Restaurante Lasarte Shines in Barcelona

My dear fab friends,

Allow me to introduce to you Restaurante Lasarte and chef Martin Berasategui, certainly the highlight of my recent trip to Barcelona.

Martin Berasategui is a Basque chef who can boast of five Michelin stars: three for his self-named restaurant in Guipúzcoa, Spain since 2001; and two for Restaurante Lasarte in Barcelona, opened in 2006, which only took four years to earn its second star (incidentally, the highest Michelin-rated restaurant within the city).

So you can imagine my excitement, along with the high expectations, when I entered the restaurant inside the Hotel Condes, just across Gaudi's Casa Mila in the fashionable Passeig de Gracia street. The decor is elegantly modern with predominantly muted tones. The main dining area is rather quaint, and seats around 30 people. Large Gaudi-like murals adorn one side of the dining area, while the other side has large windows draped in immaculate white curtains.

On this visit, I ordered the Lasarte Menu consisting exclusively of Berastegui's exclusive dishes.

Photo: Pinoy Traveller

The first amuse-bouche was a thick gazpacho soup with cockles. Now this foodie friend of yours is generally not a big fan of gazpacho (unlike our dear Ms. Patty who has acquired such a taste for this dish). But lo and behold, this was the best gazpacho soup I ever tasted. The rich fresh tomato flavour was overwhelmingly refreshing, changing my rather poor perception of gazpacho soups. The next amuse-bouche followed: a mille-feuille of foie gras, green apple, and smoked eel, topped with caramelized sugar. The combination of tastes and textures was heavenly in the palate.

Photo: Pinoy Traveller

For starters, I was first served with a salad of herbs, shoots and petals with lettuce cream, cockles and lobster, all on top of a clear gelatinous broth. What a picturesque sight when this dish was laid in front of me. It tasted very fresh, light, and the broth was tasty. Then came the Iberian cured ham soup with crispy bacon, stuffed zucchini and Parmesan cheese cracker. Simply yummy!

Photo: Pinoy Traveller

For the mains, the baked sea bass with stewed Swiss chard, tender leaves and stems salad with sesame and lemon dressing first arrived. I always love sea bass, and this one was really well prepared with many textures on the plate. This was then followed by what was instantly my favorite: the beef filet with confited peppers, juice of spring onion, and gnocchi. The beef was oh so tender I swear it melted in my mouth!

When the desserts came, I was already full and greatly satisfied. I could only wish the sweet-tart Ms. Hollie was there to continue with the desserts. But when the lemon peel ice-cream, sable, burnt meringue and vanilla veil were served, resistance was simply futile. I blissfully took a few large scoops and emptied the plate. And oh, not to forget, the server offered a new napkin before the dessert started. How thoughtful is that? That was the first time I have actually seen such change in napkins.

Restaurante Lasarte proved to be a great dining experience. The exceptional cooking, the originality, the creative combination of flavors and aesthetic presentation worked very well for me. It clearly sets the gastronomic standards in Barcelona. Truly deserving of its shining Michelin stars.


Yours,

La Dolce Vita

Links:
Restaurante Lasarte
Martin Berasategui
Michelin Guide