ABaC, Barcelona

ABaC, Barcelona (€155, 5/27/2018, 12 Course, incl. VAT)

ABaC started in 2000 and moved to the current site, the leafy residential San Gervasi barrio, a wealthy enclave by the hill side of Barcelona, in 2008. It is within a boutique hotel “Hotel ABaC Barcelona”, 10 metro stops from Plaça de Catalunya. Head chef Jordi Cruz, focused on Modern Spanish Cuisine, has won the 3-star accolade since 2017 and he was not an el Bulli alumni. 

Guests can look out onto a garden through picture windows while in dining room. Tables are adequately spaced and covered with impeccably white linen tablecloths reminiscent of what Martin Berasategui, Lasarte had.

There were 2 sets of Tasting Menu – Menu Tradition for €155 and Menu Avant Garde for €185. I chose the smaller one, Menu Tradition. I was escorted to the kitchen first to enjoy the first three courses of bite-size appetizers.

Appetizers

1).  Lime Cactus, Tequila and Green Leaves

There was a cute little cactus plant on the kitchen counter. On top of the plant, it was filled up with apple crunchy, celery purée, corianders, lime juice, Tequila foam and Begonia flower. The inclusion of Tequila made this simple appetizer refreshing and enjoyable. 

2). Crunchy Bread with Spicy Tomato Sauce and Basil

Spicy tomato mousse wrapped by crunchy bread and garnished with basil mousse. It was slightly spicy but very flavorful and pleasant.

3). Galicia Salmon and Cured Egg Yolk, Trout Eggs, Soya Butter and Nori Textures

Nori was mixed with grains and made into a taco shell, filled up with Galicia salmon from Northern Spain, cured egg yolk, trout eggs and soy butter foam. Cured egg yolk complemented to the overall perception with its subtle and distinctive taste.

I was then escorted to get seated in the dining room.

1^st Course – Bloody Mary on the Rocks and Bloody Mary’s Macarons

The last time I had this sort of combination was at Pierre Gagnaire a few years ago. It was one of my favorite dishes there. Bloody Mary on the rock served at ABaC was slightly different. Its ingredients include Vodka, salt, tobacco, and tomato water (no color – with the blood red of the tomato drip-filtered). The process of filtering tomato somehow gave a more anemic taste and flavor. But, it was still a delicious drink, especially when accompanied by the macaron.

Bloody Mary sorbet was sandwiched in between macarons. Sorbet was perfectly flavored and with good consistency. Macarons were fresh and light. A perfect match for the palate.

2nd Course – Whipped Hazelnut Butter with Bread Crusts and Caviar

Asturian Caviar was from Netherland. Butter was mixed with hazelnut purée and hazelnut oil and formed a bell-shaped ball. Hazelnut powder and olive were garnished on top of butter ball. This bell-shaped butter ball was softer than ordinary whipped butter because it was lightened by cream. It was a different way of accompanying caviar.

3rd Course – Almond and Foie Gras Shaves with Honey, Vanilla and Miso

Even though chef Jordi Cruz was not an el Bulli alumni, he still diligently performed molecular gastronomy. At the very top, there was a sheet of honey foam covering shaved frozen foie gras and vanilla foam. At the bottom, there was almond ice cream, miso and almond crunchy. It was a fusion dish, but it was also nicely balanced and tasty.

Three different types of bread were offered, plain white, seed bread and apricot and nut bread. Accompanied by one type of butter. I requested for apricot and nut bread only.

4th Course – Chinese box: Chinese Bread, Fried Brioche, Grilled Eel and Wasabi

It was brought to my table in a shrine-shaped wooden box. As I opened the lid, there was a fried Chinese bun inside. As I opened the sandwich bun, I saw a piece of grilled eel with teriyaki sauce. My server grated some fresh wasabi on it. Wasabi’s fast fading fieriness and grilled eel’s smoky and teriyaki flavor were good complement.

5^th Course – Roasted Turbot and Barnacles with Seaweed, Baked Eggplants and Treated Skins

A mouth watering piece of roasted turbot was artistically presented in the center of the plate and surrounded by 2 layers of cream/sauce and served with 2 pieces of barnacles from Galicia, Northern Spain. The best part of the fish was the glazed skin which was crispy and full of flavor. Outer layer sauce was made of fish broth, shellfish and aubergines (eggplants). There were also pickled onion (in pink) to complement the seafood flavor. At the very top, Ramallo seafood foam covering turbot to maintain the moisture in fish. Overall, the cream and sauce were incredibly intense in flavors and complemented well with the turbot.

