It has been a couple of months since the visit but I finally took the time to post this review. I would firstly like to thank all eGulleters who with their suggestions made our days in Barcelona much more culinary satisfying. All the eGullet recommended places we dined at were spot on, the other impulse tries were, perhaps not surprisingly, sometimes quite appalling. So to Cinc Sentits (five senses). Unfortunately our budget only allowed for one fine dining experience and I had initially opted and booked at Commerc 24, mostly due to the more Ferran Adria style cuisine. A week or so before our departure I was pouring over some threads on C24, and kind of panicked. It seemed you either could have a truly marvelous evening at C24 or an absolutely horrid one, with the chances being roughly equal to either experience. Should I chance it, with the possibility that our supposedly finest dinner become a horrible experience? After sifting through the Barcelona threads some more I came up with the solution. Cinc Sentits, the statistics for Cinc Sentits seemd to be that you either got a wonderful evening or a just acceptable one, not a horrid one. Luckily they could on very short notice accommodate us on Saturday the 27:th of January. I had booked the earliest time, 20:30, being touristing foreigners from Northern Europe I expected we would have managed to build up quite an appetite by that "relatively early" hour. And rightly so, after Picasso, Gaudi, and in particular my female traveling companions shopping frenzy we were ready to dine. We took the Metro to l`Eixample were Cinc Sentits is situated, first stopping at the Font Magica for the nice show. As we arrived we were warmly greeted by Jordis (the chefs) mother. Only two other couples were there at that time, all foreigners. But later on more and more people would come, mostly locals I guessed from what they were speaking. The dress code seemed to be quite relaxed. A local couple was sitting opposite our table, they seemed both bored to death of each other and the food. The bloke was dressed in a shirt and blue jeans. The restaurant itself is quite small and minimalistically decorated with a see through kitchen (don't expect any Ramsay telling offs here though, I can't remember hearing anything from the kitchen at all). So on to the nine courses of glorious food which was served during one and a half hours time or so. First up was the by now mandatory CS Shot amuse bouche. A layered shot of warm maple syrup, chilled cream, cava sabayon, and some rock salt at the bottom. The shot reminded me a little bit of the liquid caramel truffles from l'Artisan du Chocolat in London, very tasty and sweet but I think I would have preferred it after the meal. The shot was within minutes followed by Quails eggs in veloute with nuts, and something I understood (probably incorrectly though) as Sabol flower. The comforting Quails eggs were quickly and pleasantly swallowed after which the younger and more enthusiastic of the two waiters presented us with a selection of mini bread rolls. We had a choice of Walnut, Olive, and plain white bread rolls, during the evening we tried them all. To me they were quite delicious, in particular the Walnut one. Then we were presented with Foie Gras on a puff pastry base with caramelized leeks, chives, and a Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar. The crisp top layer of the Foie had been caramelized with sugar. The Foie was perfect, probably my second favorite dish of the evening. A few minutes later we were served a single big Galician scallop with Jerusalem Artichoke puree, leeks, and sea salt. Very nice. The fifth dish was Sea Bass on bed of Risotto. Again this was perfectly executed, super crispy skin with then meat perfectly done. Now came our younger waiters favorite (as he joyously pointed out) Iberian suckling pig with a caramelized apple wedge, apple compote, and a red wine reduction sauce. Incredibly tender. I had expected a slightly darker and gamey taste but I guess the baby pigs probably hadn't had time yet to really "develop" their flavor. The desert courses started with a cheese and Walnut cake. These didn't leave a truly lasting impression on me. I'm sure they were both good but I remember asking myself at the time if they go so well together. What really blew my mind was the citrus sorbet with a warm and sour citrus sauce and vodka foam. The flavor contrasts of the two citrus parts were amazing. It really woke me up. Hidden beneath the sorbet was also a sponge cake of some sort. Last but not least came a chocolate crocant nougat with a walnut ice cream with a string of Nutella on the side. These desserts were good and tasty but perhaps not as characteristic as some of the other dishes. To summarize the dinner I must say that both I and my dinner companion were rewarded with a truly memorable evening. All the dishes were cooked absolutely flawlessly, the only minuscule criticism I could have was the sometimes somewhat over generous sprinkling of salt on some dishes. We spent just about over three and a half hours there, leaving a little past midnight. Lastly, I would like to thank my beautiful dinner companion Simone for being the wonderful person she is making the evening truly magnificent, and also wish her a very happy birthday (since it just so happens to be her birthday today).
