Telefèric Barcelona

After seemingly an endless barrage of Chinese food in Fremont, we decided to head out to Palo Alto for some eats.  Before that, we took a stroll at Stanford University since the kids have never seen it before.  Viv and I visited the place back in 2003 and as expected, not much had changed since then.  After a 2-hour walk around the beautiful grounds, we were pretty hungry.  We didn't have to travel far though as we hit up Telefèric Barcelona, just outside the campus.  With several locations including one in Barcelona itself, we were looking forward to some Spanish tapas.

Looking over the menu, we were glad that it wasn't too big, so that deciding what to order was simple.  We started with the Iberian Ham Croquetas served with aioli and piquillo pepper sauce.  These little morsels were delicious with a crispy breading that was not greasy.  Inside, it was soft and creamy with bits of ham that were impactful in texture and muted saltiness.  I loved dipping them into the pepper sauce that was sweet and flavorful.

Possibly our most favorite item was the Taquitos de Tuna & Avocado.  These featured a thin crispy wonton taco shell encasing a considerable amount of buttery marinated ahi tuna.  The texture was so beautiful, it literally melted in our mouths.  It was fresh, sweet and seasoned just enough (with some saltiness).  Underneath, there was fresh mashed avocado which added even more smoothness to the concoction.  A bit of spicy aioli completed the taco.

Another solid dish was the Salmon Tatare that was marinated and mixed with avocado.  Seemingly similar to the taquitos, this was its own animal.  I found the salmon much more robust due to the addition of stronger flavors including copious amounts of capers.  In terms of texture, the salmon was buttery soft and was a nice contrast to the airy and crispy gluten-free crackers.  I could've done with less sunflower seeds, but that wasn't a big deal.

When the Roasted Chicken Empanadas hit the table, I was a bit confused as to what they were.  In the shape of round discs on a stick, they looked more like lollipops.  However, rest assured, these were still very delicious.  Featuring a light and flaky pastry, these ate easily.  Inside, the chicken was tender and moist while well-seasoned.  The side of spicy aioli added both moisture and a touch of heat to dish.

As always, we plan to add some veggies wherever we can.  This time, it was in the form of Brussels Sprouts with aged cheese and lemon honey dressing.  Now if you are wondering what that big foamy thing is on top, well, that is the cheese.  Really added a light, yet rich cheesiness to the fried brussels sprouts.  About those sprouts, they were slightly crispy while still tender inside.  Nice balance of sweet, salty and tang offered up by the dressing and cheese.

So it was a given that we would order the classic Patatas Bravas topped with aioli and spicy tomato sauce.  Although the potatoes were cooked nicely with a soft creamy center, the outside was not as crispy as I would've liked.  Maybe if I had requested the sauces on the side, then the potatoes might've retained their crispy texture.  Despite that, these were still decent and the aioli with the brava sauce created a creamy tangy spiciness.

Now the dish we were waiting for - the Paella Mixta with pork, chicken, octopus and gulf shrimp.  We asked for it to be prepared with a socarrat (rice crust on the bottom of the paella pan).  That it did and it was nutty and crunchy along the edges.  As for the rest of the bomba rice was chewy and flavorful from the saffron as well as the meats. Loved the large chunks of pork belly as well as the meaty shrimp.

As if this wasn't enough already, we also ordered the Prime Wellington featuring braised short ribs & Ibérico ham in a puff pastry served with Spanish-style potatoes.  Oh this was so tasty as the short rib was moist and fork tender.  Since it was wrapped in ham, there was umaminess and saltiness.  Puff pastry was on point being light with discernible layers.  Not particularly fond of the potatoes though as they were not crispy and rather dense.

For our sweets, we got the classic Churros con Nutella.  As the name suggests, it was churros with Nutella inside.  Beyond that, they were also sitting in dulce de leche as well.  Yes, these were sweet, but also crunchy and light with only a modest dusting of sugar (thank goodness).  This was an excellent finish to a fantastic meal.  The kids really loved the food and so did the adults.  We also go some sangria to go with our eats and it was a good time all around.

The Good:
- Tasty eats
- Things were fresh
- Service was attentive

The Bad:
- Potatoes could've been better (in both dishes)