Tickets

Barcelona, Spain

Last year, the Geranium adventure ended up with copious amounts of alcohol that made it difficult afterwards to ascend a set of stairs to the Airbnb. This year, we’ll attempt to avoid going overboard.

This year’s adventure continues with Tickets. We arrive at the venue, designed to look like a theatre, with the name in lights, and tickets provided at the door. We’re brought to our seat inside the hectic and loud restaurant.

Tickets is tapas-style and while you can pick your menu, they also have the option to give control over to the waiter who will pick everything. Which, in that way, essentially mimics a tasting menu, anyways.

The Meal

The first couple things out were olives and orange slices. Of course, they weren’t just olives and oranges. The olives were a gelatinous ball filled with olive oil. The oranges were a jello-like form served on orange peels—very similar to Disfrutar.

Next up were sardines on crackers. Following that was a bite-sized cube of roe. There was a rare wagyu slices with uni. Rare tuna served between seaweed and topped with sesame seeds. Oysters. Jamón wrapped around a cracker, that looked like a steer’s horns. Avocado. Shredded crab. A thin slice of cured meat over a puffed cracker.

Breaded octopus that was a little chewy. A shrimp in rice soup but it was cucumber seeds, not rice. Bone marrow but was actually eggplant. And then the final main course: the king crab leg. Absolutely delicious and well worth it.

From there, we were moved to the dessert room for a handful of… well, desserts. The dessert room definitely felt more like something out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The fact that they had clips of the movie projected onto the wall might’ve contributed to that.

There was the gelatinous ball of sweet rose water served in a rose. A key lime pie. Cheese and cookies. A “pizza” cookie with peaches and cheese crumble. An ice cream sandwich. A chocolate mousse cake. And finally, a popsicle. Oh, and a shot filled from an oversized flask.

All-in-all, plenty of tasty dishes with a lot of creativity that felt similar to what we had at Disfrutar.

The Wine

Again, no wine pairing but more understandable given the fluidity of the menu. I went with the waiter’s original suggestion but it ended up being more fruit-forward than I had wanted. After we went through half a bottle, I ordered another red that was more full-bodied and more in line with what I was in the mood for. It turned out to be a hit with the entire table. I should’ve trusted my instincts.

For dessert, I would’ve liked to have gone with a port but there were none on the menu. The dessert wine list was surprisingly limited. I ordered a moscato which, while lighter, ended up being a better fit with the desserts.

Overall

The staff was really friendly and the experience was delightful. Having been to Enigma, a sister restaurant under the ElBarri umbrella, the night before, there were some similarities. Go to Enigma if you’re up for the challenge. Go to Tickets if you want fun. If you find yourself in Barcelona, it’s worth a visit.

Photos