Saüc (Barcelona)* - HE

At the new trendy Hotel Ohla at Via Laeitana lays Saüc with an avant-guarde decor in simple line gray and white tight space. Xavier Franco runs the kitchen we went for a quiet quick lunch and the midday menu, an economic option only available at lunch time.

Service: 9/20

To be nice is not enough, it is necessary to be available, rigorous, attentive to the detail and clients, focus and low profile. A three waitress staff for almost a full house is unacceptable at this level, the loud talking amongst waitresses and noisy space also did not help. Waitresses more than once forgot the elements of each dish when presenting them to the table when they did not simply dropped the dishes on the table and left without saying a word.

Ambiance and décor: 14/20

Noisy and tight with no direct natural light. However, the restaurant is modernly decorated with simplicity and elegantly illuminated.

Food: 12.5/20

One day for El Celler and I felt the anxiety slowly taking over me, after having breakfast at The Boqueria we discussed where should we have lunch. Tickets was our main target, but was closed, Alkimia was full so we decided to try the economic lunch menu at Saüc. As soon as the first dish was served we started to regret it...

The lunch menu was composed of some abuse bouches (olives and some fried and dehydrated vegetables), a starter, a first dish, a main (fish or meat) and a dessert.

The starter was a painful and never ending sardine and grapefruit salad with a toast and ajo (a garlic and almond "gazpacho"). The harmony and proportions of each element of the dish were non existent, the flavours mixed up and the ajo was grainy and should have been passed through a musseline (9/20).

Slow cooked egg with potato and grilled artichoke. The egg and artichoke were well cooked but the potatoes burned. Was this dish perfectly executed? Was there any geniality or creativity? Was this dish extremely difficult to execute? The answer to all these questions is not (11/20).

Finally a beautiful piece of veal cooked to perfection medium/rare with a puree of aubergine and capsicum. That is more likely, but still is was not far beyond the minimum expected for a Michelin restaurant (14/20).



The dessert was a palatable mille-feuille with a great strawberry sorbet (14.5/20).


Genre: Modern Catalan cuisine
Price: €37 (person and no wine included)
Michelin: *
Date of visit: Spring 2012

Overall: 12.5/20

Pros: décor, the veal and the sorbet
Cons: If you want to serve an economic menu at a Michelin starred restaurant you have to do it right, much better than this. Use less expensive ingredients and be creative, it does not take much to create impressive dishes with day-to-day affordable ingredients.

Saüc
Hotel Ohla, Via Laeitana 49, Barcelona
www.saucrestaurant.com

Miscellaneous I - Portugal

Here are some more reviews of other restaurants located in Portugal that I had the opportunity to visit recently but unfortunately do not have detailed notes to make a full post in respect of each of them.

Alma (Lisbon) - HE

A surprising restaurant by young celebrity chef Henrique Sá Pessoa. A personalised and modern approach to Portuguese traditional cuisine based on fresh products made in Portugal.

Service: 14/20
Ambiance and décor: 15/20
Food: 14/20

Overall: 14/20

www.alma.co.pt

Assinatura (Lisbon) - HE

A personal favourite with a creative approach to Portuguese cuisine. Flavour, textures with simplicity and detail. Great service.

Service: 15/20
Ambiance and décor: 13/20
Food: 14.5/20

Overall: 14.5/20

www.assinatura.com.pt

Belcanto (Lisbon) - HE

The new high-end enterprise of Portuguese awarded chef José Avillez. A trendy but noisy place with great creative food. There is still a great room to improve in particular in respect of the service, however is in a strong position to be awarded a Michelin star in the next couple of years.

Service: 12/20
Ambiance and décor: 15,5/20
Food: 16/20

Overall: 15.5/20

www.belcanto.pt

Bocca (Lisbon) - HE

Probably one of the most overrated restaurants in Lisbon. Mistakes haute cuisine with minimal dishes, full of colourful elements and no harmony. The service is bad and not flexible. A few visits to high-end restaurants in town would be recommended to the brigade of cooks and front of house.

Service: 8/20
Ambiance and décor: 15/20
Food: 9.5/20

Overall: 9.5/20

www.bocca.pt

O Cantinho do Avillez (Lisbon)

It is supposed to be a restaurant for gathering friends, with a trendy ambiance and simple dishes inspired by Avillez's voyages.

Service: 12/20
Ambiance and décor: 15/20
Food: 14/20

Overal: 13.5/20

www.cantinhodoavillez.pt

Feitoria (Lisbon)* - HE

Also one of my personal favourites and has been awarded with a Michelin star in the red book's 2012 edition. Great Service, ambiance and quality food.

