17. October 2014: Restaurant Etapes
The Restaurant Etapes was recommended to me by a colleague of mine – as he is a foodie, I figured I should give it a try. I went for the “Tasting Chef’s Menu” (EUR 60.00) which started with a little surprise from the kitchen, “mussles with fresh cheese in the juice of the mussle” – a promising but definitely not yet mind-blowing start into the evening.
After that, a Spanish classic was served, “pan con tomates” – nicely crispy, full of tomato flavour, intense, a slight hint of garlic. The perfect little thing to fill up your stomach before coming to the actual menu.
The first course was already a highlight – the “red prawn tartar” was incredibly rich, the sauce in which it was served luscious, and all in all, the dish was just really tickling your taste buds right away (Garnatxa Blanca).
Next in line was a “scallop with tomato contrast (jelly, liquid, natural)” – I must admit it was definitely a tasty course but since I have had scallops at the O Paparico the benchmark is set so high it is almost impossible to achieve that – at least no restaurant ever has since. However, complaining on an incredibly high level, the scallop served at the Restaurant Etapes was very good but did not reach the red prawn tartar (Cäsar Gadello, 2013).
The third official course of the evening was a “duck ravioli with foie-gras cream and orange” – and let me put it that way: WOW! It was so incredibly delicious, aromatic, flavourful, rich, and mouth-watering that we asked for a second round of duck ravioli, right after this one and we got it served (on the house). Thank you very much, Didac (that’s the owner of the restaurant) (Viña Tondonia Reserva, 1999).
The first main course was a “shelled lobster with seafood, roasted corn and garlic ravioli”. It was absolutely good, no question, but somehow the soy sauce in which the whole dish was served was a bit too intense almost overwhelming the taste of the actual dish. Besides that I personally consider a duck ravioli followed by a garlic ravioli a bit “out of ideas” (Acustic Montsant Acustic Cellar, 2012).
Luckily, the second main course, the “suckling pig confit with caramelised green apple, fennel and citrus” caught up again. The pig was nicely juicy and tender while having a great crust around – the green apple provided a balancing sweet and sour element to the dish. Lovely (Les Crestes, Priorat)!
The first dessert of the night, a “fruits sorbet with strawberry icecream and dehydrated strawberries” was already a great taste combination. Not only from the consistency which ranged from liquid and cold to dry and regular temperature but also due to the richness of the flavour.
The second dessert of the night was an “arrangement of chocolate” with something sweet. Unfortunately, I did not write down what the sweet element was but I must say although I am definitely not a chocolate lover, the dessert was actually great. In order to round up the whole menu, the wine pairing was chosen (EUR 38.00) to make sure that the wines would match the dishes (wines mentioned in parenthesis above).
The place itself is quite simply furnished but still provides you with the feeling of a nice atmosphere. The service, Luz, does an amazing job. Very dedicated, incredibly friendly – great performance. Officially, the dinner was over after the course – but as we still had some wine in the glasses we sat for a bit longer until the restaurant was basically empty besides us. So we decided to invite Didac and Luz to a bottle of wine (their names we only obviously only got to know once we had that idea) – which they rejected, and had invited us instead. After the first bottle of great wine we got some cheese …
… after the second some foie gras and cheese …
… and after the third, we went home! We had an incredible night at the Restaurant Etapes – thank you, Didac, thank you, Luz! Absolutely amazing and definitely a place to return to!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Etapes
Carrer d’Enric Granados 10
08007 Barcelona (E)
Tel.: +34 933 23 69 14
E-Mail: restaurant.etapes@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.restaurantetapes.com
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
