Cinc Sentits

LOCATION
In the L’Eixample district, the closest metro stop is Passeig de Gràcia.

DETAILS
Cinc Sentits devotes itself entirely to guests’ sensory appreciation of food, with each and every aspect of the dining experience designed to heighten the restaurant’s namesake “five senses”. The minimalist dining room sees burgundy banquettes flank tables laid with white linen and cream-hued floral arrangements in cubed vases – a modern yet simple setting that allows dishes to shine to their full potential in this one-Michelin starred venue. While a contemporary Catalan à la carte menu is available, the restaurant has received most accolades for its elaborate, creative tasting menus.

FOOD & BEVERAGE
Each dish on the eight-course Sensacions Degustación menu comes as a complete surprise to diners, featuring the restaurant’s most talked-about signature dishes, while the six-course Essencia Degustación focuses on larger portions comprised of seasonal ingredients. Throughout dishes, head chef Jordi Artal harnesses his Catalan heritage and globe-trotting past for modern twists on traditional meals. Local produce features heavily at each stage of the menu – sabayon spiked with Cava is layered with warm maple syrup, chilled cream and rock salt in a shot-style amuse bouche; ajo blanco, a classic room-temperature soup made with crushed almonds and garlic, is served beneath plump tiger shrimp with compressed melon and almond ice; scallops hand-collected by Galician divers are elevated with sweet Jerusalem artichoke purée, roasted onion glaze and crunchy jamón ibérico ‘chips’; and a neat square of locally-farmed Iberian suckling pig is slow-roasted to perfection and served with a Priorat (a red wine from Catalonia) and honey glaze, apple purée and slices of the fruit caramelized in Ratafia (a local liqueur made with cherry kernels and almonds).

Artal’s sister Amélia selects the wines and runs the floor (alongside her attentive, multilingual service team) which seats just 35 patrons to ensure maximum attention from staff. For extra-dedicated gastronomes, half-glass selections are matched course-by-course from her acclaimed list, which focuses on up-and-coming Spanish wine regions and boutique bodegas.