La Perla de Oro

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Julien Gautier sometimes dreams of moving on from only making bocadillos (sandwiches made with baguette) and tapas: “The French have a tendency to complicate life,” his wife Anouchka explains, reminding him of the benefits of focusing on his area of expertise.

“At La Perla de Oro, there is little to choose from, but there is a lot of time and care put into what we do offer.” Here a small menu doesn’t mean an ordinary menu: the bocadillos are much more than a simple sandwich. The bread is provided by Baluard and Crustó bakeries (Julien learned quickly that if you dedicate yourself to bocadillos, you better have more than one source of bread) and all the dishes are made behind the small bar.

Some of the more popular tapas include the smoked cod foie, the beef carpaccio and the herring. As for bocadillos, the prosciutto with mozzarella, greek olives and tomato is delicious. Every time Julien visits France, he returns with signature French food for his restaurant, such as St Michel biscuits, St Nectaire cheese, chestnut purée and Orangina.

This fall, a few small changes to the menu were made. For example, you can now try lentils the way his mother made them. There are also excellent chocolate desserts, a must try to top off your meal.