Moments, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, is the Barcelona outpost of Carme Ruscalleda’s Sant Pau restaurant at Sant Pol del Mar. The kitchen is run by Carme’s son, Raül Balam, and serves Catlan food in a modern style.
The menu at Sant Pau runs a month ahead of the one at Moments, to ensure that diners visiting both restaurants don’t duplicate dishes. Any overlap can be accommodated, and when we visited Sant Pau the following night, the front-of-house had already ascertained what we’d eaten, and offered us a choice of alternatives.
The food at Moments was very good, but certainly not as accurate or as delicate as that at Sant Pau. However, it is in central Barcelona, and has the advantage of having the facilities of the MO to hand, including a garden bar, banker’s bar, and the Blanc Brasserie. If you do eat at both, I’d recommend you eat at Moments before heading off to the beautiful seaside town of Sant Pol…
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| Green peas with white sausage |
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| Sea cucumber, parmentier, soft pesto and zucchini |
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| Crayfish, wonton pasta, tomato bonbon and juvert sauce |
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| Sea bream, pasta, ginger, vegetables and dates |
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| Iberian pork, parsnip biscuit, dried peach and raisins |
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| Chocolate brownie, chocolate mousse, raisins, raspberries and brandy |
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| “Calisay and Passion” |
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| Fruit and vegetable salad |
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| Petit fours: sarah bernhardt, small cake, millefeuille, candied pumpkin and pine nuts; chocolate rock, crispy rice and almond; filo pastry with sherbet and liquorice; crispy chocolate with passion fruit; macaron; black chocolate sausage; chocolate mousse |
Moments