Service: 16.5/20
Ambiance and décor: 16.5/20
Food: 15.5/20

Overall: 15.5/20

www.restaurantefeitoria.com

La Finestra (Lisbon) and Lucca (Lisbon)

Looking for the best pizzas in town? Go to one of these two restaurants owned by Carlos Sousa and expect nothing less than efficient service, excellent quality Italian products and phenomenal pizzas. New establishment from the same owner expected to open early May in Algés.

Service: 17/20
Ambiance and décor: 12/20
Food (pizzas): 18.5/20

Overall: 17/20

www.lafinestra.pt
www.pizzerialucca.com

Manifesto (Lisbon) - HE

Being Blumenthal or Adriá is not for everyone and playing with nitrogen, algin, dry ice and syphons will not make your restaurant an absolute success if it lacks a good service, ambiance and the flavours, the textures and the harmony. A poor effort by Portuguese chefe Luís Baena with a terrible service.

Service: 7/20
Ambiance and décor: 13.5/20
Food: 8/20

Overall: 8/20

www.restaurantemanifesto.com

O Magano (Lisbon)

Phenomenal tradtional Poortuguese food at the heart of Lisbon. Definitively worth trying!

Service: 14/20
Ambiance and décor: 14/20
Food: 15/20

Overall: 15/20

www.omagano.com

Na Ordem com...Luís Suspiro (Lisbon) - HE

A modern approach to Portuguese cuisine and products by Portuguese acclaimed chefe Luís Suspiro.

Service: 15/20
Ambiance and décor: 13/20
Food: 13/20

Overall: 13/20

www.naordemcomluissuspiro.com

Pedro e o Lobo (Lisbon) - HE

Two young, brilliant and creative chefs with Michelin background experience but with a long way to reach maturity. More consistency and the same geniality, concept and ambition will make this restaurant a firm reference in the Portuguese avant-guarde cuisine scene.

Service: 15/20
Ambience and décor: 14/20
Food: 14/20

Overall: 14/20

www.pedroeolobo.pt

Ramiro (Lisbon)

The best place in town for seafood and a beer. Simplicity, quality and impeccable service are trademarks of Ramiro.

Service: 17/20
Ambiance and decor: 10/20
Food: 16.5

Overall: 16.5/20

Spazio Boundi / Nobre (Lisbon) -HE

Traditional Portuguese restaurant with a large menu by acclaimed and celebrity chef Justa Nobre. Good service, great quality but pricey.

Service: 14/20
Ambiance and décor: 13/20
Food: 14/20

Overall: 14/20

www.boundi.pt/spazio_boundi

Moo (Barcelona)* - HE

At my first stop this way around, we visited Moo, a restaurant supervised by the Rocas and located inside Hotel Omm at calle Rosellón in Barcelona. Moo is trendy and modern, where creativity plays a major role.

Service: 15/20
You should not expect formalities or classical servicing at Moo, it would not be fit. Instead you have simplicity and friendliness, but with a few mistakes. The coordination between cuisine and front of house seemed fine. A special note to the sommelier, for his enthusiasm and detailed explanation of the history and contents of each wine.

Ambiance and décor: 16/20
The opinions here may vary, Moo is located on the lobby floor of Hotel Omm, after the reception and right next to the hotel's trendy hangout bar. On top of that, such lobby floor is a massive open space with movement, noise, chill-out music in the background. If you don not like it, just forget it, but if you feel like going out on a Saturday night this might be the perfect place to start. There are quite a few tables, some with white cloth, all with different design items with a final good result.

Food: 15/20
It is quite magical to open a large book full of appealing dishes and menus. À la carte and three tasting menus are available (vegetarian, seasonal and Joan Roca), considering that in three days we would be sitting at the real Roca's table, we decided for the Seasonal Menu.

Moo's food is a blend of art, colour, flavours and textures. Each dish is composed of several different elements (some complex with a lot of processes others more simple) with different colours and all kinds of textures. However, it is still at an early stage of maturation, lacking consistency and making some unnecessary "unforced" errors.

Altogether, it is definitely a place worth visiting.

The Seasonal Menu:

The seasonal menu was composed of 2 sets of abuse bouches, 6 dishes (three starters, one fish and one meat dish and a dessert) and petit fours.

