Lasarte – a culinary gem in Barcelona

Lasarte restaurant is centrally located on C/Mallorca, 259

Lasarte restaurant in Barcelona is one of three 2-Michelin Star establishments in the city. It is located in hotel Condes and is the brain-child of re-known Basque Chef Martín Berasategui.

Lasarte is a very intimate restaurant, it caters to a sophisticated crowd that enjoys good food as much as it does privacy, hence the size – only 30 seats. We decided to come here for lunch and  found the atmosphere extremely stiff – almost cold.

You can go for the tasting menu, several small dishes that take you on a gastronomic journey through the Basque region or, as we did, stick to à la carte.

It is not easy to recommend what to order in a Michelin star restaurant, everything is of course amazing. We opted for the fish dishes, tuna belly and roasted sole, and were very much impressed. The dessert menu is obviously another classic.

Restaurant Lasarte is one that you pencil into your calendar to celebrate a major occasion, like your uncle’s 90th birthday. It is not an everyday experience or a place to have a fun or relaxing time with friends. And maybe it shouldn’t be, it is a culinary event to wait for and when it arrives, to savor with pleasure.

Special Moments

Moments restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Barcelona is often advertised as the best restaurant in town. According to us it is not, but it’s a exquisite place to have a very romantic dinner. Moments is the brain child of chef Carme Ruscalleda, who is no novice to the cooking business having earned several Michein stars. Her new culinary establishment is dedicated to the works of local artist Josep Riera i Aragó. As in most Michelin star restaurants (Moments recently got its first), the name of the dish doesn’t really describe what you are going to eat, but don’t be shy, go crazy (or perhaps ask the waiter) and pick something you think will be that ultimate experience you’ve been craving for. You simply can’t go wrong (well, maybe with the stuffed pigeon). Starters are excellent and the main course will not disappoint you either. The wine list is extensive and the sommelier would be delighted to pair your choices with the appropriate red or white. Now, this is one of those places where it should be borderline illegal to skip dessert, since you will reminisce about it for the next several weeks. We still can’t forget that delicate chocolate and orange truffle and the little ruby of fruit with a taste so fresh it lingers in the mouth for hours. So why isn’t this the best food experience we had in Barcelona? The answer is easy. The kitchen sometimes pays too much attention to the visual part. All courses are displayed as tributes to Josep Riera i Aragó’s paintings and they look sometimes more fascinating than they taste. We are sorry to say but more attention should simply be paid to the adequate use of spices. The overall experience at Moments is still very good and it offers you a unique opportunity to take somebody you cherish into the world of fine dining and contemporary art at the same time.

Location, location, location

A lobby corner in all its glory

Claris hotel***** in Barcelona we found by chance on the internet; it sounded very nice and had a great location on Pau Claris so we decided to go for it. We were not let down. A beautiful building in downtown Barcelona houses this great 5-star hotel for holiday makers and business people with Passeig de Gràcia and Rambla de Catalunya just around the corner. Not cheap, for sure, but it offers its guests everything they can wish for: large and well-designed rooms, several restaurants, a roof-top pool, bar and friendly service. There is a small business center with free internet and a gym. The balcony in our room was a bit strange though, it was two meters below floor level so you actually couldn’t use it (remember that after a long night out), but at least we could get some fresh air in.

Josephine

Another thing: we had a duplex suite and for reasons that we still can’t fathom, the bedroom, closets and the bathroom were downstairs and the living room upstairs. It’s generally customary to have it the other way around. In this case we ended up never using the second floor (somewhat of a bummer). Otherwise, hard to complain.

If you are into seafood check out the small restaurant across the street, Josephine, serving great shrimps and oysters that one can enjoy in a charming urban atmosphere with fabulous local wine. The main shopping street is only a block away so you can spice up your cultural activities with some serious money spending on Louis Vuitton, Gucci and the likes.

Rating: 4/5

More reviews from Barcelona: Bar Mut

Fantastic food but ignore the scenery

Moo

Hotel Omm in Barcelona houses restaurant Moo, awarded a Michelin Star in 2006 and considered one of the city’s best eateries. Located at the back of the hotel lobby overlooking a humongous rock (N.B. don’t come here for the view), it is a bastion of exquisite gastronomy with a Catalonian twist and top wines presented by first-class sommeliers. As is customary, you get a choice of house appetizers before you move to your selection. As starters we tried the foie gras and the crayfish and for main course we decided to go for the sole and sea bass.  The menu suggested the wine that should accompany each course, so we went with that (who is brave enough to question these sommeliers?) and had a most tasteful experience. Benito Santos Viñedo de Xoan (2008) for the sea bass and Carles Andreu Parellada (also from 2008) for the sole were perfect combinations. If you order desert, the cheese selection is a delight. In the end, after spending relatively handsomely (but not as bad as in the other Michelin Star restaurants in Barcelona), we left happy, slightly intoxicated and full to the brim. We promise we didn’t gulp it all down like cows. Moooo…      

Bar Mut in business

Photo: samandthedunes

If you go to Barcelona (Spain), don’t miss Bar Mut. It’s an awesome tapas bar located right in the business district close to Avenida Diagonal. The prices are certainly on the expensive side but the food is on the other hand impeccable.

Here you can enjoy a wide selection of traditional tapas with  a contemporary twist in a friendly and modern atmosphere.

The restaurant kitchen is small but has an open design and displays its delicious seafood at the front of the bar. We strongly recommend you to book table – its a busy place!

Carrer de Pau Claris, 192
+34 93 217 4338