At long last we managed to have lunch at Moments restaurant. The delayed opening meant we missed the chance on our last visit to Barcelona. We were pleasantly surprised by the interior, as the Mandarin Oriental website does not do it justice. It is a beautiful room that is both stylish and comfortable.
We were greeted by a familiar face, Carlos formerly of the Foliage in London. One of our regular haunts. He presented us with a glass each of Carme Ruscelleda’s 20th anniversary Cava. Without hesitation we decided on the tasting menu (125 euro’s ouch!) along with a lovely selection of wines by the glass.
The meal began with the famous Appetizers Micro Menu which consisted of four appetizers one for each season. We then had a very artistic dish based on “Miros Bird” the original which we understand hangs in Carme Ruscelleda’s restaurant in Tokyo. This was followed by a very refreshing dish of cuttlefish and peas then a very moreish crayfish dish with morel cream. Next came an unusual but successful combination of flavours. Sea Bass with strawberry chutney. There was a choice of main courses. Tuna Cheek or Iberian Pork. The Tuna cheek in particular was stunning. We then moved on to the cheese course and two desserts simply named “Red” and “White”. We both agreed that the Red was our favourite as this was a standout dish and not just because it used popping candy!
We finished the meal with the Eight Pastry Divertimenti. A selection of Petit-fours presented on a three tier cake stand.
After the meal we were introduced to the head chef Raul Balam (Carme Ruscelleda’s son). It’s always nice to be able to tell the chef how much we enjoyed the meal.
The restaurant is too new to have been awarded a Michelin star or should I say stars as it will undoubtedly pick up more than one in the not too distant future, it is certainly a rival to its 3 star sister restaurant Sant Pau in Sant Pol de Mer.
WARNING: Dining at Moments can seriously damage your appreciation of other restaurants. Every other restaurant, even ones you really rated start to look scruffy and unprofessional in comparison. The attention to detail at MO is second to none.
UPDATE December 2010 – Moments awarded a Michelin Star in the 2011 Michelin Guide. In my view they merit two. For more information, see :-
UPDATE November 2012 – Moments awarded their second Michelin Star. Saw that one coming!
Marks out of 10
Food 8.3
Service 8.2
Ambience 8.5
