Cinc Sentits

My first 2 star experience and a relaxing and cozy one. During this trip to Barcelona, we ran through a gamut of cuisines, first focusing on traditional tapas before venturing out into some fusion. Tasting elevated Catalan classics was a great cap to the trip.

To begin, we were ushered into a welcoming area with wooden stands that served as the furniture for presenting the welcome course, a series of bites showcasing the molecular gastronomy prowess of the chef and a nouveau experience of the flavors of Spain.

1) For our welcome course, our three bites were: Faifo olive, tomato sofrito with parsley jelly and san Filippo anchovy, and crispy chicken skin with pine nut emulsion + chicken liver parfait + prune macerated in vi ranci. The welcome house literally is presented so that each bite is a smooth olive-shaped object that consists of all of these ingredients mixed into 3 separate bites. At the end, we got to have the I think was either the vi ranci or vinho verde (green wine) in a glass and it was absolutely the best mix of fresh and sweet like an alcoholic green grape.

The bread was delicious and the olive oil they produce is phenomenal. I would buy a bottle of that stuff.

For drinks I ordered the Most Flor from Llopart, basically an elevated non-alcoholic grape juice. This is by far the best grape juice I've ever had in my life.

2) Porrusalda was delicious with the crispy string potatoes and smoked trout roe being the star. The leek and potato foam made the whole thing so smooth and it was also nice to see it served in an eggshell

3) The prawn dish wasn't super special, just a nice cured prawn tail with some crunchy elements in the crisp and croquette

4) It was nice to see the chestnut represented in several ways as a mimetic chestnut that was actually made of candy shell and chestnut paste as well as the savory chestnut element served with a fried quail egg. The taste wasn't the most eye opening but it was very visually appealing

5) Scallop - again not super special but an opportunity to taste the famed Iberian ham in chip form

6) Medieval beef - definitely the most boring dish here. braised oxtail with wine sauce is a flavor that's super common and then the nixtamalized squash was just basically eating semi-soft versions of these vegetables. I'm not really sure what the nixtamalization did as I was hoping it would strengthen the flavor.

7) Trout - also kind of diasappointing in that the texture of this was slimy. I'm not sure if I liked gently warmed trout although I will say the aged sherry sauce and grilled pepper emulsion were by far the best sauce accompaniments of the night

8) Pork from sagas - solid tenderloin of pork, not much to write home about

Now we get into the trio of desserts
9) Tangerine and Saffron - I absolutely love sorbet so I'm probably a little biased but the meal definitely needed something refreshing and this was it

10) Fig - also a lovely dessert with presentation of two types of fig to have both the sweet caramel flavor from one fig and a fresh, herbaceous flavor from the other. What made this one super cool was they used liquid nitrogen to make frozen fig leaf cream that they ladled like dippin dots onto the dish

11) Last Temptations - a trio of mini desserts in the form of lemon tart, creama catalana, and chocolate + olive oil + bread. Overall, I don't remember too much of this one but I think they were solid molecular gastronomy representations of these desserts.

Finally they sent you home with a tube that contains a squeezable form of hot chocolate and cookies. A cool concept and a nice souvenir to take home. Rest assured I only waited until the next day when I flew home to enjoy and it was an experience.

Overall this was a cool experience of the flavors of the Catalan country and I felt that the quality of food and service was enough to warrant this as a lovely experience. Make reservations in advance, of course. I believe I had to reserve 2 months in advance.

I try to do one Michelin restaurant (if they have one) or at least one fine dining restaurant everywhere I go. For Barcelona, I've chosen this place based on the reviews. I was not disappointed. This was easily in my top 5 most favorite Michelin restaurants. The service from the entrance all the way to the end was quintessential and unequaled. We chose the tasting menu not the light one for the full experience. Each course seemed to get better and better and it's honestly hard to pick a favorite dish. 189 e for the tasting and 159 e for the light menu without the wine pairing. Highly recommend if you're in the area. We got a goodie bag to take home.

Look, normally I would write a long review for any restaurant to give the full experience, but I don't want to ruin this one. If you enjoy fine dining, superb food, and a wonderful, hash it out for a few hours type of experience at a Michelin-(two)starred restaurant, you CAN'T NOT get a reservation here.

I loved it all, even the dishes that contained things I'm not generally a big fan of. The whole experience was superb from the welcome and entry area pre-meal tasting to the whole dinner, we left feeling fulfilled and full.

I posted a few pics of some of the dishes and the general area, but beyond that, this is a place best experienced rather than read about. So go get a reservation (and get them early)...

