Restaurant: Montiel
Location: Calle Flassaders, 19, 08003 Barcelona
Date: June 11, 2016
Cuisine: Catalan
Rating: Great meal
For my birthday, we decided to “upscale” from tapas to Montiel, a gastronomic recommended by my pal Sebastian (and also extremely highly rated online).
The frontage on a tiny cute street in an older quarter. You can’t even drive in here and the cab had to let us out several blocks away.
The space is sleek with that Euro-modern fusion of old materials and new.
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The menu.
A bottle of cava was first up!
Cucumber sorbet with…
Strawberry gazpacho. Awesomely refreshing in combo. Neither the sorbet or the gazpacho was super sweet. The strawberry had a hint of vinegar as well as so was a true gazpacho in some way. The texture on the sorbet was pleasantly grainy.
Amberjack ceviche. Tiger’s milk sorbet. Peppers. A very bright and zingy treatment of the raw fish, super clean. The peppers packed a bit of short duration punch too. Best all in combo like the previous dish.
Catalan cheese. Our 7 year-old enjoyed this plate of special local medium aged cheese.
After the cave, I explored into Priorat bianco, which is made from white Grenache. Interesting and full bodied, like a white Rhone.
White asparagus from Navarra. Wild mushrooms and egg from their own farm. A classic mix of seasonal asparagus and egg and mushroom.
Tomato and pesto salad.
Cat of the day. Fresh prawns with rice and jamon iberico. Paella rice and shrimp taken up a notch by the fatty ham.
Different less shellfishy fish of the day with olives.
2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 ‘Selección Especial’. On the nose, notes of dark cherry, mushrooms, aged oak. Similar notes on the palate, plus some dirt/tar, wet stones, and evolving tertiary notes. Even after several hours of decanting tasted younger than 2004 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904, with plenty of tannins, even though well integrated. Clearly, not anywhere close to its peak yet, can easily cellar for 10+, if not 20, more years. Excellent balance and complexity.
Duck and pears ravioli. Foie Gras. Liquor of wine sauce. Delicious and super rich of course. I could have eaten several (and suffered for it).
Suckling pig with cauliflower creme. Perfectly tender with crispy skin. Not at all leathery.
Paella rice with vegetables and fish.
Paella rice with just vegetables.
White vermouth sorbet. Citric and red vermouth. A delightfully refreshing intermediate.
Chocolate textures with hazelnut praline. The tubes of gelled chocolate were stuffed with the creme. Then there were all sorts of extra textures.
Birthday cake. For my birthday I received this bonus third dessert which was a rich nut cream and delicious.
Petite fours. White chocolate citrus, chocolates, and a rum thing.
Here is my (present) immediate family, looking slightly heavier than when we entered a few hours before.
Montiel served a delightful meal. Rooted in Catalan tradition, with a bit of modernism, but every dish was very tasty.