The first set of abuse bouches had crispy patatas bravas, a tasty mini olive biscuit, a shrimp tempura (lack of crispiness) and an amazing mussel with edible shell (genius!) - 16/20

The second set of abuse mouches comprised a corn creme with herring roes (good toasty flavour of the creme well balanced with the roes' freshness), a correct mini sandwich of cheese and oxtail and the "grand" flaw of the meal, a vegetables' broth with sesame. It was not the flavour, which was intense and complex, but the fact that mine was completely liquid and my wife's had large chunks of gelatin in it (unforgivable). 13/20

And then they called Fabergé for an inspiring and unforgettable work of art! Ladies and gentlemen I present you the "huevo de oro" (golden egg). A perfect combination of a caramel base, a nest of small bits of cooked sweet potato, a creamy egg yolk with a drop of truffle oil and a magic golden dome covering the egg (which is actually caramel). Huevo de oro has everything a great modern dish should have: intense and distinguishable flavours, an array of textures and an extra pinch of geniality and creativity. Well done, great work! 19/20

The huevo de oro was followed by a mushroom carpaccio with foie. This dish characterises Moo, several elements in the same dish (ones at their natural form others completely "transformed"), complexity, harmony (almost perfect of flavours), different shapes and textures. Heavy hand on salt though. 15.5/20

A perfect caneloni of woodpigeon flew onto the table, perfectly cooked and with intense and strong flavours (woodpigeon, macadamia and truffle oil). Additional points for the creativity. 16/20

An ordinary fried cod with rose pepper, white bean, lentils, carrots and others in a broth. The cod lacked a bit of salt and had no flavour. Easily earned the award of "worst dish of the night". 12/20

Finally the pigeon (pigeon and woodpigeon, despite being different they are both pigeon, why repeat?), cooked to perfection with a comfortable flavour of thyme in air format over an indistinguishable garnish covered with the game's jus. Once again intense flavours and textures. 15.5/20

"Citrics", please! Once again the winning recipe, a lot of citric elements (simple and complex), colours, textures and intense citric flavour. If this was not at the tasting menu I would have never tried this one and would never know what I would had missed. 17.5/20



Petit fours: a poor display for a surprising restaurant. They were very good though.

Genre: International (creative)
Price: €79 (seasonal menu) + €35 (wine pairing)
Michelin: *
Date of visit: Spring 2012

Overall: 16/20

Pros: food, creativity, the friendly and enthusiastic sommelier, the space.
Cons: some inconsistency in the food (vegetable broth or the fried cod fish).

Moo
Hotel Omm, Rosselló 265, Barcelona
www.hotelomm.es/moo

Fortaleza do Guincho (Guincho) * - HE

Integrated in the luxurious Fortaleza do Guincho hotel, the restaurant is an open window to the infinitude of the Atlantic ocean. Awarded with a Michelin star, the restaurant and its executive chefe, Vincent Farges, are characterised for a traditional French cuisine and a classic formal atmosphere.

Service: 15/20

Well intentioned and attentive. Improvements are required in the coordination cuisine-service-client...and in the minor details that differentiate the good from excellence.

Ambiance and decor: 15/20

It is a formal and heavy atmosphere in light blues and whites. The breathtaking view of the colourful ocean in the horizon makes every penny worth. For this reason, it is preferable to have lunch than dinner.

Food: 15/20

Vincent Farge's food is complex and detailed, it is not hard to see that each element in each dish has undergone several processes. The result is superb, full of colours and textures and yet it is wonderful classic French cuisine with fresh ingredients and a soft touch of Portugal...and a respect for the products' seasonality and consistency.

À la carte and two tasting menus are available. We opted for one of the tasting menus.

It all started with the amuse bouche, a trilogy composed of a pumpkin creme, a mussel pudding with a parsley foam and oxtail. A conservative start with comfortable food. Different textures, colours, with little magic, but great confection.

As a starter, we were served scallops with endives, simple and cooked to perfection. Autumn colours (even though it was Winter) and a pallet of textures seemed to be the recipe of the day. A winning combination.

The starter was followed by a fresh fillet of sea bass, steam cooked, with an aromatic and intense sauce and green vegetables. A straightforward dish it seems, but the processes in relation to its elements and the care in the preparation makes us understand that this is not for everyone. On my mind...the sauce...

As it was Winter, what about an Anjou pigeon? And if such pigeon had a complex and embodied red wine sauce, crepe with pigeon's leg and liver, dates and spicy vegetables?

Before the desserts, a grapefruit sorbet with grapefruit and a coconut and passion fruit panacotta. Fresh and a creative alternative. Halfway between a pre-dessert and a cleanser.

And then there were 8, eight was the magic number of elements that composed the perfect ending: caramel, the cake base, pear, chocolate souffle, chocolate mousse, chocolate sorbet, tempered chocolate and dehydrated pear. It is hard to say if there was a

perfect harmony amongst all elements, but each of the elements was perfectly executed and that was good enough and I would go back there again just to eat it again.

The petit fours, tea and check...in clearly one of the best classic restaurants and best views in Portugal.

Genre: French

Price: €60/75 (no wine included)

Michelin: *

Date of visit: Winter 2011

Overall: 15/20

Pros: Perfection in the cuisine, the view

Cons: Somewhat lack of creativity, certain deficiencies in the service and extremely conservative atmosphere.

