Surya

‘Mumbai street food’ in Barcelona: a modern Indian restaurant for relaxed snacking.

Surya (C/ Pau Claris 92, +34 936 678 760 Barcelona isn’t the typical flock-wallpapered Barcelona Indian restaurant that transports you to the bad old days of 1980s Britain. The first thing that you’ll notice, apart from the bright murals, is that there’s a bus parked in the dining room.   Yes, a bus. It serves as the bar from which Surya’s staff serve cocktails to complement the eclectic menu.

I skipped the hard stuff and stuck to Cobra lager (€4). Rayata (yoghurt with cucumber, carrot, coriander leaf (cilantro) and mango) and naan bread was refreshing (€5.50).

Bhelpuri (€5), a “cereal salad” with a delicious tamarind sauce was like Rice Krispies meets Bombay Mix at the bottom of a garden but none the worse for that.

Self-proclaimed ‘star dish’ of butter chicken (€10) was enjoyable, as was the decidedly non-Mumbai Lamb tikka masala (€10). Neither dish is likely to knock the socks off anyone used to the best on offer in the UK these days but they compare well against typical Barcelona Indian food. They would both benefit from more meat and less sauce but what was there was tender and tasty.

It’s worth noting that the food is deliberately made to be bland to suit Catalan palates. There is a second, unadvertised menu of spicier stuff for the many regular Indians clients and others who are more accustomed to the joys of chillis so make sure you ask for it. I only wish I’d known about it before my meal…

The restaurant has a street terrace and a ‘semi-terrace’ covered area where smokers can indulge themselves and a DJ with a laptop keeps the non-Bollywood house and chillout hits spinning.

Service is friendly and attentive and there’s a good-value €10 lunchtime menu del día. Surya’s open from 10am until 3am every day so it’s a good choice for the pre- and post- clubbing crowd.