Jennifer

I heard end of April. They've had a few teething troubles.

Mondays are difficult, but I would swap Cinc Sentits for any of those you mention - you'll eat better in CS and for about the same price.

A somewhat belated (and prosaic, given subsequent posts) response to the sea cucumber question. It is so little known outside Catalunya that it often appears on menus as "espardenya", in quotation marks, because the non-Catalan-speaking Spanish don't recognise its castellano translation - cohombro. Espardenya, incidentally, is Catalan for espadrille - which it's supposed to resemble, lying flat on the sea bed. (I think in France it's known as 'sandale de mer'). If anyone has Alan Davidson's superb Companion to Food, look up the entry for sea cucumber. I guarantee you will not read a more entertaining snippet of food writing this year.

I couldn't really say - I was unaware of it myself (I'm British) until recently. Somehow I doubt it. Apart from Adrià, chefs here are quite catalanocentric - they seem happier talking to Catalan magazines than Spanish (although I guess that doesn't preclude their being aware of what's being said over the pond.) In the Basque Country it's maybe different. Chefs like Arzak need to look further afield to do what they do and survive - here, there are enough moneyed diners to keep them all afloat. These same moneyed diners, being Catalan, are happy to pay top dollar for yet another interpretation of crema catalana and other fiercely traditional dishes, which, going by the menus, suggests they are still very much the target audience. Not sure if that answers your question.

I'm still saving up for El Raco de Can Fabes, but I've heard now is the time to go - they are apparently expanding it later this year (golf courses and worse). A closer alternative, in town, might be Abac. The chef trained at El Raco with Santi Santamaria, and is still a disciple (as well as being the darling of the Spanish press right now). I haven't been to Ca l'Isidre, no, although others have recommended it. If you enjoyed that, you might like Gaig (actually anyone would like Gaig) - really wonderful, inventive cooking using simple combinations of top class ingredients. The tasting menu is a real treat, from the oysters in a creamy champagne sauce right through to the chocolate ganache rolled in crushed pink peppercorns and served with a floaty coconut foam. Certainly the best meal I've had here and probably the best meal I've had anywhere.

Maybe I could help - living in Barcelona, I've discovered my inner foodie. Someone was asking about Comerç 24 a while ago (before I discovered this site) - yes, it's good. It's fun in an El Bulli kind of way, but unlike a lot of restaurants with Bulli alumni at the helm (and, yes, there are quite a few) the food is excellent rather than just interesting. Can anyone tell me what the Gourmet magazine article about Barcelona said?