When I visited Santiago de Compostela and Oviedo at the beginning of May, I saw some barnacles at restaurants with not so fresh quality, therefore, forgoing the opportunity to enjoy it. I was delighted to have it at ABaC. It has an odd-looking skin and tastes a bit like abalone. I personally considered abalone is tastier. Barnacles has been treasured partially probably because its hard-to-harvest condition. Fisherman had to risk their life to pick the best barnacles from the cliff incessantly hit by treacherous water. At present, it costs approximately approximately €150 - €200/kilo.

6^th Course – Tuna Rice, Mediterranean Tomato Stew, Tuna Bely and Pecorina Romano

It was brought to my table in an earthy looking urn. At the bottom of the urn, there was an almost translucent tuna toro. Toro sat on cooked rice and seaweeds and served with tomato stew and spices including garlic, basil, julienned scallion and micro green. At the very top, it was covered by Pecorina Romano cheese foam. At the bottom, brown sauce was made from the thickened tuna sauce. It was another well-balanced fusion product.

7^th Course – Amélie Esmerald Oyster with Fermented Kale and Chargrilled Piparras Chili Peppers

It seemed that chef at ABaC has created a few versions of Amélie Esmerald oyster-based dishes mainly comprised of fermented vegetable and smoke flavored piparras pepper. In this dish, it was fermented kale (in pale yellow), purée, fried green kale, charcoal grilled piparras chili pepper. In addition, salted butter was used to cover the oyster. In US, we usually eat oyster with cocktail sauce mainly comprised of ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice and tobacco sauce to make a nicely balanced taste. Chef at ABaC used different combination to make the overall taste more balanced.

8^th Course – “Our Pine Cone”: Cured Lamb Tea and Pine Leaves

This was served as an auxiliary item with the roasted lamb. Lamb broth with pine leaves infused tea. Had a distinctive pine flavor, served as a refresher.

9^th Course – Roasted, Cured and Dried Suckling Lamb Meats, Confit Small Artichokes, Pine Shoots, Pistil Crud and Caramelize Jus

There were 3 parts in this dish, lamb from Catalunya. 1). Cured, dried and roasted lamb. 2). Roasted baby lamb loin. 3). Cheese curd. Dried and cured lamb was really flavorful, it tasted a bit crunchy. Roasted baby lamb loin was finger-licking good, the meat was tender, you did not even need a knife. Cheese curd was almost like yogurt, but a bit firmer than yogurt and had a custard-like firmness. Confit baby artichokes, served as a neutralizer, was so delicious. Caramelized jus form lamb stock made me feel I wouldn’t mind to stuff a bit more.

10th Course – Chamomile “pillow”, Milk and Biscuit Roll with a Touch of Lightly and Spicy Citruses

Cookie crumbs were at the bottom where a white fragile crate made of inside layer and outside layer. Inside, there were lemon grass with chamomile ice cream; outside, there was milk infusion of Earl Gray tea foam and sheet. It was pretty looking, it incorporated cold and warm, sweet and sour, a truly pleasant palate cleanser. Some critics have written that chef Jordi Cruz’s dishes are as pretty as he is good looking.

11^th Course – Chocolate Fragile Crate

It was a chocolate crate sitting on chocolate paper and chocolate foam at the bottom, with caramel chocolate on the top for artistic presentation. As I cut it open to eat the inside of the chocolate crate, it was filled with vanilla ice cream and milk foam, toffee chocolate with mint, chocolate with coffee, strawberry with beet. It was a chocolate galore.

12^th Course - Sweet Pumpkin

The petit fours were served in a gold toned set resembling pumpkin flower, with the various sweets held by the various endings. They included raspberry marshmallows, violet yogurt, chocolate nougatine, pumpkin flower, chocolate amaretto, cheese cake. One stood alone item was its famous signature frozen lipstick desserts. This lipstick looking item was presented in a rock-looking block with trough, it was a strawberry lollypop (lipstick case) filled up with frozen strawberry slush. The content inside the lipstick varied from meal to meal. Petit fours were all light and flavorful, ideal for pleasing your palate without over burdening your stomach.

I liked Chef Jordi Cruz’s cuisine. It was innovative, not just for being creative without making perfection on the taste, flavor and balance. Even though he was an el Bulli alumni, he was able to master the art of molecular gastronomy. At present, ABaC (a Michelin 3-star) under-prices its Tasting Menu comparing with Lasarte’s (also a Michelin 3-star) €205. I wonder how much longer it would stay at the current level.

