Two weeks ago I went to Barcelona for a quick break. I’m a wee bit partial to fine dining and from December last year we decided to always eat at a Michelin starred restaurant (where possible) in whichever city we were holidaying in. For Barcelona, we picked Cinc Sentits for three reasons: firstly it wasn’t all fish based (Catalonia seems to be a bit obsessed with fish), secondly it wasn’t fully booked as you can only booked up to 2 weeks in advance and thirdly it was authentic Catalan cuisine. I don’t see the point in going to a fancy restaurant if they aren’t going to serve you food from the region, or at least hints of the area.

Cinc Sentits is very small and intimate. It means ‘five senses’ in Catalan and only serves tasting menus - the idea being to try lots of small courses to stimulate the senses. The menu is very simple; there is a long 8 course option, or the short 6 course option. Between Steven and my allergies, we could not eat much of the short option so had to go for the longer one, making the decision of what to eat very easy!

Spring vegetables, jamón cream, poached quail egg

Caramelized foie gras coca, thin pastry crust, glazed leeks, chive arrope

Chestnut velvet, smoked quail breast, sherry gelatine, black truffle

Bullit de peix & arròs sec, saffron allioli

Pyrenees veal cheek - 8 hours sous-vide, black truffle, celery sorbet

Raspberry sorbet, pistachio cake, vanilla bean cream

Chocolate, violet, lime, strawberry, red currant, blood orange

The sugars for the tea & coffee

Overall the food, service and ambiance, as expected, was amazing. Perhaps the only thing I was imagining more of was the “five senses” element. My taste buds and eyes loved it, but I thought we would get some more experimental stuff with sounds (such as Heston Blumenthal who plays crunching noises when eating crispy food) or finger food for the touch sense. Never mind, definitely recommended!