Cinc Sentis

Aribau, 58 · Barcelona

34 93 323 9490

http://www.cincsentits.com/en/

Following a large meal the night before at Comerc24, along with being pick-pocketed on the subway on the way home, no one was in a good mood when it came time for our lunch reservations at Cinc Sentis. In fact, we argued about whether to even keep the reservations. In the end, the group concensus was to put all bad feelings aside and attempt to enjoy what many friends had called their "best meal in Spain."

We ordered the Sensations tasting menu which, according to the restaurant, contained the best, most creative dishes from the season. Seriously, why would you even want to order anything else? The Essencia menu, the other tasting menu option, is described on the website as the simpler, less creative option. Now that's good marketing to steer people away from this choice. We were in a hurry to catch the 4PM Picasso museum walking tour so we asked the server to shorten our tasting menu. They removed two dishes, an appetizer and scallop entree and adjusted the price of the meal.



We started off with some snacks - olives, breadsticks and spiced marcona almonds.


The Cinc Sentis signature amuse bouche - maple syrup shot with sea salt. Sweet blast of maple syrup followed by a few salty grains of salt. Some may argue it was too sweet but I for one love any place that serves a sweet course first.


Foie gras Coca - balsamic-glazed leeks, burnt sugar crust, chives - Mmmmmm...by the time we hit this dish, all the negative vibes were gone. The foie was seared nicely, with a sweet finish from the burnt sugar. The chives added a hint of freshness to cut the fatty liver. Delicious!


Wild red mullet, suquet broth, lemon puree - Apparently, red mullet is the fish of the hour in Spain. Almost every tasting menu we had, had some form of a red mullet worked into it. The contrast between the white plate and the blood red broth made for quite a startling and dramatic presentation. The broth was seasoned perfectly - my only complaint would be the oiliness of the dish.


Beef fillet, truffled potato - At this point, our meal diverged. Ray opted for the beef supplement as his protein while I stuck with the traditional dish of Iberian suckling pig. The beef was cooked nicely, with a sear on the outside and a cool pink center. Very tender and flavorful. The potato was equally delicious.


Iberian suckling pig, hazelnut-glazed apple - This dish made my day. The crispy pig skin paired with the tender meat and sweet apples was a winning combination. It was so good I could have ordered another plate.


The world's best smelling towel - The next "course" appeals to yet another sense - smell. I'm not sure what was in the water but it smelled incredible. In fact, our friend loved it so much she put the entire towl over her face and just sniffed. And sniffed. And sniffed.


Artisanal cheeses with contrast - this cheese course was our least favorite of the night. Nothing too memorable.


Grand cru chocolate, olive oil ice cream, shattered bread, macadamias - one of my favorite desserts that pairs a rich mousse with crunchy cookies and nuts and a cold cream. We've had iterations of this elsewhere - reminiscent of the dessert at Red Medicine in LA. Yummy!


Maresme strawberries, orange blossom merengue, sparkling strawberry nectar - a great palate cleanser. Light and refreshing, we cleaned out our bowls.



We were quite sad by the time the mignardises came out, signaling the end of our meal. We ordered coffee and 5 different sugars came out in test tubes - the most creative display of sugars we've seen to date.



Delicious to the very last bite - the perfect example of how great food can lift the spirit and make everyone forget about how grumpy we were at the start of the meal. By the last dish, everyone was smiling and laughing.

Cinc Sentis was our favorite dining experience in Spain - above all the other Michelin-starred and San Pelligrino-rated restaurants. The chef, Canadian-born Jordi Artal, chatted with us after the meal and explained how his philosphy for cooking is to make everything taste as delicious as it looks. Delicious indeed - a great dining experience and a "must-eat" when visiting Barcelona.