Girona - Massana

So, this is my last post in the Spain/France series.  Well, for the time being, until I make it to that culinary haven again, sooner rather than later.  And since Girona is the cradle of this era's creative chefs, we had to at least chalk up one star in this lovely city.  Being such poor planners, we took whatever was offered to us.  So the solitary Michelin star we managed to bag was at Massana, conveniently located in the Eixample Nord district, not far from the city centre and our hotel.

Named after the guy who has run it since 1986, the restaurant has a bright pine setting in comfy but by no means plush surrounds, nor does it attempt to be trendy.  Just simple and understated, and could pass off as a dining room in someone's home.  Service by our female server was very professional and knowledgeable, friendly with a touch of humor, but without being intrusive.  In some cases, we thought she stole the show over the food.  Shame I've forgotten her name now..

Glass of Cava and we were ready to commence The Gastronomic Menu, which starts with 6 tapas to whet the appetite.

Foccacia with prime quality cured ham (foreground)
Cream of tomato, melon and crunchy duck ham

Cod, virgin olive oil and frozen tomato

Tinned beetroot with watermelon

Blini with leek, king prawn and bacon

Creamy mushroom fritter

All starters were innovative while respecting the original excellent quality of the local produce used.  Suffice to say, we were wowed!

Marinated sardines, served on flat bread with tomato and basil tartare and balsamic ice cream

This was easily the best dish of the night for me, and I still dream of how fresh the sardines were and that oh so complementary balsamic ice cream on the top.  A wondrous combination of the freshest ingredients which matches some of the best sashimi places I've been lucky to eat at.

Razor clam from the Galician Rias, citrus fruits and cauliflower

This was a novel way to eat razor clams, which are similar to the bamboo clams we get an abundance of in Hong Kong.  Very fresh and the citricity was a nice balance to the mayo like sauce.

Rabbit shoulders in warm pickle and mushrooms

A tasty product from what was likely a stew done for hours with tender meat.  Pickles were a nice touch against the salinity but from this dish on, the rest of the dishes unfortunately failed to sustain the wow factor, and while very competent, one major complaint was the unusually high salt factor which seemed to increase with every dish.  

Creamy rice with "escorpora" and sea cucumber

I didn't know what an "esccorpora" is but I found out later that the fish is reddish with many spikes and which some translate to be a scorpion fish.  Not something we catch off the South China Sea I suppose.  Bouncy flesh akin to fugu.  But alas everything was overpowered by salt, as was the next dish.

Loin of cod with wild mushroom sauce

Aside from the salt, a little overcooked by Asian standards.

Pork neck, tender and crunchy textures, black sausage and citric fruit salad

A lot more well balanced than the preceding courses but by then we were reaching our limits.  Pity.  Crackling was awesome though.

Choco-passion fruit and "marialluisa"

Any European restaurant worth its salt (pun intended!) will redeem itself with dessert.  And this one did not disappoint.  The use of "marialluisa", Spanish for lemon verbena, provided the tangy freshness which paired well with the usually cloying passion fruit and chocolate combo.  

Rum savarin, apricot ice cream and purple fruit tea crumble

But if the sardines were my favorite savory dish of the evening, this was my favorite sweet one.  A well soaked cake but not overpowered by alcohol, it was lovely and moist and matched by the apricot ice cream, even if I didn't care too much for the crumble.  A nice end to a meal of hits and misses.

I wished we hadn't encountered the salt problem.  Part of the rationale could have been that we didn't drink as much, opting not to go with the wine pairing.  But still, I could feel a heart attack waiting to happen by the end of the night.  If sodium levels weren't so high, it would have been one of the best meals.  

Bonastruc de Porta, 10

17001 Girona

Tel: +34 972 21 38 20

Barcelona - Comerc, 24

Barcelona is very much the cradle of newer cuisine.  Ferran Adria has left his mark in many places, and Carles Abellan, the owner of Comerc, 24 has worked for Adria at El Bulli and has also managed his other ventures.  Needless to say, there is an Adria mark on the food at Comerc, 24.  The food is served very much tapas style, all in reasonably small portions, but there are enough courses in the tasting menu so you don't leave hungry.

