Times are tight in Spain, and increasingly epicureans are looking for more budget conscious places to enjoy interesting and tasty food. Dining at restaurants with Michelin stars is great right up until the bill comes, and that’s something Xavier Pellicer has realised, placing the emphasis on freshness and imagination at his new restaurant Barraca in Barcelona.

The protégé of famous Spanish chef Santi Santamaría, Pellicer, who does have two of those coveted stars, is specialising in rice and paella dishes – a traditionally cheap food of the people – but made with top notch ingredients and no small amount of chefly talent. But what else do you get for your 30 euros a head average price? Well for a start you get to look at the Barceloneta beach while you eat on the roof terrace, which is always good for the digestion. Inside, the décor is rather like the food: fresh, modern and unpretentious. Get in quick before the queues go too far down the beachfront.