El Raco de Can Fabes

[docsconz]

John, thank you very much.  The kid was not on the menu that day (the lamb was).  I inquired about it and was told that the restaurant was not currently serving kid and that this dish was unavailable.  However, when the time came for a meat course, we were served kid – a surprising gesture we greatly appreciated.  The reason for my interest in the kid at Can Fabes was your original report, which made me want to try Santamaria’s sous vide interpretation.  However, when I specifically asked whether the meat was cooked sous vide, I was told no, that the version we were served was roasted for three hours instead.  There is of course a possibility that the waiter wasn’t properly informed; however, the meat (unfortunately stringy and tough) tasted roasted, flavor and texture wise, unless Santamaria managed to achieve a result similar to roasting through the caramelizing process.  We have had more than just one version of sous vide meats, including kid at Abac, all of which had very distinctive textural similarities and were not comparable to the version we were served at Can Fabes. 

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I must say that this strikes me as being peculiar. How far into the meal was it when you were served the kid? That they would tell you the dish was unavailable and then provide a roasted version that roasted for three hours is indeed strange to me. Unless your meal ws exceedingly long, they must have already been roasting the kid when you asked about it. It is then strange that they wouldn't have told you of it then. If they made it specifically for you, then it must have been roasted as they clearly would not have had enough time to cook it sous vide. If the latter, that was a nice gesture on their part even if it didn't fully work out to your satisfaction.

[Bux]

I must say that this strikes me as being peculiar. How far into the meal was it when you were served the kid? That they would tell you the dish was unavailable and then provide a roasted version that roasted for three hours is indeed strange to me. Unless your meal ws exceedingly long, they must have already been roasting the kid when you asked about it. It is then strange that they wouldn't have told you of it then. If they made it specifically for you, then it must have been roasted as they clearly would not have had enough time to cook it sous vide. If the latter, that was a nice gesture on their part even if it didn't fully work out to your satisfaction.

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Undoubtedly peculiar to me as well. My guess runs towards the idea that perhaps several orders had just come in and they thought they didn't have enough cooking to supply any more diners. That, or course, is simply pure speculation on my part.

[Bu Pun Su]

Hi,

How far is Raco Can Fabes from Barcelona? What would be the best way to get there and return back? Do they serve the same menu for lunch and dinner? Thanks

[Silly Disciple]

Hi,

How far is Raco Can Fabes from Barcelona? What would be the best way to get there and return back? Do they serve the same menu for lunch and dinner? Thanks

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Barcelona to Sant Celoni is about 50-something kilometers. Driving is a good option. You could also take the train to Sant Celoni and then a taxi to the restaurant, however this would only work for lunch since the last train back into Barcelona is around 10:30pm.

Not sure if the menus are the same, but I would tend to think so.

[pedro]

Yes, the menus are the same.

[Judith Gebhart]

Yes, the menus are the same.

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Why is Pedro reviewing this restaurant again? It is apparent that Santi has not altered his menu since last year. I fail to comprehend why this is a culinary item for this forum?? Judith Gebhart

[milla]

Yes, the menus are the same.

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Why is Pedro reviewing this restaurant again? It is apparent that Santi has not altered his menu since last year. I fail to comprehend why this is a culinary item for this forum?? Judith Gebhart

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i think he was answering a question that was asked about whether the lunch and dinner menus are the same.

Regardless, it would be a culinary item if someone actually made an inquiry, no?

[pedro]

Yes, the menus are the same.

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Why is Pedro reviewing this restaurant again? It is apparent that Santi has not altered his menu since last year. I fail to comprehend why this is a culinary item for this forum?? Judith Gebhart

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a) Thanks, Milla, you're right.

Judith, read the thread, or at least the latest posts. I'm not reviewing Can Fabes again, I'm simply answering a question posted upthread about whether they serve the same menus during lunch and dinner. Does the sentence "Yes, the menus are the same" really qualify as a review in your book?

b) What's wrong with not changing the menu for a year? Something which, by the way, Santi did among other reasons due to the change of seasons. Why are you saying he did not?.

On a different note, and letting aside for a minute seasonality, is it mandatory to change a menu with any given frequency? Keep in mind that there are also practitioners in the hypervanguard camp who don't change the menu that ofter or that introduce changes in it that could be qualified as subtle, to say the least. Nothing wrong about it in my book.

c) I wouldn't call Can Fabes a culinary item of this forum. In fact, I'd say that there are more people in this forum that question Can Fabes' quality and Santi than people supporting them. That's fine, though I'm on the side of those who believe that Santi is one of the finest chefs in the country. I hope that's fine too, Judith.

[vserna]

Count me in the same camp, Pedro. Santi is a pros' pro (and he knows how to surround himself with very gifted younger cooks). And, of course, I too understood that you weren't 'reviewing' Can Fabes again, but responding to a specific query.

One more note: in general, menus tend to be the same for lunch and dinner in Spain. The idea of a shorter, lighter, less expensive menu for lunch hasn't really caught on here, for whatever reason. It would be interesting to hear opinions on that situation - and examples of people who do offer different menus. I know that there are a few - but not a whole lot, I think.

Edited March 20, 2006 by vserna (log)

[Bu Pun Su]

Thanks for the responds everyone.

Good to know that they serve the same menu for both lunch and dinner.

Should we really eat there, lunch is more likely since we don't plan to stay overnight in Sant Celoni (and the fact that dinner would be too late for the return).

I have never been to Spain before. Do you think I need to book the train in advance from Barcelona to Sant Celoni? Or I could just show up in the station and purchase the tickets. Last, how much is the prix-fixe menu there? Is it still about 130 euros for 13 courses?

[pedro]

You don't need to book the train advance. Actually, for that distance, I doubt you could book it in advance at all.

Regarding prices, take a look at Can Fabes.

[Corinna Dunne]

And could I add one more query to those above?

Is Espai Coch part of the Can Fabes building or does it operate as a completely separate entity? From reading earlier threads it appears that the food (on a more limited menu) comes from the same kitchen. If this is the case, how does it differ, apart from probably not including luxury ingredients?

Thanks for your help.

Bu Pun Su, we had a wonderful meal in Can Fabes nearly a year ago. Sheer perfection.

[pedro]

Yes, Corinna, Espai Coch is part of the Can Fabes building but it has its own separate entry. The kitchen is the same for the two restaurants, but Espai Coch works with a fix prix menu where you can choose a starter, a second course, a main course and the dessert, wines included.

As you guessed, it doesn't include luxury ingredients and the preparations tend to be more simple than those of Can Fabes.

[IFS]

After having read some reviews I felt I needed to go and experience Can Fabes myself.

It was the worst nightmare I ever encountered in my culinary life. They served us a surprise menu of mostly left-overs, the dishes besides one or two were not elaborate at all, two dishes were not eatable. Not even one star. Service was arrogant at first and then helpless.

For more details and pictures see my report on my blog. Even writing the report made me sick.

I cannot belive that something like this can actually happen in a three star restaurant. We had several moments when we wanted to stop and leave, complaint ("then we are doing something else"???) and it got a little better, at least the dishes turned out to be eatable.

What happened there? Is it a tourist rip-off now? Have they forget how to cook? I am totally puzzled...