Lasarte, Barcelona

Lasarte, Barcelona (€205, 5/26/2018, 7- Course, incl. VAT)

Lasarte, another Martin Berasategui’s famous restaurant, opened its doors in January 2006, it took the name of the town (Lasarte, in the suburb of San Sebastian) where Chef Berasategui’s flagship restaurant is located. Lasarte restaurant has had its 3^rd star since 2017, a controversial 2017 Michelin 3^rd star recipient by many accounts.

Currently commanded by longtime Berasategui’s protégé Paolo Casagrande, located in one of Barcelona’s most expensive shopping areas, about 3 blocks from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. It has gone thru extensive rehabilitation in 2016, with the emphasis on light, textures with a predominance of oak and the selection of furniture. The thin strings of lights poking through the ceiling was exquisite, elegant and real classic. I thought the new look is probably one of the most beautiful, elegant restaurant setting that I have ever seen.

It is comprised of 3 sections of dining area, the main dining room, the semi-private dining room and Chef’s Table in a loft above the kitchen.

I have inquired the reservation department what is the difference between Lasarte (Barcelona) and Martin Berasategui (San Sebastian), and they could not give me an answer. Since I have visited Martin Berasategui on May 18, I decided to find out the answer myself.

There were two sets of Tasting Menus in addition to a la carte, I chose the smaller one “Lasarte Menu” for a 7-course meal with appetizers not indicated on the menu.

Appetizers

I.

1). Tamara Oyster from Delta Eblo

Delta del Ebre is located halfway in between Catalonia and Valencia. It has the mixture of the sea with the fresh water from the Ebro water, which is very rich in nutrients. There are mussel’s beds to grow shell fish like oysters, mussels, clams. The combination of fresh water and sea water give these shell fish a distinctive flavor and texture. They don’t even need a drop of lemon juice. They are the prime quality.

It was covered by fried tempura and sea anemone (jelly fish), yuzu jelly and mayonnaise of yuzu.

2). White Toast with Prawn

Raw prawn was served on a crispy toast with green curry sauce and tomato cream. Prawn was fresh and juicy.

3). Beet Root with White Caviar

Beet root flavored tapioca was fried and served like a cracker at the bottom. White pearl is the nickname for the caviar harvested from very rare fresh albino (sterlet) sturgeon that are farmed in the pristine, pollutant-free waters of Northern Europe. It costs approximately $3000/lb. White caviar has a sweeter taste than the black/grey looking caviars. It was served with wasabi.

4). Fried Tapinamboer (Jerusalem Artichoke)

Originally the Jerusalem Artichoke grows in North America, a French explorer introduced it to the Europe. Root tubers (underground parts) are used, it contains a lot of nutrients. The taste of tuber can be slightly sweet, nutty and like artichoke. Jerusalem artichoke was cooked and meshed to purée and fried artichoke was shaped artistically as a crisp topped with artichoke purée, sashimi bits and chili pepper.

II. Mille-Feuille of Smoked Eel, Foie-Gras, Spring Onions and Green Apple

This is one of the signature dishes that Martin Berasategui had since 1995. It was not indicated on the menu and I inquired and was assured that I would get it as one of the appetizers.

I dearly love this item, it was so perfectly executed. Layers of sliced green apple, smoked tender and melting eel and foie gras, topped by a slice of caramelized apple mille feuille. Its tender smoked eel and well-balanced flavor make me feel that I have not had enough of it.

III. Foam Jalapeño and Razor Clalm

There were chopped cucumber and razor clam at the bottom, topped by yogurt (in yellow), rice sorbet, and Jalapeño razor clam juice foam. It was a delicious dish.

Lasarte offered a good selection of breads. It had bacon and onion bread like what Martin Berasategui had besides the other more ordinary bread types. I requested for only bacon and onion, served with 5 signature butter selection – beetroot, fungi, spinach, tomato and unsalted.  Lasarte’ bread cart has trenches in the cutting board so that the knife doesn’t crush the bread loaf. The main course will be followed.

1^st Course - Slices of Iberian Presa on Foie-Gras Curd, Tamara Oyster and Mustard Ice Cream

Only the shoulder part of the Iberian pork Hamon was used, the slices were cured but not cooked. It was served with mustard ice cream, ginger cream, with hidden shaved frozen, in addition to Tamara oyster tartar and tomato. When oyster was fried in the 1^st course of appetizer, I was wondering I would get the raw Tamara which was famous for its raw flavor. This dish was very innovative in its usage of Hamon, foie-gras and raw oyster tartar.

