I wanted to do one blowout meal in Barcelona, and I heard Cinq Sentits was pretty amazing. it has a michelin star, and it does a lot of cool molecular gastronomy stuff. I opted for the 8 course ''sensacions'' tasting menu. I'm going to walk you through every course because I want you to be jealous.
They brought some cava for me to drink, and a tray with stuffed olives, spiced marcona almonds, and breadsticks with dried olive and anchovies.
First course was in a shot glass and had maple syrup, some kind of foamy cream, and a little sea salt in the bottom. It was delicious. It really was only a shot, but I kept trying to get more out of the glass. When the waiter came back, I told him it was delicous, like a pancake. He said, ''pan-cock, yes!'' Pan-cock, indeed. I don't think breakfast is big in Barcelona so I'm not sure he understood what I was saying. I'm going to figure out how to make this at home, preferably in martini form.
Next was a deconstructed version of pa amb tomaquet. It was a tomato sorbet with croutons, green tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic foam. Tomato sorbet is more delicous than it sounds.
They brought two kinds of olive oil and I think I need to start spending more on olive oil because this stuff was really flavorful. Two breads: white bread and a walnut/black olive one.
Next was fois gras, caramelized till it had a cracker crust, with a chive ''grass'' growing on top. I LOVE fois gras. I know this isn't proper etiquette, but when no one was looking, I was mopping up my plate with the bread.
I was super excited when they brought out a scallop because they are one of my favorite foods, but the star of the dish was actually the sunchoke puree. It was so flavorful; I took smaller and smaller bites because I didn't want it to end. This was my favorite course.
They brought out a plastic pouch on a plate, with a fish inside and set it on my table, then she went to a side table and grabbed scissors. She explained that it was red mullet with thyme and veggies. When she cut it open the smell was incredible. I asked if they sous vide it, and she said, no, they have a specially-designed plastic tht they can bake in the oven up to 200° celsius (whatever that is in fahrenheit I don't know--you google it).
The next dish was my second favorite and total comfort food. Oxtail (beef) braised for 36 hours with a beet reduction and carrot foam. Think, the most delicious, tender pot roast you've ever had.
Next was cheese, which I always love, but what was notable was the tomato on the dish because it was so incredible sweet. I'm not sure how they got such sweetness out of a regular old tomato.
Finally, some dessert courses. First was a caramel ice cream with pistachios on top and a grilled peach underneath. Very tasty, but I prefer my desserts in chocolate form.
Next course was chocolate! It was in a small teacup--chocolate cream, crispy toasty bread pieces, olive oil, and macadamia nuts. I would never think olive oil would go well with chocolate, but this all worked.
Last course was three different desserts on a plate. Honey financier (a cakey cookie), orange blossom cream thing in a shot glass, and a chocolate-peanut brittle chunk.
Everything I ate was incredible. The portion sizes were small by our standards, but for this many courses, they'd have to be or you'd never finish. It was really impressive how they squeezed so much flavor out of the dishes. I wish I could have taken pictures, and some other people were, but I didnt want to look like a jerk. Speaking of, I'm glad I took a dining etiquette class last year so I didn't feel out of place. Other than using my bread to wipe my plate (only when no one was looking) I did not embarrass myself.
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