Here I am back in Barcelona or shall I say Barna (as the locals call it). Why? well Neal had a conference, I happen to have some free time; and here I am! I have spent the last 2 days taking long walks in the city, reading and enjoying the hotel facilities – mainly the bar and cocktails, what else am I supposed to do eh? This time round, we are staying in a boutique hotel in town, which is still lovely and perfect for me to nosy around whilst Neal is at his conference. Barna really is a lovely city, the fact that it’s a 2/3-hour flight and warmer climate is always a preferred option for a city break.
Our food adventure takes us to Xerta. A restaurant recommendation by the concierge at the hotel we stayed the last time we were in this city. Plus, the last food experiences here were DOPE! We initially found the restaurant to be a bit austere – white line on tables with spot lights that were a tad bit too bright and fell short in creating a mood. It paled in comparison to Cinc Sentits. Chef Artal has got the art of ‘mood setting’ down to a T. We tried the tribute menu which was 11 courses paired with wine, never before have we looked at a menu and felt nothing lol. Usually, we feel some sort of excitement but we were not won over by this menu.
We had some bread & olive oil as well as cold cuts as an introduction. The appetizers were a selection of seafood and secrets from the Mediterranean which was ok. I say just ok because the selection of seafood was really a plate of baby mussels and the secrets of the Mediterranean was some sort of croquet! Neal was indifferent, he has a love-hate relationship with shell fish / fish. He perked up with the roast suckling pig course which was served with sweet-potato mash, sweet figs and sweet berries. I, on the other hand was intrigued by the delta eel dish. Yes folks, we had eel?! It was a bit unnerving looking at the dish, but, it was not bad at all. The eel was slow cooked and served with aubergine, miso and black garlic and tasted savoury-salty. The delta elver dish was also interesting – cocochas[1],free-range duck egg and truffles which I liked too. The tuna belly coca was served on a black plate and was visually striking especially against the white linen. It tasted quite good but I must say, not as good as the tuna in Tapas 2254. The fresh fish (catch of the day) was made with fennel puree and artichoke stuffed with cream of sea food, not bad at all. The quail rice with kale? the quail was not dry which was welcomed because there is nothing worse than trying to swallow dry quail in a rice dish. Don’t nobody be trying to choke to death lol! Neal remained unimpressed. We had more fish dishes than meat, saying he was not best pleased is an understatement, he was being a trooper about it though, bless him!
I am convinced that the restaurant gods must have whispered to the chef and said “listen, you need to have something on this menu that these guests will not see coming”. Now the dessert course on any menu is one we always take seriously. Neal is a sweet tooth and me? Well, I am just here for the dessert wine, yeah, don’t judge me folks! The desserts on this menu had very interesting names – catalan symbiosis and soap & water. When we read this, Neal and I thought ‘here we go’?! We were not prepared for the desserts for sure.
The catalan symbiosis was a plate of delights – crunchy dark malty biscuits, creme brulee ice cream and caramilised sand! Taking a bite, it is just an explosion of sweet goodness in your mouth! darn it, it was awesome. The soap and water? let me state categorically, we did not in a million years visualize what this could look like much less the taste but my goodness! Visually, it was soap and water, honest! It was the chef’s play on pina colada, particularly, (pineapple, coconut and rum) and it tasted PERFECT! I don’t know how? what? where? but when I tell you the chef came through with it?! It is the most creative desert I have seen. The desserts are the icing on the cake, the ace card, the one you don’t see coming and omg! it is worth the wait just to see it! It is a dessert that you look at and can’t help but marvel at the ingenuity of the chef! I have to hand it to Xerta, they saved the best for last!
We had a rocky start. The menu initially leaving us wanting, but soap and water saved the day! Bravo!
Salud
Ndidi & Neal
[1] Cocochas – the fleshy underpart of a fish jaw which is a delicacy in Basque cuisine
