Today many businesses are launched with the the sole objective of earning a profit: a group of developers have identified a market niche, analysed the competition, designed a unique value proposition and executed a plan to earn their return. Alternatively, there are businesses whose developers prioritise passion, let themselves be carried by their hearts and by what they love to do, and seek enjoyment. This kind has no business plan but instead a great deal of “soul”, and we Miguelines love restaurants with “soul”.
This week we want to suggest a visit to a restaurant with loads of “soul”. Three years ago, after several years cooking in restaurants in London, China and southeast Asia, Raquel and Marc came back to their hometown to create Casa Xica, a restaurant where they want to reflect their passion for cooking, their journeys around the world and their Mediterranean roots.
Located in the heart of the Poble Sec neighbourhood, the restaurant is tiny – barely 25 people fit in it – and it’s the ideal place for a dinner with your partner or a small group of friends (4 at most). The décor is minimal, the lighting dim, the walls grey and the tables bare of tablecloths, with just a bowl, a small napkin and a pair of chopsticks, creating the ideal atmosphere for pouring all your senses into the food.
The menu is brief, just 14 dishes through which Raquel and Marc suggest a fusion-inspired journey combining products and recipes from here with those from southeast Asia. The menu is designed for sharing, and we recommend 2-3 dishes per person. Regarding the wines, we want to highlight Biel the sommelier’s interesting selection of natural, local and international wines at all price points.
In the dining room, Katia is in charge of tending to diners, and her informal, accessible service makes you feel comfortable and right at home. She was the guide on the journey we took to get to know Raquel and Marc better.
The first stop was extremely fresh oysters served with a small ginger infusion which made them even fresher and gave them that Asian note that we love so much. Then we sampled an ajoblanco with kaffir lime and marinated mussels. Altogether we found it elegant and subtle in terms of the power of the flavours, although perhaps we Miguelines were missing a bit more “oomph” in the dish. The next stop was an amazing combination of cured Atlantic mackerel over an avocado base stopped with different kinds of caviar, which made each spoonful unique.
Oysters with ginger infusion
Ajoblanco with lime and mussels
Cured Atlantic mackerel with caviar
The next destination was steamed scallop gyozas with a delicate, mild flavour, although perhaps the flavour of the gyozas dominated the taste buds a bit too much. We continued our journey with grilled secret ibèric (marbled pork shoulder) with tiny pieces of mango, which brought a fresh, sweet contrast to break up the fattiness of the meat.
Scallop gyozas
Secret ibèric with mango
Finally, Katia guided us towards Japanese cuisine so we could savour some outstanding but slippery – a word of warning to diners who aren’t skilled with chopsticks! – soba noodles with Iberian pork accompanied by a broth brimming with flavour and just a touch of heat. We loved it! Following in the same vein, we tasted prawn okonomiyaki served with an omelette of udon noodles and topped with katsoubushi (dried tuna). Just like the previous dish, the flavours were striking and truly a worthy a prelude to the last stop, dessert.
Udon noodles with Iberian pork
Prawn okonomiyaki
On the sweet leg of our journey, we sampled the “Pannacotta”, “Chocolate with mango” and “Cheesecake”. All three were delicious and became the perfect way to end our journey, even though our spoons kept heading for the chocolate with mango. We loved the texture of the steamed chocolate cake contrasted with the sweet, refreshing taste of mango.
Desserts
In short, the journey that Raquel and Marc took us on is full of thrills, and the mixture of flavours and textures makes it fun as well. Obviously, just like any journey, there was a bit of turbulence, but the end result is good and totally worth recommending. We’re ready for another jaunt to Casa Xica. How about you?
| Score | ||
|---|---|---|
| Food | Wines | |
| 67 | 75 | |
| Services | Local | |
| 67 | 65 | |
| Price | MIGUELÍN STARS | |
| 35€ |  |
|
| Per person: 4-6 dishes to share +1 glass of wine. | ||
On és Casa Xica?
Direcció: C/de la França Xica, 20, 08004 Barcelona
Telèfon: 936 00 58 58
Timetable: Monday 8:30 to 11 pm. Tuesday to Saturday, 1:30 to 3 pm and 8:30 to 11 pm.