Pardon the Punctuation and the blurryness of my pics in this post...Once I booked my European cruise this summer, the most exciting thing on my itinerary was my one day in Barcelona. Besides the fact that Barcelona is the only city outside the US that I'd ever consider moving to, it's also the home of one of the best restaurants in the world "Dos Palillos."
http://youtu.be/kBe9MfrIHZs
The concept of this place is eating asian inspired tapas with a Spanish tapas philosophy. So there were relatively small dishes but many many courses. Drawing inspiration from arguably the most innovative chef of our time, Ferran Adria, former El Bulli chefs Albert Raurich and Takeshi Somekawa have put together an eclectic presentation of flavors that connect with all of your senses once you walk in the door.
http://youtu.be/Gn69Elk4xaM
The best way to describe the aroma when you walk in is that it's enticing enough to get me to walk off a rocky cliff into an abyss...I'm not exaggerating. Not to get side tracked but that smell is of a slow roasted Iberian pork jowl cooked Cantonese style...holy shit its delicious. Ok had to get that out of my system. Lets continue. In order to enjoy this long dining experience they set dinner up in two sittings. Reason being is that it's going to take you at least two and a half hours to have your meal there. Never for a second do you feel rushed or bored that you need to get out of that place and the staff is beyond informative and inviting. As all of your dishes are presented they will offer you the 411 on what's in front of you. We went with the shorter of the two tasting menu options and it started with this phenomenal Red Shiso apertif. This fruity little concoction has to be drank right away as it was foamed and you're supposed to drink it before the foam dissipates. Next we ordered a bottle of wine Valderiz vineyards Valdehermoso crianza from my favorite region in Spain, Ribera del Duero which was well priced and just exquisite.
Dish one, pickled green chiles: Sweet and just popped with flavors after the first bite.
Dish two, Mackerel with kombu: The way you eat this is to put the dried kombu in your mouth first and then the fresh mackerel. The kombu is salty and then melds perfectly with your mouth as soon as you start chomping on the mackerel. That fish was so fresh I'd swear there was a spaniard in the kitchen clubbing it to death right before it reaches your plate. Please P.E.T.A. don't protest them...it's a joke.
Dish three, Hot-Raw fresh prawns: These are raw shrimp tails with cooked heads and a tea oil. The cooked heads add a smokey flavor to the shrimp and the tea oil helps leaves this tingle on your tongue. Good stuff.
Dish two, Mackerel with kombu: The way you eat this is to put the dried kombu in your mouth first and then the fresh mackerel. The kombu is salty and then melds perfectly with your mouth as soon as you start chomping on the mackerel. That fish was so fresh I'd swear there was a spaniard in the kitchen clubbing it to death right before it reaches your plate. Please P.E.T.A. don't protest them...it's a joke.
Dish three, Hot-Raw fresh prawns: These are raw shrimp tails with cooked heads and a tea oil. The cooked heads add a smokey flavor to the shrimp and the tea oil helps leaves this tingle on your tongue. Good stuff.
Dish seven, Deconstructed sushi roll: A plate of the best sushi rice I ever had and fresh sliced sashimi tuna with a sweet glaze is put in front of you along with a few sheets of seaweed paper. The chef explains how to do it and you get to build your own little sushi hand roll. You can't go wrong with fresh fish.
Dish eight, Mixed vegetable stir fry: Fresh, fresh, fresh local vegetables cooked up well.
Dish nine, Cantonese Iberian pork jowl: When were done we asked one of the chefs what was the one dish we had to have before leaving and he made sure we ordered the pork jowl. This was the dish we smelled as we walked in the place. The "jump into an abyss" dish. Seventeen hours is how long they slow roast that pork....that's right. It is in the top five things that I've ever tasted. Could have thrown down twelve courses of that pork alone.
Dish ten, Chicken Yakitori: a small brochette of free range chicken that is grilled with a sweet japanese glaze. It was awesome but by this time we were so stuffed we could barely taste it.
Dish eleven, Brandied cherry mochi: I'm not a fan of cherries in particular but this was a cool spin on a mochi dessert. it was refreshing and a nice touch at the end of the meal. I'm still a bit of a chocolate guy myself.
Dish twelve, Mango coconut flan: Being Cuban automatically makes me love flan and this one was perfect. Rich texture with just enough coconut and the mango wasn't overpowering.
The second you find out you're going to Barcelona, send "Dos Palillos an email and make a reservation. Any reviewer that has anything negative to say about the food at this place has no clue what they're talking about. This was foodie paradise and eating here is like experiencing an opera, symphony, and museum in your mouth. Eating here is a right of passage into foodiedom.
