The established Mandarin Oriental Hotel Barcelona’s premier fine dining restaurant, 2 Michelin starred Moments lead by chef Carme Ruscalleda and her son Raül Balam has built a strong reputation for serving some of the finest cuisine in the whole of Catalonia. Chef Carme who won many accolades over the years for her restaurants from Spain to Japan, now brings the very best gastronomy to the Catalan state.

This award-winning restaurant has a contemporary appeal with elegant furnishings, luxurious carpeting, polished wooden floors and a classy gold amber colour scheme. The natural lighting that envelops the space through the floor to ceiling windows, accompanied by top notch service sets the mood and makes an ideal setting for an enjoyable meal filled with special moments.

The à la carte and tasting menu that changes with the season will leave even discerning gourmets spellbound, filled with the freshest produce and sustainable ingredients around. Start your meal with warm whole grain bread prepared exclusively for Moments and presented whole table side, before being deftly cut for diners by the well trained service staff.

A house specialty include the Salmorejo (tomato soup similar to Gazpacho.) that will remind one of summer, made with garlic, onion and finished with edible flowers, cucumber and Spanish cheese. Called Velvet because of the texture you are going to feel in your mouth on consumption that is smooth, rich and indulgent. Hearty to the palate and pleasing to the eyes with a splash of colours from red, orange and green.

The exquisitely prepared Llorito or also known as Parrot Fish is fried scales on with Pebresco sauce (similar to Romesco but with green pepper added giving it an greenish algae hue) from Catalonia region where fishermen are known to make this sauce to eat with fish. The scales are a delightfully crispy and adds a nice crunch to this simple yet delicious course.

“A La Maresmenca” Tartar  is made of red tuna on a base of Romesco sauce (a traditional tomato based sauce from Tarragona made with pine nuts, roasted tomatoes, garlic, toasted almonds, pine nuts, olive oil and nyora peppers), a bit of soya and confit onions with shallot ice cream center. The soya sauce that has been reduced adds a touch of sweetness while the Catalan staple brings a savoury nuttiness that goes very well with the fresh fish.

Entering into the Tokyo zone of the tasting menu with Caviar, sushi deconstructed on a plate of creamed rice, zucchini gelatin and flower, seaweed (nori) with raw lady finger (okra) topped with beluga caviar which is the “fish” portion of the “sushi”. Various complex techniques are used to construct this dish which is innovative and intriguing at the same time.

One of the best paella in the whole of Catalunya can be found here in Moments, carnaroli rice perfectly done al dente with shrimp and a delectable bisque packed with essences of the sea cooked using the heads of prawns. A crowd favourite dish so popular that it is available at all three of chef Carme’s restaurants from Spain to Japan.

Iberico fans will be ecstatic with Iberian Pork Anko, beautifully plated tender pork meat drenched in pork jus with fresh figs and a splash of gold. The anko black bean gelatin, black garlic sauce, sudachi sauce though all different on it’s own, compliments the meat when eaten together. The choice of pig native to the Iberian peninsula (a mountainous region covering the central and southern parts of Spain) is due to their simply divine nutty taste from the diet of acorns.

An extensive collection of wines can be found at Moments that has been carefully curated to go with the dishes served. Choice pours are the dense and deep aromas of Coma Alta, Priorat vintage 2015 and the rich and intense Castro Candaz Finca el Curvado vintage 2017.  Sommeliers on duty are happy to give guidance on wine parings. A selection of non alcoholic beverages are also available.

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