaporean dish, bringing street food to the table. Its creativity and fun philosophy also extends to the cocktail menu—the mojito with sake was a favorite of mine, as was the Jakura, a drink that is served like they do in Asia, in a plastic bag, a surprise that you don’t see in many of Barcelona’s Asian joints.
Spicy wants to be different and achieves this. The owners have a real commitment to doing Asian food in Barcelona, but in a different, more interesting way. It’s the kind of place which many aspire to but don’t achieve. Maybe it’s their roguish charm or the "spicy" concept itself, but the adventurous risks that Spicy takes create a truly fantastic experience.
A Barcelona Metropolitan original for Spicy.