Fortaleza do Guincho

Estrada do Guincho, 2750-642 Cascais

www.guinchotel.pt

ABaC (Barcelona)** - HE

1 Tibidabo hides ABaC a boutique hotel and also one of the most exciting restaurants in town. Jordi Cruz a firm value of Catalonian cuisine that immediately after being hired regained a much deserved 2nd Michelin star.

Service: 17/20

Polite and mid-way between formal and informal. Excellent coordination between kitchen and front of house.

Ambience and décor: 17,5/20

Modernly decorated 14 table dining room, spacious and well illuminated. The tables are clean covered with white cloth. It is not the most informal atmosphere, but the adequate to sample the symphony of flavours prepared by Jordi Cruz and his team.

Food: 19,5/20

There is not enough words to describe the array of textures, colours, comfortable flavours with an incredible consistency throughout the meal and rhythm. The genius and creativity of Jordi Cruz and the perfect execution by his team take ABaC to another level, the level that only a few restaurants are destined to achieve. It was probably the best meal I experienced in the past months. 

A picture is worth a thousand words, so this time I will spare you the words and recommend to buy a plane ticket and book a table...

  

Genre: Spanish/Modern

Price: El Gran ABaC Menu €145/person (no wine included)

Michelin: **

Date of Visit: Winter 2011

Overall: 19/20

Pros: Geniality, Creativity, Coordination kitchen/front of house, food, flavours, textures, colour, harmony, modern

Cons: N.A.

ABaC

1 Tibidabo, Barcelona

www.abacbarcelona.com

Gordon Ramsay at 68 Royal Hospital Road (London)*** - HE

In 1998, Gordon Ramsay's first and main restaurant located in Chelsea opened its doors. 13 years later and holding three Michelin stars for ten consecutive years, Gordon Ramsay 68 Royal Hospital Road keeps serving exquisite and classic French food in a cosy and romantic atmosphere. Ramsay now lives in LA, USA, but Clare Smith runs the show from the kitchen, Jean-Claude Breton is Ramsay's right arm since Aubergine and an expert in filling a room with charme.  

Service: 18,5/20

Surprisingly friendly and informal for a three-star traditional restaurant. Three stars for Jean-Claude Breton, a master in the art of welcoming and making us feel at home, charming, educated, as well as highly professional. Hugo, a Portuguese young waiter, revealed distinct aptitudes, maturity and discretion. All these informal, but superior professionalism with the kitchen-front of house complicity relationship. 

Ambience and décor: 17/20

The restaurant is clean, classy with an romantic ambience.  The dining room is small and cosy, but noisy. Background music avoidable.

Food: 18/20

Food is cooked to perfection and extraordinary technic, presented with an amazing range of colours and plated with gentleness and detail. Textures and classic and vanguards techniques using high end and supreme quality products are characteristics of Gordon Ramsay's.

À la carte and tasting menus are available. To try as much as we could we opted for the tasting menu - Menu Prestige - composed of an amuse bouche, 3 starters, 1 fish dish and 1 meat dish, cheese or pre-dessert, dessert and petit fours. 

The lunch was all magical, but the "Sautéed foie gras with roasted veal sweetbreads and almond velouté" stood out for the creaminess of the foie and the connection between all components of the dish. Colourful and designed with precision, art on the table!!

Then off to a Ramsay's classic: "Ravioli of lobster, langoustine and salmon poached in a light bisque with a chervil velouté". The fresh pasta was filled with a winning trio, perfectly cooked, full of flavour with sea written all over it. The bisque had an intense aroma and a wonderful flavour, its was complex and with a magnificent consistency.

After we had the "Roasted fillet of Cornish turbot with coco beans, mousserons, morteau sausage and fennel pollen". The coco beans and the sausage are a classical combination and turbot impeccably cooked. The fennel is an essential component of the dish, but I would be better of without it…the fish would to.

"Roasted pigeon from Bresse with grilled polenta, smoked ventrèche and date sauce", complex Autumn dish (from one the Menu Prestige).

"Cannon of Cotswold lamb with confit breast and braised shank, navarin of summer vegetables", another fabulous complex Autumn dish (from the other Menu Prestige

"Agen prune crème brûlée with Granny Smith apple juice" to start with the desserts.

"Mango, jasmine and passion fruit soup" to keep going...

"Blackcurrant, violet, fennel and yoghurt génoise" to finalize beautifully.

Wine list: 19/20

We followed the sommelier's choice by the glass, the wine list, well the wine list was as thick as a bible.

Genre: French/Classic

Price: GBP125/person (plus wine)

Michelin:***

Date of visit: Autumn 2011

Overall: 18,5/20

Pros: Service, classic food, wine list

Cons: Ambiance and décor

Gordon Ramsay at 68 Royal Hospital Road
London
SW3 4HP
Phone: +44 020 7352 4441
Fax: +44 020 7592 1213
royalhospitalroad@gordon ramsay.com