Citrus Restaurant (Barcelona)

The first stop of our honeymoon trip last year was Barcelona, Spain.  After a long day of sightseeing, we ended up on Passeig de Gracia and were trying to find a restaurant to relax and to have dinner.  By chance, we chose Citrus Restaurantus (Mediterranean cuisine)  because it started to rain when we were right outside of its entrance.  It was around 7:30pm when we arrived, I guess it just started the dinner hours and we had to wait a while before we got seated.  However,  we are still glad that we found this restaurant because:

1. Quality, quantity, and presentation of the food was good
2. Not expensive (we found that it is actually cheaper than the tapas we had the night before) ... the entire meal (1 appetizer, 2 starters, 2 entrées, 2 latte, 1 dessert) was only 54Euro!!
3. Server was polite, efficient, and provided good suggestions
4. Decoration of the place is modern, with huge windows of views of Passeig de Gracia

We loved this place so much that I recommended it to my in-laws when they traveled to Barcelona earlier this year.  They too said that it was a nice place.  However, I found out recently that Citrus got a mixed reviews from Tripadvisor, some people complained the service was poor and small dishes ... luckily, our enjoyed our experience. =)

After our dinner, the rain stopped and we were able to take a good shot of Casa Batlló at night that is nearly by the restaurant.

Citrus Restaruant
Passeig de Gràcia, 44 (Barcelona).
With Consell de Cent. (Eixample Dret.)

TEL: 93 487 23 45

OPEN
Mon to Sun 13-16:30hr and 19:30-24:30hr.
Sunday and bank holidays until 24 hr. Friday and Saturday until 1 hr.

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Broccoli Soup with Cheddar Cheese

This is a quick, easy and healthy recipe that I found from the DairyGoodness website.  The only ingredient that I think might not be that healthy is the chicken broth, so I used the low-sodium type to make myself feel better.

I found the soup did not turn out as green as I liked it to be, it is probably because my bunch of broccoli wasn't large enough (next time, I'll need to add more).  Overall, I liked the taste and texture of it.  A good and comfort soup for the fall. :)

More photos are posted on flickr.

Broccoli Soup with Cheedar Cheese

ingredients

• 1 bunch broccoli (1 1/2 lb/750 g) (I did not put enough ...)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced (I skipped on this)
• 2 cups (500 mL) chicken or vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)
• 1 tsp (5 mL) grated orange rind
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
• Pinch dried red pepper flakes
• 2 cups (500 mL) milk
• Salt to taste (Optional)
• 1 cup (250 mL) grated Canadian Cheddar cheese

preparation

Peel and chop broccoli stems; coarsely chop florets to make at least 6 cups (1.5L) total.

In saucepan, combine broccoli stems, onion, potatoes, garlic, broth, orange rind, thyme, pepper and red pepper flakes; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 min. Add florets; simmer, covered, for 5 min or until vegetables are softened.

In blender, food processor, purée soup, in batches, with milk until smooth. Return to pan and heat through but do not boil. Add more milk if too thick. Season with salt. Spoon into bowls; sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.

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