b-served Gastronomy
Little Andaman
Introducting Barcelona to Indian cuisine
Sometimes food is capable of transporting us to a different culture and location; the flavours, the narrative, the textures and the smells. Little Andaman is such a restaurant, the recently opened restaurant is located in the Eixample neighbourhood (C/ Muntaner between Corsega and París) , named after the island belonging to the eponymous archipelago of the Bay of Bengal off the coast of India. Little Andaman represents a strategy of owners the Bembi group to introduce locals to the world of Indian cuisine, this is the third restaurant to open here belonging to the group. In this case inspired by tastes of the coastal regions of India, such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.
India possesses almost one fifth of the world’s population so it follows that its food culture is rich and varied. Surprisingly then of all the Asian cuisines it is precisely the one that is underrepresented on Barcelona’s culinary scene. Indian cuisine is sometimes associated with curry and spicy food but although there are some influences at Little Andaman the overall offering is rich, varied and fascinating, a cornucopia of flavours for the taste buds.
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There is undoubtedly a synergy between the Indian food of the coastal areas and Spain and the tapas style cuisine that is currently ubiquitous. The dishes at Little Andaman are designed for sharing and more than half of them are either vegan or vegetarian thanks to the country’s religious traditions where certain animals are held to be sacred.
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The menu, created by the Bembi group’s executive chef, Anand Singh Negi, is made up of 12 appetizers that are ideal for sharing, served with delicious dipps such as tamarind and banana, mint and pomegranate or coconut and coriander, to name a few. Among the highlights are the Vada Pav, Idli (steamed rice flour cupcakes served with three sauces) or Dhokla (chickpea flour cupcakes served on sprouts, coriander, toasted pumpkin seeds, chia and sweet mustard) to local winks with the house punch in sauces like Masala potatoes or mushroom croquettes.
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The mains feature local South Indian delicacies such as Soportel Lamb with Goa Poi (from Goa) Bread, Andaman Garlic Steamed Shrimp with Chives and Coriander, Wild Mushroom Stir-Fry, or Chicken Curry Kerala style (both with tomato, onion and tamarind, true to the style of the region) conjure up the flavours and culture of that region of India. In total, 14 dishes with a marked maritime inspiration all of which Chef Singh Negi has managed to recreate authentically using selected local suppliers.
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And of course there’s the classic accompaniments: rice, Naan, Yellow Tadka Dal or Tadka Dal. Not even the most unreleased, which can only be enjoyed in Little Andaman, such as Goa Poi Bread or Appam. And they introduce the curious palate to the kulcha, a bread similar to naan with sourdough that they fill with 4 contrasting and delicious options: butter chicken, spinach with fresh cheese, Indian Pan with Tomato and blue cheese.
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Little Andaman includes in its menu an interesting selection of those contrasting, light and healthy seafood dishes, in which the fresh product (especially fish) is the protagonist and does not settle as much on spices as we could imagine.
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The wine list includes 9 references of fresh and fruity white wines and 9 of reds, with excellent coupages, as well as sparkling wines. There are 12 cocktails to choose from, all of them created by the in-house team of mixologists to take the breeze, the freshness, and the easy going of the dishes to another level, offering classics such as the Margarita, the Mojito or the Old Fashioned with an exotic twist. very successful.
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Retrato de Sanjai Das Gupta y Guilem Mas
Engaging with the maitre d’, the waiters and bartenders is important at Little Andaman in order to take advantage of their knowledge of the dishes and the different influences behind each offering. Guillem Mas looks after day-to-day operations at the recently oponed restaurant. Having trained at CETT and with working experiecne at Alkimia and Àbac as well as at the Arola (Arts Hotel), at Gaig or at the prestigious Hotel SLS South Beach in Miami his professionalism and service are yet another reason to visit Little Andaman.
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Opening hours are from Tuesday to Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. to enjoy after-work meetings that can be turned into dinners. Friday lasts until midnight. On Saturday they offer lunch service from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and dinner from 8:00 p.m. to midnight. On Sunday, from 12:00 to 16:00.
- Little Andaman
- C/ Muntaner, 182
- 080036
- T. + 34 932 695 960
- Instagram: little.andaman
- FB: littleandaman