Montiel Restaurant

Well as they always say, save the best for last.  Barcelona was a blast even if it was my second go around.  This final posting of a Barcelona restaurant was by far one of the best restaurants I had ever been to.  Oddly, this restaurant has no Michelin stars next to its name however its décor, its presentation, its staff and its food were all comparable to the 3-star Michelin restaurant of Gordon Ramsay’s.  Equally as odd, one of the waiters actually came from Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant and he was actually one of the people who served us for the evening. 

Raw Oyster

Vegetable Chips, Olives and Sticks

Warm Fine Cream of Grilled Leaks

We had reservations for this wonderful restaurant and upon arrival we were led upstairs to our table.  They offered us water, gave us our menu, showed us the washrooms and proceeded to explain in great detail of both their a la carte menus and set menus.  Looking at all their great foods and being our last night in Barcelona we decided to go with two orders of each of their set menu.  The differences between the two were the prices and the number of courses served which was 8 and 10. One was called the Tasting Menu while the other was G Astronomic Menu. On their set menus, there was no need to choose.  They gave you a little bit of everything on the menu so all we had to do was sit back and eat.

Assorted Lettuce with Crayfish

Scallops Carpaccio

Tuna Tartar

I will try to go through each meal.  I apologize in advance as some of the pictures were slightly darkened or blurred.  We avoided using our flashes that evening, as there would have been a lot of flashing going on so we kept it to a bare minimum.   Even though there was a different number of dishes served for each menu, the waiter did give us a warning on it but since we were planning to share all of our foods anyways, it didn’t really matter. 

Foie Gras Mi Cuit and Duck

Glazed Peats Raviolis

First to arrive were the Vegetable Chips, Olives and Sticks.  Olives were in huge quantity in Spain and the ones served tonight were nice and fresh.  I’m not a huge fan of olives however my wife said they were perfect.  The G Astronomic menu also came with Iberian Ham and Oysters.  The ham was thin and tasty while each person also got a large oyster to eat.  The oyster was chucked nicely and it was served on its own individual bowl covered in ice.  It was a delightful way to start the evening. 

Suckling Pig

Beef Filet

The Starters Menu is where things start to divert quite a bit.  For the Tasting Menu, one would get the Warm Fine Cream of Grilled Leaks, Scallops Carpaccio and Poached Egg.  My favorite had to have been the perfectly done scallops and the poached egg.  The scallops were done with some apples and vinaigrette sauce which gave the dish a certain tang to it.  It was not sour but it gave the entire dish a different pizzazz to it. On a separate plate, the poached egg was equally as good.  With a small pieces of asparagus, bacon and mushrooms on the bottom, the combination of all of those ingredients provided a great mixture in one whole bite. 

Catch of the Day

Catch of the Day with Shrimp

Poached Egg

The G Astronomic Menu had Assorted Lettuce with Crayfish, Tuna Tartar, Foie Gras Mi Cuit and Duck and Glazed Peats Raviolis.  All of them were equally well made and just seeing on paper made my mouth salivate.  The crayfish tasted as if it was dancing in your mouth.  The mixture of mangos, mushrooms and other herbs provided a sweet, sour and salty taste all at once.  The crayfish was fresh and meaty and nicely de-shelled. The tuna tarter also tasted as if it was dancing in one’s mouth.  Not only was it nicely seared on the outside but the mixture of mustard ice cream, soya sauce and pine nuts also gave it that “craziness” when one was chewing on it.  The home made fois gras came with quince jelly and pistachios and it was amazing!! Some foie gras can be a little bit greasy or dry but this one was nice and moist and so tasty.  Last but not least was the ravioli. Truthfully I’m not a huge fan of ravioli but they made it so that it is not filling but more like craving.  It’s a small piece and with the duck mixed with mushrooms and port reduction sauce, it left one wanting for more. 

Each menus consisted of two different types of Entrees.  The Tasting Menu had the Fish of the Day and the Beef Filet.  The fish came with quail eggs which made tastier.  The beef filet however was truly a standout on this side of the menu.  The meat was seasoned with truffle oil and was still sizzling hot when it was presented to us .  The meat sliced well and the insides were of the medium rare variety.  It was delicious and it was able to retain all the meat juices enabling the meat to be moist and highly favorable. The G Astronomic Menu contained a Catch of the Day as well and a Suckling Pig from Segovia.  The fish was beautifully seasoned and beautifully cooked.  The fish was placed inside peas stew that was mixed with sage and mint leaves and a large shrimp.  The combination inside the soup alone was extraordinary.  The suckling pig was nicely done with its crispy skin and thick piece of meat.  However, coming from a country that has lots of suckling pig everywhere, I didn’t find it to be remarkably fascinating having just one piece of suckling pig.  Still it was worth mentioning that it was still prepared in the most qualitative way. 

Catalan Cheese

Strawberries Caipitinha

Bonus Desert

The Tasting Menu came with 2 desserts while the G Astronomic Menu had 3 although that will be debated later on.  The Tasting Menu came with the Strawberries Caipitinha and Cream Caramel while the other menu had the Raspberries Caipitinha and Cream Cheese Coulant.  All the dishes were ultra sweet and beautifully done.  Three of the dishes contained caramel in it which contributed to the ultra sweet taste while the cream cheese coulant had a small portion of apple jam ice cream in it which in itself was radical yet delicious tasting.  The cream caramel actually hit you even more as it was a mixture of orange sorbet and ice cream mixed together.  The extra dessert on the Astronomic Menu was the Catalan Cheese which was more or less the same type of smelly, wet-sock tasting cheese as the one we had at Gordon Ramsay’s.  It’s a delicacy as the waiter would say although I have to admit whoever thought of that must have been crazy.  Oddly the four of us were able to consume almost a quarter of it which make one wonder whether we were starting to get use to the taste of it?

Cream Caramel

Cream Cheese Coulant

In the end, it was simply a fantastic restaurant to go to.  There were almost 10,000 reviews on Trip Advisor alone and the greater majority were positive.  Why this restaurant doesn’t have any Michelin stars is beyond me.  Service was great and if you were thinking this was an ultra expensive place, think again.  The Tasting Menu was only 50 Euros per person while the G Astronomic Menu was 65 Euros.  This place is a definitely a must-go and definite 5 out of 5 in my books. Go give it a try, I’m sure you will enjoy because we sure did.

Montiel Restaurant

c/ Flassanders 19, Born

08003

+34 932 683 729