What it does mean is that you\u2019re lucky to get a seat at Tickets. Every day at midnight they open a day two months hence and if you\u2019re online on their booking system<\/a>\u00a0 at that moment, and can figure out how the system works, you may just get a seat. This meant waking up at 5:00am on a Sunday morning in Bangkok. For you Australians life gets a bit easier.<\/p>\n I managed to secure a table for four at the very Spanish time of 9:30pm.<\/p>\n The first surprise is that Tickets is not some dimly-lit establishment with starched tablecloths, starched waiters and starched customers. The entrance looks like a theatre, the waiters are in ringmaster uniform, the lights are bright, and the place is buzzing. The nose-snubbing at formality is capped-off with a wall of Japanese waving cats behind the bar.<\/p>\n You get the idea that the Adri\u00e0s want to put on a performance, and that even the dullest foodies who are there to check the place off a list will get swept along with it.<\/p>\n You can choose your tapas a la carte, but the menu is so extensive that we just went with the kitchen\u2019s suggestions.<\/p>\n Wine-wise the selection is not quite as extensive as you\u2019d expect of a joint on the San Pellegrino list \u2013 then again, that list is pretty inconsistent in this regard too \u2013 but that\u2019s okay as I\u2019m on the steep part of the learning curve with Spanish wine, and am finding the reds from the Ribera del Duero region almost failsafe. Can\u2019t remember what I ordered, but it was good, befitting the 50\u20ac pricetag \u2013 that is at the expensive end from what I\u2019ve seen so far.<\/p>\n But you\u2019re not here for the wine: the food\u2019s the star.<\/p>\n The first item to arrive looked like a cake \u2013 two bright red confections with cream between, and served on a cake plate. Turns out it was some featherweight beetroot meringue filled with horseradish cream, sliced into four at the table and meant to be eaten with fingers. Not your average start, and a sign of things to come.<\/p>\n The imagination that the kitchen displays is something else, and in ten or so courses the only real miss was a vodka-infused pear that looked like a urinal lolly, and my dining companions suggested this is what a urinal puck may taste like too. Odd.<\/p>\n Otherwise the relentless flow of dishes was superb. The tuna sashimi on a lime meringue stood out, as did the octopus, which was so good we ordered a second round.<\/p>\n The entire show ended on the third desert with some chocolate ice cream made at the table in a mortar and pestle and a jug of liquid nitrogen \u2013 again with the show.<\/p>\n In terms of creativity of cuisine, I\u2019m blown away that San Pellegrino only ranks Tickets at number 42 \u2013 I\u2019ve eaten at places higher on the list that don\u2019t even come close. Then again, it is one of seven Spanish restaurants that make the list, and there must be pressure to spread out the prizes geographically, though perhaps not so far as Australia, which gets by with just the one\u2026<\/p>\n The fact that it isn\u2019t stuffy fine-dining probably works against it a bit in this arena too.<\/p>\n I\u2019m less worried about that. The fine-dining rigmarole (and the serious foodies it often attract) can suck the joy right out of a meal. At tickets you get the happy informality of a corner tapas joint, with creativity of cuisine that is rare. Very rare.<\/p>\n It is a truly compelling combination.<\/p>\n Check out more Barcelona restaurant reviews (and more) at www.litbarcelona.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey Dan, Well it\u2019s that Barcelona time again, and that means food. Seriously good food. In three nights and an extra day of marathon dining we got to Tickets, Bar del Pla, Restaurant Arume, and Cuines Santa Caterina before collapsing in an overstuffed heap. My double cheeseburger at Caravelle for lunch before even starting was … Continue reading Barcelona part 1\u2026of many<\/span> ![\"IMG_0295\"](\"http:\/\/www.brothersbites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_0295-300x226.jpg\")
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