Manairo

Creative Catalan cuisine

 

Manairo

Located just a few blocks away from the Barcelona's landmark Sagrada Familia Basilica, Manairo is a 1 Michelin starred restaurant headed up by talented chef Jordi Herrera. Manairo is renown for its contemporary takes on Catalan cuisine using modern techniques as well as some unusual and creative elements. As it is one of the few restaurants that was close to Sagarada Familia, with a big reputation, I decided to pay a lunch visit on my way to see the great architecture work of Gaudi's. Like most other Michelin restaurants in Barcelona, you have two tasting menus to chose from as well as a la carte.

Crispy beef and curry

Pork jowls with mustard and herring

Fried Gorgonzola pizza and truffle

"a la Meuniere" mackerrel

Fishy gatzspaccho

Fish sausages with beans stew

Appetizer of pork jowls showcased how amazing pork produce Spain can offer with a lovely crispy and a melt in your mouth meaty texture. The Squid dish contained some delightful sweet squid tartare with a finely seasoned onion broth that tasted so defined. Dish of the day had to be the foie gras ravioli, the bitterness of the coffee oil worked so well with the truffle and it really brought out the lovely richness and earthiness of the foie gras. Desserts at Manairo were excellent, they have taken a classic combo of strawberry and cream to a new high with some extremely light and refreshing tastes that you could eat it all day long. Soft rock of chocolate and goats milk ice cream had just the right level of bitterness and sweetness without challenging your palate, it was indeed very enjoyable.

Squid broth with onions

Foie gras ravioli, truffle foam and coffee oil

Calamari of fried egg

Fakir grilled beef tenderlion

Strawberry and cream

Soft rock of chocolate and goat milk ice cream

The 12 course tasting menu at Manairo was an interesting experience, while it might have sounded like a lot of food, each course is designed for the diners to finish in a few mouth-fulls. With the creative and forward thinking takes of ingredients use, expect plenty of new and fun tasting experiences that change the way you think about flavours, there is a chance you might find some dishes too strange or bizarre especially if you are a traditionalist, but Jordi Herrera clearly showcased his great understanding of how flavours match without being gimmicky, which is such a hard skill to pull off. They also have a pretty special way to introduce guests to their table which I found both original and fun so I wouldn't spoil it, Manairo is well worth checking out. 

Food 4/5

Executive chef: 
Jordi Herrera

What I paid: 
£55 pp with water

Average cost without drinks and services:
Tasting menu: £50

Carrer de la Diputació, 424, 08013 Barcelona, Spain

http://www.manairo.com/