I recently had the privilege to eat at Restaurant Gaig in Barcelona Spain. Gaig Singapore is one of my favourite restaurants and so, with the help of Nuria the daughter of Charle Gaig the acclaimed Chef I was able to get a booking for dinner.

First impressions of Restaurant Gaig is that this is a classy joint. Everything about the place, the greeting how we were escorted to the table, the décor made it clear we were in for a very special night.

At Restaurant Gaig there are few options to make at the start, à la carte, or one of two tasting menus the Traditional Menu, 7 courses, and the Gran Àpat menu, 9 courses . It was not really a hard choice for me, I chose the Gran Àpat menu.

The Cuisine

The freebies, lovely bread, interesting crackers and stuffed spud, loved it!

The Menu

Oysters from Marennes and pickled mango
Sea bass tartar with imperial caviar
Crab graten and salad
Gaig’s cannelloni with truffled sauce
Blufin tuna with prawn ravioli and shallot puré
Charcoal-grilled foie-gras with caramelized turnip and Pedro Ximénez
Crispy and boneless suckling pig or Hare Royale style
Strawberry cheese and butter sablé
Guanaja chocolate pear and cinnamon ice-cream

Starters

Oysters from Marennes and pickled mango – Nice oysters, not a big mango fan, enjoyable, nice start.
Sea bass tartar with imperial caviar – Yum my favourite dish! The caviar was beluga caviar, a first for me.
Crab graten and salad – very good, great combo
Boletus Royal and foie-gras – the Traditional menu course

Gaig’s cannelloni with truffled sauce – As always excellent. Really loved this dish, love the flavours and texture, plus there are truffles!!

Main Courses

Blufin tuna with prawn ravioli and shallot puré – Another great dish. I am a fan of tuna and don’t get to try blufin often, so this was a real treat. Cooked to perfection. When I was eating this dish I missed the presentation of the dish, nice touch the smiley face, did not realise what it was until I was editing the photos.

Charcoal-grilled foie-gras with caramelized turnip and Pedro Ximénez – I am not the greatest fan of foie-gras but really enjoyed this
Hake with “all cremat” sauce, zucchini and beetroot – This was on the Traditional menu and was very tasty.
Sea scallop Jerusalem artichokes cream and roasted artichokes – The Traditional menu dish, looked great and tasted the same!

Crispy and boneless suckling pig – Loved it! Cooked to perfection, nice presentation, tasty. What more can I say
Hare Royale style – This was my first try of hare and whilst it was tender and looked appealing it was just too rich for me. My only miss on the night
Roasted poularde from Penedès à la catalane – Another Traditional menu dish, yum

Dessert Courses

Strawberry cheese and butter sablé – Love it, great combo, nice way to start the dessert COURSES!!
Guanaja chocolate pear and cinnamon ice-cream – I saved this to last, well did not get a choice as it was served separately 🙂 Great dish!

The Traditional menu desserts were very tasty as well
Our Catalan crème brûlée foam, toffee and lemon – One of my favs!!
Apple tatin and vanilla ice-cream – did not try this one, was too busy enjoying the chocolate

Oz’s Ratings

Icon	wdt_ID	Rating	Description
	1	1 out of 5	Bug spray, good for cleaning or powering vehicles
	2	2 out of 5	Acceptable at a pinch (must be extremely desperate)
	3	2.5 out of 5	Drinkable, might improve with age or decanting, good for the last bottle of the night when there is nothing else available
	4	3 out of 5	A good wine, may improve with time, a quaffer
	5	3.5 out of 5	A very good wine, worth a try and probably a bit of patience if it is a young wine
	6	4 out of 5	A great wine! Recommended by Oz
	7	4.5 out of 5	A great wine, definitely one that Oz recommends!!
	11	5 out of 5	Amazing, WoW. Highly recommended, please give me more!

The Wine

As you would expect the wine list was extensive mainly Spanish, the resident sommelier was very helpful, which is great as I didn’t know where to start.

wdt_ID	Rating	Wine
1		> Name: Pago de Carraovejas Reserva Year: 2014 Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain Varietal: 78% Tinto Fino 15% Cabernet Sauvignon 7% Merlot Oz's Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Rich medium deep crimson in appearance with a reserved perfumed nose of dried plum, cedar and tobacco aromas. This elegant wine has a medium-bodied palate with lithe savoury tannins and an enjoyable medium to long finish What a great wine, really enjoyed it, hope to get my hands on a few bottles and give it a few years to evolve. WoW <
2		> Name: Prado Enea Gran Reserva Year: 2010 Region: Rioja, Spain Varietal: 80% Tempranillo 20% Garnacha Mazuelo and Graciano Oz's Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Rich deep crimson in appearance with a medium-bodied nose that was bit artificial and mineral at first, after a while there were blackberry and spice aromas. This palate is balanced, subtle with soft tannins and a medium finish I am guessing that this bottle had a couple of faults, but was still enjoyable. Looking forward to giving this another taste. <
3

Cardinal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva

When in Spain what does one have to drink after dinner? A Spanish Brandy of course and as we are were in Restaurant Gaig we needed a special one.

Cardinal Mendoza Solera Gran Reserva is aged for around 15 years in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks which gives it deep amber appearance with raisin and sherry aromas and a smooth palate. Great drop!

Oz’s Wine Reviews

Restaurant Gaig

Our menus are based on local products and passionate cuisine

http://www.restaurantgaig.com/en/carte/

Restaurant Gaig is definitely a place to visit in Barcelona and somewhere I am planning to return to, dining there is a gastronomic experience not just a meal.

When I remember my visit to Restaurant Gaig I will remember the amazing food, excellent service, great wine in a comfortable but elegant decor.

Cheers!