Once I step in a Michelin restaurant, I always have high expectations from the service down to the food (and yes even the bathroom!). So without further ado, here's my blow by blow account of what went down at Lasarte, Barcelona's highest Michelin rated establishment garnering two stars.

1. Ambiance: Unlike other high end restaurants, Lasarte is brightly lit, which means good food photos and no reason to doze off during a 2-3 hour meal. The vibe exudes understated elegance- crisp white linens, expensive platters (Made in Germany, mind you), and a modern, impeccably clean bathroom; all of which something my grandma's and my generation would love.

2. Service: Needs a little bit more training since I can tell some (younger) servers were apprehensive on where and when they had to put down the plate. Their military style of serving is not as polished as Manresa's although all of the staff were very courteous throughout our meal.

3. Food: It is easy to understand why Lasarte deserves its two Michelin stars. Each course was not only beautifully presented, but also you can tell that the chef had given it much thought. All ingredients played a role in enhancing the flavor. In many Michelin restaurants, there are some hits and misses, but with Lasarte, each plate, including the amuse bouche, that was served left me speechlees. It was definitely a meal to remember from start to finish.

Plus points: They gave us a cheat sheet of our pre-fix course before we began eating giving me a good idea of what I was putting in my mouth; most restaurants only give out the list at the end of the meal. The chef also came out to greet us and ask how our food was. 

My ultimate favorite is what I call as "The Most Beautiful Salad I've Ever Eaten." Scroll down below.

Amuse bouche: parmesan, olives, gelee, pistachios

Olives with grapefruit. So succulent and doesn't the gold platter look lovely?

Cheat sheet surprisingly came out at the beginning of the meal with my customize pre-fix of no pork and beef.

5 different kinds of butter: beetroot, mushroom, spinach, tomato and regular butter with fleur de sel. My favorite is the mushroom.

With foie gras and fish. Creamy gooey goodness!

Red tuna tartare with curd cucumber. The curd cucumber is a surprise adding to the 'gelee' feel of the overall dish.

Lightly smoked oyster on the grill with soft cream of Figueres, small squid ragout and crispy tubers. Figueres is Catalan for fig trees. The sweetness of the figs and the smokey flavor of the oysters definitely gave a unique flavor to this dish.

Vegetable leave salad, herbs, sprouts and petals with lettuce cream and lobster. The MOST BEAUTIFUL SALAD I'VE EVER EATEN! I actually didn't want to eat this because it was just too pretty to destroy. Alas, after staring at it for a few minutes and taking many photos, I decided to give it a try and was not disappointed. The transparent liquid, which I believe is the lettuce cream, made the bits and pieces of herbs, leaves, petals, etc. all come together.

My dining chum's beef carpaccio while I was served the sea cucumber below.

Sea cucumber, stewed vegetables, liquid cuttlefish ink and jewish perona liquefied juice. Do you see the black blob on the bottom left? Amazing how the ink pops in your mouth. The green sauce, jewish perona LIQUIFIED juice, sounds petrifying, but was very easy on the palette with the chewy sea cucumber.

Red prawn, royale of sea urchins, caviar of goat's burned milk and almond. I love anything that comes from the sea since I was born not far from it. Thus, I loved everything about this dish, especially the prawn that was staring right at me ready to be devoured below.

Very photogenic prawn! Hi there!

Farmhouse egg with sauteed wild mushrooms, scented meat juice, Iberian gill and truffled cheese shard. I had to google what a gill is and turns out to be a respiratory organ found in aquatic creatures (wikipedia). It sounds weird at first, but it definitely didn't stop me from feasting on this dish.

Low-temperature cooked monkfish settled on onions and paprika marmalade, braised endive with barnacles tarama and black olives. If I were to rate all the dishes, I think this would be last on my list. I believe that it is difficult to get the most flavor out of a monkfish unless if it is grilled or smoke. Nonetheless, I like the use of not so common ingredients on this dish. The barnacles were very interesting to look at and chew.

Roast pigeon, tomato and lemon with apple cream and interiors toast. See that stick in the middle? That was the winning piece on this plate- the pigeon's interiors made to look like a Japanese pocky stick.

Beetroot and yogurt cold cream, micro hazelnut cake, cocoa and cereals infusion. Ah yes, finally desert after 2.5 hours! This plate might look pretty and dainty, but don't be fooled. Whether you eat the ingredients one by one or combine them altogether, there is a burst of refreshing and bold flavors all-in-one.

French toast with frozen coffee creme and plum compote. The best french toast I've ever had. Period! Plus, it doesn't hurt that the plate made the dessert look even more dramatic.

Petit fours. I like the serving platter!

Close up of the petit fours

Even though I was bummed that once again for the nth time, I was not able to get a reservation at Tickets, Lasarte made my trip back to Barcelona worthwhile. 

