Restaurant Sant Pau
2016 Mas Bertran ‘Balma’ Reserve Brut Nature Cava
CANAPES – Savory Cookies
Farmhouse Bread
1. GALILEO GALILEI – Almadroc and jurvert, cantuccini, anchovy
2. RED PLANET – Tomato and strawberry velvet
3. HALLEY’S COMET – Cod, spicy picadillo
4. BLUE PLANET – King prawn, lemon pulp, fennel
5. SUPERNOVA – Octopus, chickpeas, plankton
6. EXOPLANETS – European eel, vegetables, dashi
7. THE BRIGHTEST STAR – Spicy brick, lobster, salicornia, “del cuc” beans
8. WHIRPOOL GALAXY – Cuttlefish in its own ink, romesquet, mangetout
9. CELESTIAL BODIES – Sea bass, lettuce heart, asparagus
10. TAURUS CONSTELLATION – Stewed Wagyu ox, 3 misos
11. ASTEROID – Puigpedrós cheese, apple, sponge cake
12. ECLIPSE – Grapefruit, coffee, tea
13. KRYPTON – Cucumber, ginger, lime
14. MILKY WAY – Coconut milk, baked milk, Amande chocolate
GAMBA TAILS – Mole verde, vegetables, leaves and flowers
CREAMY RICE WITH SEA CUCUMBER – Maresme style, mimetic cayenne
BRUNETA VEAL FILLET – 3 misos: white, red and black
HOMEMADE TUPÍ CHEESE – With goat, cow, and sheep cheese with grilled fruit confit
Double Espresso with ice
PETIT FOURS – The Sun, banana, passion fruit, cayenne, black chocolate / Mercury, Aromes de Montserrat candy / Venus, citrus jelly / Earth, sea water bonbon, crushed wafer / Mars, griote, white chocolate, pink pepper / Jupiter, puff pastry and angel hair / Saturn, chocolate, praliné, blueberry, juniper / Uranus, spicy chocolate truffle / Neptune, philo pastry, liquorice, sherbet
Now 65 years old and still in the kitchen daily, her career essentially beginning as soon as she was old enough to cook amongst a family of farmers, Carme Ruscalleda is currently the world’s 2nd most Michelin Starred Female Chef, her Tokyo outpost holding two macaroons and the location opened outside Barcelona in 1988 garnering the Red Guide’s highest accolade ever since 2006.
Located in Sant Pol de Mar, a quaint seaside town just over an hour from central Barcelona with most of the journey featuring expansive views of the Mediterranean, it is via the highway that those approaching the Restaurant by car will enter village and although returning guests may be aware of Sant Pau’s Private Lot those making their first trip will be compelled to park nearly a half-kilometer away, the walk usually a pleasant one down narrow streets but on this particular day a pressing issue after the meal in the midst of a torrential downpour.
Focusing on traditional Catalan flavors, a sense of seasonality and the Ocean present in most of her plates but much like the Roca Brothers greatly influenced by Modernism during the era of El Bulli, 2017 sees Chef Ruscalleda and her team taking on the difficult concept of a “Menu inspired by The Universe,” a fourteen course feast capped by nine planetary Mignardises that was ordered by one guest at a table overlooking the garden while the other opted to dine a la carte.
Set back from the street and the Sea, a nearby trainstop dropping those traveling by such means directly at the Beach and not far from Sant Pau, it is after greetings in well-appointed foyer that guests are led to widely spaced seating inside a room of maize and red, less than a dozen tables making the room quiet and romantic with thick linens though servers often seem to be a mile away which can make communicating with them rather difficult, such as was the case when it seemed no one gave the Chef notice to begin service thus pushing the 21h00 start back by another thirty-five minutes.
Offering a diverse Wine list, both diners opting to begin with a very brisk €15 glass of Cava that went well with more than half of the menu including three savory Cookies present on arrival, it was with outsourced Bread featuring a robust Crust that the evening got underway after apologies for the aforementioned delay, a dish called Galileo Galilei featuring marinated Anchovies atop Bread stuffed with a Cheese and Egg Mixture quite unexpected in its complexity while “Red Planet” channeled Mars in presentation with Stawberry Powder atop chilled Tomato Veloute.
Forced to augment service slightly in presenting both tasting and a la carte menus to the same table, the three savory courses all offered at €49 each with Dessert €19, it was after an impressive Salt Cod Croquetta served with a shimmering comet tail that a large plate of Prawns in Green Mole was served alongside “Blue Planet,” the a la carte dish elegant in its balance of Sea and Earth while the thin crisp painted like Earth shattered to reveal a similar idea with a single Crustacean bathed in Lemon Curd with a hint of Licorice.
At this point with the pace finally up to speed, though several surrounding tables that were already present and dining long before the 21h00 start quoted by the Restaurant as “the earliest time available” when booking over four months in advance, it was in Chickpea Soup alongside fried orbs of the same that Octopus was served along with Iodine-laced dots, the “Exoplanets” of Eel presented next taking a distinctly Asian twist while the a la carte plate of Creamy Rice and pan-seared Sea Cucumber outshined anything offered on the tasting with exemplary Risotto cooked in Shellfish stock, Cheese and a light touch of heat.
Crossing the Tasting’s midpoint with thin crisps of Pastry forming a dome over Lobster and Beans from both Seaside and Farm, the follow-up an off-putting plate of Squid and Fish with a snotty textured Sauce perfumed in Cognac, it was with a bit more Bread requested to refresh the palate that a generous filet of Sea Bass was presented with Squash Blossoms, Lettuce and Asparagus, the a la carte entrée of Veal with three different styles of Miso served along with the Fish and still being enjoyed when the final savory of the tasting menu arrived similar though more elaborately plated with Wagyu Beef.
Transitioning savory to sweet with Cheese, the “Asteroid” of Puigpedrós dusted in dark Spongecake Crumbs atop Apple Gelee a very pleasant and creamy bite, it was here that “Eclipse” was offered, the Grapefruit with a sour Yogurt center topped tableside with strong Coffee to create a flavor greater than the sum of its parts that at first seemed quite harsh but after the first bite mellowed into something pleasantly tangy and refreshing.
Electing to enjoy housemade Tupi Cheese as the final a la carte Dish, three different Milks brought together in one pot to form a smooth and mild flavor that paired well with Nuts, Fruit Chutney and locally foraged greens, it was here that Ruscalleda and her team of twenty showed an unexpected sense of humor, the dish titled Krypton with texture-modified Cucumbers on a base of Ginger and Lime Pudding revealing a tiny image of Superman when eaten before being replaced by the “Milky Way” of Tuilles, Crumbles and Ice Cream featuring the flavors of Coconut and Chocolate.
At this point fully aware that one umbrella would not be suitable for the trip back to the car, the offer from staff of one of their umbrellas – to keep – politely declined as it would have done little good with water in the streets now above ankle deep, it was slowly lingering over Petit Fours and Espresso that the evening stretched on, Neptune and The Sun a bit challenging in just how poignant the flavors were presented while both Saturn and Earth were very impressive in terms of their balance of sweet and salty flavors.