We have been in Barcelona for a few days and this city is just perfect for a city break. The weather is awesome and the food? Jeez! cinc sentits right? That restaurant will always have a special place in my heart. What have we been doing so far in the city? Well this is our first trip together, so we are kinda taking each day as it comes to be honest- leisurely exploring the city and enjoying the sights and sounds. I promise we don’t only seek out amazing places to eat or to laze about in , but to be honest, it is a break / holiday what else are we to do?
Our 2254 food experience was truly one of a kind. A massive s/o to the concierge at our hotel! Guys, if you want great recommendations in a city where you are visiting, trust me when I say, the concierge is your friend, plug, connect! However, one must be wary, because they don’t always get it right but most times they are on the money! We arrived 2254 late afternoon just past siesta or during siesta? Service had not started but Chef Nuncia was happy to start service early and Gustavo, our head waiter, was happy to accommodate us! Customer service? Check! A quick perusal of the menu ( a passport) prompted us to ask if they offered a taster menu and they were very happy to oblige. Their taster menus are usually by request and Chef was happy to create and served us a nine-course menu that I will re-live for a long, long, long time!
We started off with aperitif which was a spritz aperol (of course, we are in Barcelona) served with Sicilian orange. Not very keen on spritz aperol to be honest, there is something about the orange in the aperol? Or something, that leaves a lingering bitter like taste in my mouth, so, yeah, it’s a no from me. How people order a tall glass of it is beyond me, but hey, to each their own right? Chef Nuncia’s spin on this drink was a delight. The drink was served in what I can only describe as a cross between a syringe (without the needles) & a capsule? It was placed upside down and tucked into the orange! Our second aperitif were oysters in butter caviar but the waldorf salad, our third aperitif? OMG! It was soo good. This Waldorf salad 2254 with gorgonzola cheese, golden apple and nuts, has got to be the best salad I have had yet! The crunchiness of apple and nuts was the perfect texture and complemented the cheese all but perfectly! It literally was an apple salad, and yet, it didn’t feel like you were having fruit salad, plus, it most certainly didn’t look like fruit salad either!
The rest of the 5 courses were ‘to share’ which is the typical tapas style of eating. The first sharing course was sardines. When I think Sardines, I think, little white / silver fish usually in olive oil or brine and packed in a tin. I was half expecting the sardines to be fried in batter or some sort of sauce? well I was wrong! These sardines were not fried but smoked with guacamole, soya and ito togarashi for a little kick and it was awesome! The mochi and truffle course? a creamy delight – potato mochi with mushroom, mascarpone and parmesan cheese peppered with truffle! hallelujah!!! 2254’s taster menu had everything I love to eat, and I mean EVERYTHING. Foie gras? Check, blue fin tuna? Check! The blue fin tuna though? Thick cuts that you could mistake for lamb or beef! The squid and mushrooms dish? sautéed with beef sauce and low temperature pork; double check on that! We even had oxtail in true Spanish style – boneless oxtail royal with foie gras, phew! 2254 is no ordinary tapas restaurant folks!
We thought Chef had done the most, because come on, my man came ALL the way through with it. Then we got the dessert – hazelnuts from plemonte coulant with vanilla ice cream. First off, the dessert is 2 of my fav things – cake and ice cream and OMG! was it scrumptious. The hazel nut cake was rich and nutty and exactly as I like my cake – dry! aka nothing in the middle, a good ol’ fashioned (Nigerian equivalent) sponge cake and was just right with the ice cream.
Yes, chef Nuncia, you took us on a food journey across your beloved country and you turned up and showed out sir! Gustavo, head waiter of 2254, your professionalism, passion and enthusiasm was contagious as it was bright, muchas gracias!
Salud
Ndidi & Neal
