Pa amb tomàquet
The most Catalan dish there is also the simplest, which is exactly why the quality of each ingredient is non-negotiable.
How it is made
Thick bread, toasted; a ripe tomato rubbed cut-side down until the crumb is soaked; olive oil and salt applied with conviction.
When it arrives
With breakfast, under anchovies at lunch, alongside dinner: less a dish than the base layer of Catalan eating.
How to judge it
A flavourless tomato or a timid hand with the oil gives the game away instantly; when a bar gets this right, order everything else.