Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

OBEN is OPEN (in Barcelona)

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by Jennifer Cross · 02/07/06

The 100% recyclable placemat at my table read: “El primer restaurant amb tots els plats 100% ecologics de Barcelona.” For those that don’t speak Catalan, that means: “First 100% organic restaurant in town”

Continuing with my series exposing every organic resource available to eco-chicks passing through Barcelona, today I lunched at OBEN (Organic, Biologic, Environmental, Natural). Based on my placemat, I was expecting an organic meal, though I wasn’t expecting the meal to be in the sleek, modern restaurant that it was. Further – and also surprisingly — the ambiance lacked toes peeking out from Birkenstocks, and instead featured ties peeking out from suits.

During lunch time in Spain, the menú reigns. Lunch is typically a meal consisting of a first and second dish, dessert, a bottle of wine and bread. An average menú in Barcelona is 8EUR. OBEN’s happened to be 9.95EUR — not exactly a price for those traveling on a shoestring.

El menú, however, was extensive, offering five choices for each dish (not all are vegetarian). I opted for the amanida d’ esparrecs (asparagus salad) to start, the spaguettis amb bolets (spaghetti and mushrooms) as my main dish and a very unimpressive crep d’ albercoc (crepe with jellied fruits). The portion sizes were small (to be expected in Spain), but the service was quick and attentive (not to be expected in Spain). The food was tasty and not too filling, making it a menú worth the extra few euros. (There are two locations for OBEN)

Go There: Restaurant OBEN ; Via Laietana, 28 08003 Barcelona
                                                                                      Call: +34 93 295 50 69

Go There: Restaurant OBEN Torrijos, 53 08012 Barcelona
                                                                                      Call: +34 93 237 37 13

Eco-Chick, Food, fruit, fur, lunch, Organic, restaurant, shoes, spa, style, Tea, travel, vegetarian, Wine

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by Starre Vartan · 10/04/05

I want to be Nicole Linton because not only did she travel to Peru, found some cool tapestry and then trekked alone through the Andes to find the artist who made it, but then started e bella, a company that sells completely gorgeous textiles (rugs, blankets, pillows) that are made by artisans in Peru who are provided a sustainable living by their work. These are not your hippie Peruvian blankets, either.

They are soft in texture and graphic enough for any modern home. So Nicole gets to travel, have a really sweet apartment decorated with this stuff, and help local Peruvians in a war-torn region. Excellent.

decor, design, Home, local, sustainable, travel