Choice of breads and oils

They are quick to impress as soon you are all settled, ordered (ie. left it to the chef), and served the apertifs.  A wooden case with 4 Spanish olive oils and 3 freshly baked loaves delivered to the counter seat where we were.  This is probably the only place on our whole trip where we had any semblance of a warm loaf.  The 4 oils were distinctly different and interestingly so.  Pity I didn't take better notes.

Dinner was 10 courses (excluding desserts).  There were many hits and while all were executed well, some were a little more blah.  Here's a glimpse into the Festival Menu.

Cauliflower with smoked tea and nori
Cauliflower with rice vinegar and ginger
Monkfish with black sesame and black garlic

The fish section was a decent enough starter, alongside the cauliflower cold soup with smoked tea and nori.  No wows.  But the vinegared cauliflower was too much reminiscent of the type of pickled cauliflower you get from the tableside little pot at your local wanton noodle shop.  So it did nothing for me except remind me of home.

Filo, Parma, Basil and Lemon

 A nice savory take on the local Catalan biscuit version.

Pizza 24

This was a wowzer primarily because everything was so fresh.  Tomatoes, figs, Burrata and Basil are definitely best friends.

Sardines with Orange and fresh Wasabi

Same wow factor with fresh sardines, given a tang by the citrusy orange.  The wasabi was mild enough not to intrude and the crushed dry-fried pine nuts were just clever.

Tuna tartar

Another wow.  We've all had chopped tuna (a chutoro cut no less) topped with salmon roe.  But to seal them with an egg yolk sauce was just plain touch of heaven.  Really didn't want this one to end.

Consomme with Parmesan, Truffle and Egg

This one was great for the novelty factor.  White for Parmesan, Yellow for Egg and of course, Black for Truffle.  Tasted good too - the flavors coming through more than it looked.

Cod with Romesco

The zucchini flower is always welcome.  Good overall but the cod was an ok for me.

Duck rice with Foie

Another one of his specialties, we thought it was too small since it was really good.  But we understood why since the ball of foie cream did get rich and heavy.  Meant to be eaten all together, this was the epitome of duck coming through.  Again the crunch was clever to lift away some of the heaviness and the chewing allowed you to savor the goodness for that much longer.

To cleanse our senses, we weren't told to go outside to get some fresh air.  Instead we were served a couple of sprigs of Rosemary in a bowl of hot water and just told to breathe.  Ah.....

Whiting with Mediterranean Vinaigrette

Good but not great.  It felt that the whiting might have been over-vinegared very slightly, but the crisp fish skin was a nice touch.

Sirloin with Turnips

Very decent cut of beef but the turnips were clever and light, especially since we were nearing the end and getting full (though not uncomfortable).  It was also reminiscent of the soft radish from a braised beef brisket consomme in Hong Kong.

Dessert was 5 courses.  Probably the most we had at any place.

Lemon Ice Tea

 Light start to switch into dessert mode.  Not a real fan of pineapple though.

Yogurt/Cherry

Loved the lightness of this one.  Great palate cleanser and felt like breakfast all over again.

Recuit Napolita with Strawberries

This was my least favorite since the cheese chosen was a little too blue for me.  A tad too strong and overpowered everything else in the little pot.

Apple/Saffron

 Nice build up with chocolate bits, to the grand finale.

Conguitos C, 24

This was my favorite.  It really was reminiscent of a chilled Peanut M&M, as our server warned.  And boy was it the grand finale of desserts.  Excellent.

Petit fours

The green tea white chocolate deserves special mention!

Overall, an excellent experience which although executed in the heart of Catalan, were nothing short of an infusion of international cultures, especially Japanese.  Thoroughly enjoyable.  Special thanks to @g4gary for the recommendation!

Carrer Comerc, 24
Barcelona 08003
Tel: +34- 933192102