A luxurious neighbourhood restaurant with top quality Italian influences
Average bill p.p €35 - €45 (incl. drinks)
Nearest metro: Sarría / Sant Gervasi
Isabella's Restaurant
Carrer de Ganduxer, 50
0034 934 14 57 69
Go for: Fresh, high quality food | Isabella’s ‘special’ sirloin | the biggest, glossiest burrata | Super-sized langoustines
Nutella crepe + dulce de leche ice cream
Good for: Something casual yet special | Groups | Families | Sunny lunches on the terrace | Take the Parents | No tourists
Need to know: Day | Night | Terrace | Takes Reservations | Super family & dog friendly | No fish served on Mondays
Eating at Isabella’s is less like going out for a meal, more like popping round to a rather posh neighbour’s for a bite. Take the whole family (don’t forget the dog) and either cosy-up inside the super-luxe living room, or snuggle down into the velvety cushioned chairs on the street-side terrace.
They don’t do publicity, solely relying on word-of-mouth - a fact which makes it delightfully un-Tripadvised.
We park ourselves outside, sitting across from a Cool Dad with his floppy haired Mini Me and an Older, Distinguished Couple.
Cool Dad and Mini Me both work fixedly on a colouring book. Distinguised Couple greet the waitress warmly as she approaches, before waving at someone else over the railing.
Neighbourhood restaurant.
Got it.
While the restaurant draws primarily from owner Isabella’s Italianism, the menu also includes French and Spanish influences, seemingly bringing together the best of the Mediterranean. The focus is on quality and absolute freshness, the meat coming daily from Galicia, the pasta from Gracia, while of course, fish is unavailable on market-day-free-Mondays.
For once, we side step the pizza and pasta, instead sharing a burrata (€16) and langostine salad (€15), plus a smattering of gorgonzola croquettes.
The langostines arrive on a castle of avocado and tomato. The burrata too is big enough for at least four to share. There’s that glorious moment of tension, as you wait for your knife to break through the smooth, glossy skin, before the oozy magic begins.
The main event however is Isabella’s ‘special’ sirloin (€20), served with a theatrical raking of smouldering rosemary through oil and balsamic, before being lusciously drenched over my steak.
It’s what meat-dreams are made of my friends.
(However, if your dreams have a sweeter edge, then you can’t go far wrong with the Nutella crepe plus dulce de leche ice cream...) END
All beautiful photography by Jessie Ann James www.jessieannjames.com
Further Info
New! Isabella’s by the Sea has opened in Calella de Palafrugell - so if you loved Isabella's, then give it a whirl if you're up the coast!
www.isabellas-restaurant.com/bythesea/
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