2^nd Course - Smoked Squid Ink Risotto and Lemon Seafood

Risotto was served in squid ink with cockles clam, scallops, lemon zest, paprika, toasted bread and baby Swiss chard leaf. Both cockles clam and scallops were half raw, tender and tasty seafood.

3^rd Course - Red Prawn on a Seabed, Fennel and Coral Emulsion

When I thought of Palamos red prawn, my mouth starts watering. It was so delicious, you can tell from its tender looking flesh its freshness and its distinctive appearance. Prawn was served along seaweed and sea grape with two types of sauce – coral cream in orange color and seaweed cream in green color. I wish Chef Casagrande had fully utilized prawns head to enhance the flavor.

4^th Course - Virrey Fish with Crustaceous Sauce, King Crab, Raw Tomatoes and Saffron

This was the 1^st time that I had Virrey fish, it has red skin and white flesh. There were 3 parts in this dish: 1). Delicious fish filet tasted almost like sole, cooked to perfection medium and topped with sautéed tomato, cucumber and iodized sauce from crustaceous ingredients. In addition, it was accented by powdered white basil flower. 2). King crab salad was accompanied by slightly cooked zucchini, zucchini sauce and saffron sauce (in orange) and topped by sautéed tomato, cucumber. 3). King crab roll wrapped by zucchini slice, served with zucchini sauce and slightly cooked zucchini, and topped by sautéed tomato, cucumber. In the middle of the plate, zucchini essence was spreaded to make a prettier presentation. Chef made great efforts on making this a sophisticated dish. 

5^th Course - Charcoal Grilled Pigeon with White Asparagus, Spiced Sauce and Bianco Perla Corn

Pigeon was grilled to perfection at rare-medium with tenderness and charcoal flavored. It was served with puntarelle (white slice). Puntarelle refers to a part of a vegetable, namely the inner stalks of Catalonia chicory. In addition, there were other interesting vegetables on the plate – pickled cauliflower (in pink), corn sauce (in white), fennel, roasted white asparagus which was garnished by dried persimmon. Pigeon juice reduction was also served on the side.

6^th Course – Ginger and Passion Fruit Sorbet with Coconut Carrot

It was a palate cleanser. The combination of passion fruit and ginger made this sorbet with a unique taste. It was refreshing, tasty and cleaned the palate for the next dessert. It was one of the better dishes in this meal.

Ginger and passion fruit sorbet was the large scoop in the center, served along with passion fruit cake, papaya foam (light yellow foam), carrot jelly (orange), papaya jelly (lighter orange), crunchy coconut, coconut powder and sliced coconut. I even had the thought of forgoing the next dessert for a 2^nd serving of this sorbet.

7^th Course – Almond and Salt Praline, Apricot and Rum Ice Cream

At the upper left corner, salty praline with almond (in light brown color) was a bit too sweet. However, rum ice cream was refreshing. In addition, caramel swirl at the right-hand side (in yellow) topped with white sugar toasted in oven and rum ice cream. White vanilla powder and apricot crunchies were accompanied in the plate, but, without improving the overall taste. Salty praline and caramel go together in one plate without any balancing ingredients made this dessert overwhelmingly too sweet.

Petit Fours

Petit fours were served in an elaborate multi-layered glass tray.

1). Giandujian – hazelnut and white chocolate covered by dark powdered sesame.

2). Vanilla cream with chestnut purée

3). Tiramisu sponge with coffee

They were all pleasant, but, not as extraordinary as what I had at El Celler de can Roca.

I visited Martin Berasategui at Lasarte, San Sebastian on 5/18 and visited Lasarte, Barcelona on 5/26, both are part of Martin Berasategui’s group and both are in the 3- Michelin star category. Martin Berasategui, San Sebastian, without of doubt, is in the upper tier of the 3-star category.

Lasarte, Barcelona, is a sophisticated restaurant that caters to the high-end fine dining business with a swanky and elegant dining room, and a lot of detailed work has been dedicated to food. However, among all the critical elements in the taste and flavor of all the dishes, it stands closer to the threshold of being a 3-star restaurant. After my meal at Lasarte, I fully understand the “controversy” when it won the 3^rd star. Lasarte did coast on the new famed status. Another 3-star restaurant ABaC, (also won its 3^rd star in 2017 in Barcelona) priced it Tasting Menu €155 vs €205 at Lasarte.