BARCELONA, 6 nights, 3/26

Regional Dining Discussions Italy, Spain, Portugal
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I arrived early yesterday (Thursday) in Barcelona (from Miami) and was met with rain and grey skies which are forecast for the entire time I am here. So, less wandering around, more time in markets and restaurants!!

My hotel (THE MAJESTIC) kindly offered a complimentary breakfast when I arrived, about 8am, and actually apologized that I’d have to wait “no more than an hour” to check in.
The breakfast has won an award for “best breakfast in a European hotel,” in 2018 and it was pretty lavish. I ate as many of the pastries as I could while waiting for my room to be readied: Everything from Ensiemadas and Tarta de Santiago to cheesecake and brownies and a few French pastries that were new to me (will add names later…).

For my first dinner I had booked BAR MUT for the unconscionably early hour of 6:45, but since I was all jet lagged, it was great to be able to dine so early and the (tiny) place was almost full by the time I arrived by 6:50! What a great setting—a couple of seats at the bar (where I had requested) and just a few tables, at least one of these was a long one, seating two different parties. Effusively warm greetings followed…and I was asked if I was ok with the seat at the bar, towards the back of the room…Yes!! During the entire (short) meal, I had the full attention of one or more of the multi-lingual servers…

BAR MUT offers two tasting options and a la carte and I chose the latter. It was difficult to select, as everything tempted. Looking back, I wish I had ordered more dishes, as the serving sizes were pretty tiny.

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Did you have to pay extra for that early check in?

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Peter:
NO extras charge for the early check in (I was in the room well before 10am) or for the buffet breakfast yesterday.
And, I was upgraded!!!

I booked with Virtuoso; I’ve been booking with them when my preferred hotel is on their list–they only have 4- and 5-star hotels. They do their best with early check-in and late check out, and with upgrades. All are 'subject to availability" and I’d guess that this works about 50% of the time. I was so fortunate yesterday, with that flight arrival before 7am. I had been stressed about having to sit in the lobby for hours, waiting for the room, and it was pouring so wandering around was not so appealing.

With Virtuoso, you get no break on the rack rate; it’s the same as on the hotel websites, but includes taxis and fees. And they usually give you $100US to spend on food or spa, etc, inside the hotel, so in essence you get a free dinner if you want to take advantage of dining in the hotel…

When I tried to book directly, the hotels’ site showed no availability for my first night, because of the huge Mobilel World Congress being in town. But Virtuoso was able to snag that night for me, although at a much higher price than the following nights.

I will finish up BAR MUT in a few hours.

1 Like
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Nice :+1:t2: Being able to check in early is a thing of beauty, especially when there’s no change :laughing::pinched_fingers:t2:

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Complimentary first dish: This is a crispy, gossamer mil hojas (Mille feuille) pastry, rolled and topped with dots of mushroom creams–trompeta de morte mushrooms and ceps–and artichoke cream. Instructions were to eat this first, followed by the sinfully rich mushroom consommé enriched with Bordier butter. (Cup at right). I began imagining a cocktail party with this, and an array of their other little bites, passed around to my guests!!

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Mar i muntanya, a dish combining elements from the “sea” and the “mountain” has long been typical of Catalan cuisine. (Mar y montaña in Castellano). MONT BAR spins the concept into a bite of squid, sandwiched between impossibly crispy rectangles of chicken skin. Astounding concept, and astoundingly delicious. (9e)

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The vaunted Garrofal peas from the Maresme region of coastal Catalunya are in season so sure enough, they were a highlight of the menu last night. There’s a sweetness and crunchiness to these “green pearls,” in a gossamer light puree of a vegetable known as “glacial ficoïde” (“ice plant,” in English) and topped with a pistachio “crumble,” that is difficult to describe. The essence of spring!

My portion was very small but, having seen the prices at the markets, the 24e price for a half-order was not surprising. The most extraordinary sourdough (2.50e, from Forn Sant Josep, near my hotel) was essential, because I mopped up every last drip of the sauce from the plate. My description makes it sounds precious and convoluted, but it worked beautifully…

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With only one dish to come, I began to regret ordering so few plates. I really wanted to try their “Cantonese cochinillo” (55e) but that was one of the few dishes the kitchen could not serve in a half order. (I asked twice!). I had thought initially that ordering the full dish would have meant far too much food but I’m still kicking myself for not taking the chance…did not want to spend the 55 euro and leave much of it on my plate, but I now realize I could have probably managed very easily to eat it all…

Espardeñyas, sea cucumber, is a luxury item in some Catalan seafood restaurants; I’ve never seen it on European menus outside Barcelona, and I was keen to try it.

MONT BAR turns the creature into a “carbonara,” with pancetta from Joselito pigs, pecorino cheese, and shreds of black truffle. The richness of the sauce contrasted so perfectly with the delicate shreds of sea cucumber…I’ve read some people calling this “slimy,” but that did not apply at all here. Another astoundingly creative and supremely delicious dish. On top is a shatteringly crisp slice of the animal’s skin…(half order 32e)

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I turned down the offer of dessert, thinking I’d find myself some delicious ice cream nearby (walking out into the pouring rain, I quickly ditched that plan).
This trio of sweets was a welcome gift—mango cream, a polished, round chocolate, and another tidbit…

I only drank water; the total was 71.40 euro, and I’m trying to figure out how I can work in a second visit to try the cochinillo!