I actually didn't check the address of Paco Meralgo properly and ended up at Calle Muntaner 17 (instead of 171). Upon exiting the cab, I was so confused as to why I ended up in what looked like a lobby of an old apartment beside a sex shop. Errr.. because of my small oversight, I had to walk fifteen blocks to Paco Meralgo. Needless to say, I was already starving by the time I got to the tapas bar. This time, I found myself at a chic neighborhood. Paco Meralgo was not hard to find with its big glass windows and wooden counters and tables.

I had an enjoyable time at Paco Meralgo. Not only was the wait staff very attentive, but they also gave some recommendations based on my food preference. I was tempted to get the prawns, scallops and clams, but I knew I would be just asking for some trouble (i.e. too much seafood means heartburn for me). It was difficult to choose among the fresh seafood displayed by the bar where I was seated.

They also have the best patatas bravas I've tasted in Barcelona! The hot sauce mixed with the cream in the potatoes was heaven on earth.

The Paco Meralgo tapa- not your regular salmon with cream cheese

A glass of cava to pair with my seafood tapas

Fresh seafood galore! Help me gawd!

Fresh and crunchy tomato bread with overflowing olive oil. Although the tomato bread looked and tasted divine, I was so bothered with the overabundance of olive oil slipping through my fingers.

An interesting take to artichokes. Fried and salted.

I usually don't like potatoes done the American way (got too tired of it after college!), but the Spanish really do it right with this spicy patatas bravas.

Red prawns. Salted, grilled, oiled. Simple yet delectable. I was trying to teach a co-worker how to eat shelled prawns. The secret is in the prawns head!

18-course! Burp! I'll let the pictures speak for itself. Who knew that a 35mm attached to a D40 can actually get amazing food photos under low lighting. 







P.S. Watch out for the market analysis of Barcelona's food scene.

Barcelona is one of my favorite cities to visit in Europe, but this time, I wanted to skip the tourist area of Las Ramblas. I got some fresh air by the beach instead and had a great view of all the sail boats while lunching at Xiringuito Escriba, which had a canopy to shield me from the chilly November weather.

Xiringuito is a glorified seafood shack by the bay owned by the Escriba clan, who are known for their patisserie. At Xiringuito, however, they boast their culinary/savory skills and shine on using fresh seafood on their menu.

My first time having paella with green beans and a bold flavor of tarragon.

Simple yet delectable calamari.

Can you believe I ate all of this by myself? It was Sunday so there were many families lunching. Of course, the neighboring patrons had to stare at me for eating all of this on my own paired with a glass of sangria :) Can you a blame a girl starving after a 15 hour trip without decent food on the plane?

Spanish olives are the best! Interesting use of clay serving cup.

My view while lunching. Do you see the sail boats from afar? Reminds me of San Francisco...

Close-up view of the paella

I was looking like a little girl in the window in pauper clothes while looking at the pastries in one of Barcelona's oldest pastelerias, Mauri. Hehehe

You can't go wrong with Spanish sardines in olive oil!

Patatas bravas. Not the best but passable.

In order to break down the fried and meaty tapas, try these thinly sliced cucumbers to clean your palette.

Chicken croquettes. Reminds me of chicken empanadas but deep fried.

Freshly made tomato bread. I was facing the kitchen where I could see one of the chefs toasting these babies in the oven.

Bikini sandwiches with Iberian ham.

Fried anchovies, which my companions were afraid to try. Although good on its own if you eat a few, these needs some sauce on the side to cut through the oil and salt. Vinegar with chili, perhaps?

Chipirones A La Plancha. I remembered the word 'chiporones' or baby squid last time I was here because I knew I was going to order it over and over again. If you love seafood, pop as many squids as you can. They definitely melt in your mouth.

Paella negra with squid on a small paella plate. I was apprehensive to order paella at a tapas bar, but I was very surprised that this paella turned out to be excellent. The saffron rice was cooked al dente, and the squid was tender- smooth like silk.

Skip the regular patatas bravas and order this dish instead with potatoes, scrambled eggs AND foie gras (!!). My project hunt-for-foie-gras: SUCCESS. If you read my posts about restaurants in Spain or Las Vegas, you can tell that I am an avid fan and have a high standard of foie gras.

After all the tapas we ordered, I still had space for some desserts. We had the chocolate gelato with fleur de sel and olive oil. Sweet and salty are always a good combination.

Between the two desserts I tried, the crema catalana is my favorite. This has two or three different layers of cream and ice cream (gelato?) in the bottom. At first glance, it looks like creme brulee because of the torched top, but it is more interesting because of the variety of ingredients used.

iFood Photography

A part of the menu. I must try the cannolis next time.