Overall, this was a 5/5 experience even though some of the dishes didn't deliver a 5/5.

Let me say that the person who welcomed us, the sommelier, and Carolina were FANTASTIC--absolutely great service, friendly, knowledgeable, and personable.

As for the food--every course felt inventive, creative, and intentional. Again, the chef nailed it in most instances. The highlights of the experience include journeying from the countryside to the city of Barcelona, the freshness of ingredients, the commitment to local producers, and the marriage of flavors. The one lowlight was the last dish which offered a chocolate bite with too much salt and a lemon bite with too much sugar. Otherwise I thought the chef and team delivered a wonderful commitment to Catalan-inspired and commuted dishes.

The wine pairing was fantastic. Again, the sommelier was such a fun and knowledgeable person. Loved it!

5+ stars. I still dream about the saffron ice cream from this dinner.

Definitely a rare treat, everything from the food and the service was truly a gem. This was one of our last dinners in Barcelona and it really marked the end of a wonderful trip.

The master chefs here match unconventional flavors together and create flavor profiles that you won't find anywhere else.

Very elegant lunch, outstanding service, delicious food. We had a great experience here. They have an option for a lighter meal but the full experience was outstanding. Highly recommend this restaurant for its service and food

Cinc Sentits means "five senses" in Catalan, and this Michelin-starred restaurant seeks to engage each of the five senses through its dining experience with a menu featuring local Catalan ingredients! The adventure started with a visit to the "countryside," a room with a dark decor and tables resembling tree stumps. There, we started with a few welcome bites: an "olive" which exploded in the mouth; a cherry tomato made to look like a stone; crispy chicken skin topped with mushrooms; and a drink of house vermouth.

The meal then continued in the brightly lit dining room, meant to represent the "city." The "light tasting menu" consisted of 2 appetizers, 3 mains, and 3 desserts, and little cards with text described each of the dishes as they were presented to us.

The meal started with a fried artichoke plated at the top of a ceramic vase; and prawn croquettes topped with the prawn tail and a prawn crisp. The housemade bread came with two different local olive oils, butter, and salt. The mains included smoked eel served over brioche; grilled turbot served with peppery salsify and a creamy cava sauce; and my favorite, a plate of grilled pork tenderloin and pulled pork ribs, served with sides of pickled apple & celery and a salad of apple and radish.

For dessert, we started with a palate cleanser of tangerine sorbet served next to a creamy saffron curd, and the two components of this dish contrasted each other perfectly. The "Saint Madeleine's Trail" garden-inspired dessert included components like violet, rose, and jasmine pastry creams, wild strawberries, and orange blossom cream frozen in nitrogen. And for our "Last Temptations," we ended the meal with bites of a lemon tart; crema catalana (flavored with cinnamon, caramel, and orange) topped with a biscuit; and chocolate topped with crispy bread, salt, and pearls of olive oil. Finally, as we were celebrating a birthday, we were brought a complementary dessert: a ball of light, airy maple caramel cheesecake with flakes of edible gold on the outside!

Overall, this was an absolutely incredible dining experience with impeccable, attentive, coordinated service, and every dish was executed with care, plated beautifully, and explained to us in detail. Many of the dishes seemed to tell the story of the owner's Catalan roots, and at the end of our meal, we received a booklet to take home with a list of the local purveyors used and a list of the menu items we had just tried!

The most amazing culinary experience I've ever had. Expensive but worth the money. Service was impeccable & food exceeded all expectations.

My wife and I got the chefs table and it was literally the BEST.MEAL.OF.MY.LIFE. Full stop. The wine pairings were perfect. The execution was spot on. The creativity of the menu was on a level I've never had before. From peas, to sturgeon caviar, to hazelnuts, to pork....it was worth every penny and more. Will never forget this dinner. If you're in Barcelona and want to do one over-the-top meal, this is your best bet.

The only question I have is how does Cinc Sentits only have one Michelin star?? Add that the chef is self taught and wow what an even more impressive restaurant. It was an amazing experience from start to finish. From the food to the service to the ambience, we loved it!

We started by coming into a space that is supposed to depict the earth and enjoyed 3 bite-size appetizers and a glass of vermouth in a more casual environment. All delicious.

Then we were escorted to the dining room for the tasting menu. I loved that they brought cards listing what we were about to eat. Such a small but unique touch. I loved all of the dishes! They were beautifully presented and so delicious. I loved that we were to focus on our 5 senses to enjoy each course. It's worth every penny to come here when you're in Barcelona, it was one of my favorite meals ever!