4.5 stars for food.
5 stars for ambiance and service/accommodations. One of our BEST meals in Barcelona. And I did a ton of research...found about 100 restaurants, went to around 8-9 of them, and this was a standout for creativity of dishes, cooking technique, freshness of ingredients and flavor of food. The most amazing croquettes we ate the entire trip, and we tried all the different types here. Perfectly crispy exterior and creamy, practically-melt-in-your-mouth fillings with chunks of meat and vegetables. This is comparing them to the 5 other meals where we ate croquettes at other well-rated restaurants.
Don't let my rambling on their croquettas distract from the other culinary delights to experience here.
We ordered all the lunch specials, several glasses of wine, and some items a la carte. Everything was super delicious--the grilled seasonal mushrooms were drizzled with olive oil, and tasted so fragrant and earthy. Mmmm. Beef sashimi so fresh, I could barely tell it was beef, it was almost had a fine tuna sashimi consistency. The cockles briny in a tomato broth--one of my friends actually loved this little mini appetizer so much he drank the broth after the cockles were finished. The burger was a mix of meats and very tender. Duck breast was also cooked to a perfect medium, savory balancing with the sweetness of the apple. The veal cheek casserole was HEAVENLY.....WOW. I don't know how they cooked this but I want to hug the chef. The fried cod with honey sauce was the only item on the menu that we thought was average, and was a bit too salty.
Here's a list of some of the items we ordered:
Cockles w/Espinaler sauce € 7.90
Beef sashimi w/sake sauce and soy € 7.90
Potatas Bravas € 4.70
Aubergine cannelloni € 6.30
Gourmet burger w/foie and oporto sauce € 6.90
Pork ribs de Avinyo pork with soy and honey € 7.10
Casserole of veal cheek in the oven € 8.90
Duck breast with apple and raspberries € 8.90
We ate here mid-September, having made reservations a few weeks in advance. Came at 1pm right when they opened with 6 adults and two babies (1.5 years old). They were very accommodating and had high chairs for the babies, and sat us together next to a window. There were barely any customers for the first hour we were there, then more people trickled in and by the time we left around 2:45pm the restaurant was really filling up. The entire restaurant seats maybe 35-40 people, is a gorgeous white-washed space reminiscent of an urban farmhouse with plenty of windows and a light, airy, relaxed feel.
What a happy experience, and I hope to come back in the future. read more