Italian cuisine with a bit of funk

Jaime Ee | The Business Times | Sat Aug 28 2010

Barcelona, Spain, August 28, 2010

Xemei
Paseo de la exposicion, 85
Barcelona 08004

Go to Barcelona to eat in an Italian restaurant? What gives? Well, when the chef is Italian and gives the Mediterranean treatment to the best of local ingredients, it’s definitely worth a try.

Max Colombo and his twin brother Stefano came to Barcelona from Venice where it costs too much to run your own restaurant.

With the Italian cuisine movement in a bit of funk, ie, going nowhere in terms of innovation, the heady vibrance of Spain lured them to a non-descript neighbourhood where their unpretentious cooking has gained them a loyal following.

The twins are very much into sourcing local produce for their menu and Xemei is one of the few places that can get hold of top quality Ventresca tuna – the Spanish equivalent of toro – which is sustainably fished, cooked and bottled in olive oil when the season for eating it raw is over (only 1,500 fish are caught each season).

While cooked tuna in oil usually veers towards dry paperiness, a simple starter of tuna and chopped tomatoes reveals tender, milky fish with only a hint of dryness.

Fresh sardines from Maresme are marinated – they’re fresh and firm textured if too tangy for our taste, but the Maresme tomatoes they’re served with are almost sugary sweet. No wonder, then, that Xemei’s home made pasta with fresh tomato sauce and ricotta cheese goes down so well given its clean, pure flavours.

Xemei is also where we get the most tender grilled whole octopus tentacle – lightly charred on the outside with tasty crispy bits and tender flesh that cuts so easily with a knife. All it needs is some sauteed seasonal vegetables and you have the ultimate comfort food.

Peaches in season are turned into a delicious cake with a crunchy biscuit base, and blackberries are cooked and layered with ice cream and yoghurt in a parfait glass for a refreshing end.

Such honesty in cooking will always have a place in the food-lover’s tummy, regardless of how many Michelin starred restaurants are on your agenda. There’s no clutter, there’s no need to impress – just sit down, let the chef throw some seafood on the grill, and you’re in for a very happy meal.

Xemei
Paseo de la exposicion, 85
Barcelona 08004
93-553-51-40