Galicia, the autonomous region in northwest Spain, is famous for its extraordinary beef and – with its lengthy Atlantic coastline – an abundance of spectacular seafood. Barcelona has a slew of Galician eateries, ranging from the most expensive and famous seafood restaurants with valet attendants to humble establishments occupying the most out-of-the-way corners of the city. In the middle are the interesting neighborhood eateries that offer food cooked with great care, using excellent ingredients and offered at fair prices. Among these, O Meu Lar is one of our favorites.
The name of the restaurant means “my home” in Galician. Owner Antonio Rodríguez, a Galician native who has lived in Barcelona since 1970, opened this brasería (restaurant-grill) in Poble Sec in 1989 after working in other restaurants around the city. Like many Galicians, he has a strong culinary connection with his homeland, and this, together with his appreciation of Galicia’s wonderful produce, meat and seafood, serves as the foundation of his brasería. Almost all the ingredients he uses are Galician, potatoes included. Here, you can get a tapa or half tapa of Padrón peppers (from the real Galician village of Padrón, during the two months the peppers are in season) as well as great Galician tetilla (cheese that looks like its name, “teat”). We love their mouthwateringly fragrant sautéed clams with smashed garlic, parsley, lemon and white wine – they’re so tasty that we’re compelled to mop up every last drop with bread.
O Meu Lar’s specialty is Galician beef grilled over coals. Known as ternera Gallega and recognized with a protected geographical indication, or I.G.P., the highly aromatic, tender beef needs special care in cooking in order for its best qualities to shine. Rodríguez offers several cuts, such as a 400-gram entrecôte or an enormous chuletón, or chop, weighing in at nearly 1 kilo – perfect for sharing – which is served in a smoking-hot clay dish so that the meat finishes cooking at the table.
In addition to those sautéed clams, O Meu Lar’s bevy of seafood options also includes barnacles, crab, razor clams, cockles and scallops. We like the polbo á feira, or “festival-style” octopus, in which the cephalopod is cooked, sliced, dressed with paprika and served with some boiled potatoes, as was traditionally done at fairs in rural Galician villages (interestingly enough, some landlocked villages are considered experts in octopus matters) and even today in some cities and villages.
We like to cap off our feast with Galician digestifs or a top-notch black coffee with a few drops of orujo, Galician white grappa. And whenever we go, we note that this is the kind of place where the owner makes the rounds to tables full of friends and regulars – all of whom undoubtedly call O Meu Lar their home away from home.
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