CHECK OUT WHAT ENDED UP BEING SURREAL AT THIS NEW SURREALIST RESTAURANT IN BARCELONA
The Cost -$28 per person
The Atmosphere – When you walk into Gala, you walk into a surrealist setting that pays homage to surrealism, the great Salvador Dali and his, wife, Gala, whom the restaurant is named after. The restaurant’s décor includes a carousel inside the restaurant across from the host, striped walls, brightly colored furniture, a ring of neon lights that repeat Gala over and over, and a fountain out back in the shape of multiple noses. It is an incredible setting for a dinner and one that you will likely not forget. The restaurant is not super formal but many who go to Gala are dressed up to go out to bars and clubs afterward.
Born in Figueres, about an hour and a half outside of Barcelona, Salvador Dalí is one of the most well-known artists in the world. Known mainly for his use of surrealism in paintings and sculptures as well as his over-the-top persona, he is one of the most beloved figures in Spain. Gala played an important role in his life acting as his model, muse, lover, and art dealer, and so it is fitting that a restaurant that tries to pay tribute to Dalí and the surrealist movement in Spain bears her name. After visiting the Dalí museum in Figueres, I thought there would be no better way to end the day than to have dinner back in Barcelona at Gala.
The Order – Tortilla Trufada, Croqueta de Fricandó, Lasaña de Alcachofas, and Espalda de Cordero.
The Great – Croquetas, or croquettes in English, are a very common Spanish snack and Gala’s Croquetas de Fricandó are one of the most popular dishes on its menu. Sold by the individual unit, we ordered one of these oval-shaped fried balls per person. Inside the croquettes was fricandó, the Catalan stew made of beef, mushrooms, wine and garlic. Each one contained a good portion of chunks of meat that gave the small bite some big flavor and it was nice that the restaurant incorporated a Catalan classic into another traditional Spanish dish. The croqueta de fricandó was by far the best thing eaten during the meal and it is the only dish I’d be excited to order again.
The Good – The Tortilla Trufada was the other appetizer ordered. It was listed in the suggested dishes section of the menu and was recommended by the waiter so it was a logical choice. A large circular Spanish tortilla made from egg and potatoes, Gala’s tortilla was made with truffle flavor and potato foam. However, if the menu did not say that the dish was made with a potato foam, I would not have told you that there was any foam in the dish and that the potatoes were just chunks that made up part of the egg-based dish. The truffle flavor was nice, but it was almost definitely made with truffle oil instead of real truffles and it, unfortunately, was served lukewarm, a strange temperature for a tortilla. Overall, it wasn’t a bad appetizer, but it wasn’t one that I’d order again, and it was not a good value at its $16 price.
The Lasaña de Alcachofas, artichoke lasagna, was just fine – not what you’d expect from a restaurant like Gala. The vegetarian lasagna, which was made in circular layers, was topped with some supposed-to-be crunchy artichokes that tasted as if they had been cooked a while ago. The best part of the dish was the bechamel sauce which was very good and creamy, but it didn’t do enough to make up for the fact that the rest of the pasta was fairly bland and boring.
The Not So Good – The last item of the evening was the Espalda de Cordero which was lamb back in a port wine sauce. At this point of the meal, I was really hoping for an excellent dish to save the experience but unfortunately, the lamb was the worst of the night. With the first bite, you could tell that the lamb was not prepared to order, and it was lukewarm, at best. While the port sauce had a decent flavor, the lamb had none. It was an incredibly disappointing dish that we did not even bother to finish. To the restaurant’s credit, they did notice that we left more than half of the dish and credited us for the item after asking us why we did not eat it.
The Verdict – The ambiance at Gala is incredible but the food, which I had hoped would be surreal in the best of ways, was only surreal in that it in no way matched the restaurant’s décor, the restaurant’s story, or its price. It is a complete shame because Gala could really be something unique and special and it should be if it is going to pay homage to the surrealist movement, one of the greatest artists this world has ever known, and his business partner, muse, and wife. If you want to check out Gala’s interior, grab a croqueta or two and maybe some wine but stay away from the rest of the menu.