MOments at the Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona

After friday nights Bachanal.......my wonderful boyfriend had a surprise in store for me. It was my official birthday dinner, and we were able to get a table to MOments, belonging to the famed Carme Ruscalleda's  (3 star Michelin) son, on the third night of the opening of the Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona.  This was a complete secret, and you can imagine how excited I was to be one of the lucky ones to go so soon after it opened.  From the moment we walked in, it was pure luxury.  The hotel itself is situated right on Paseo de Gracia, in an old bank building.  We were escorted to the restaurant, and from star to finish, the service was impeccable.  There has to be something said about service in Barcelona, it is notoriously lacking in good service in the restaurant industry.  Generally, waitstaff here treat you as if they are doing YOU a favour, and if you garner up the guts to ask for something like, let´s say, a fork, beware you will receive a look of complete disdain....I mean, who needs a fork to eat right?

So, I was so full, so tired of eating, but oh my....once I saw the tasting menu, I mean, hey what´s nine more courses on a full stomach?  I can always forgo eating for the rest of my life, but tonight, BRING IT ON.

I have to say, that the restaurant was so beautifully decorated, the menus, the charger plates, the glasses.....so perfect, and at the same time, so soothing.

Isn´t it gorgeous?  So these are the ratings for the items I ate, and I won´t include pictures of them all, just my favorites.

* Great

** Excellent

*** Sublime

Novembers Amuse Bouche:

Mixed mushroom and "butifarra" (sausage) croquette* - it was good, but it lacked a bit of "umph"

"Japonica Rice" Sushi style rice with anchovy, green olive and pine nuts - lower right in picture

Salted marzipan with spiced wine and manchego cheese *** - I thought the combination sounded odd, but you popped this little morsel in your mouth, and the immediate taste was the saltiness of the manchego cheese, then the soft marzipan and then BOOM....all that lovely spiced wine just filled your mouth!

Rabbit "escabeche" with mandarin oranges *** - This was one of the best dishes of the night, escabeche is a type of brine, that flavours, but at the same time it conserves whatever it is you are using by the acid, spice and oil.  I'm not including a picture, because frankly....it does it no justice.

First Courses:
Salt cod three ways with sausage broth and black pudding crisp *

Scallops with artichoke three ways *** - Definately my favourite of the first courses, and the main meal.  I personally love artichoke, I could eat it until my stomach explodes.  The sweetness of the scallops, that were perfectly pan seared balanced the saltiness of the fried artichoke crips, with the tender hearts in a smooth artichoke broth.  Gorgeous.

Red mullet stuffed with sauteéd vegetables over a saffron cream

Meat course:

Venison loin with berries and potato "millefuille" ** - This was delicious, especially when you mixed the venison with the berries.  I could have definately had a second plate of this!

Then we moved on to the cheese course.  I was really impressed by the selection of cheeses, the presentation, and the accompaniments.  We were given this cute little card, with the explanation of the cheeses and the order of which we were supposed to eat it.

Then there was the dessert course.  I have to say, this was my absolute favorite of the whole night.  It was the plate that surprised me the most, and made me re-think of the use of certain elements and taste combinations.  When I describe it, dear reader, you are probably going to gag a bit, but trust me, oh do, that this was the most refreshing and delicious thing I have tasted in a long long time.

IKEBANA ******* (have to give it like a million stars)  Vanilla ice cream, over avocado and onion, with vinegar cheese atop a sweet filo crisp, in a cider and olive oil sauce.  Words CANNOT describe how beautifully the different tasted intermingled.  This was a true test of the chef´s genius abilitly to think outside the box and happily introduce us to new ways of enjoying our desserts.  Bravo, I say, bravo.

Then after this, they brought out a small cake to celebrate my birthday.  It was good, but honestly, after Ikebana, everything seemed to pale in comparison.  There was even a chocolate dessert that I have failed to mention, which was very good, but after tasting Ikebana, it just seemed, well, normal.

It was a magical night, I can´t beleive that I was able to walk at all after two nights of marathon eating.  Somehow, I made it home that night, and promptly plopped myself onto the sofa, and fell into a food induced coma.