ABaC Restaurante

Arrrrrrrgh I hate to give ‘em a three star rating. Don’t get me wrong, it was a lovely meal, but I’m not sure if it was worth the price we paid.
The place is set inside a hotel. It doesn’t seem to be in the middle of Barcelona… we had to take a not-​so-​short taxi ride to get here. The place is lovely… there are staff everywhere, and they are very attentive. Very VERY attentive. It feels a bit strange to be catered to at that level to be honest — it hasn’t been that way with the other fine dining restaurants I’ve been to (not that I’ve been to a lot.)
We ordered the 16 course dinner menu. Let me say this, every plate felt like a work of art. «Exquisite» would be the term I loved the different plates they used, and everything looked so delicate. I liked how they would prepare some of the meals at the table, including leaving the infusions to simmer.
While I can’t say that I was absolutely in love with everything that was served, the combinations of flavors and textures was all quite interesting.
BUT! But… the reason why this gets an okay-​ish three stars from me is the price. The 16 course meal costs 165 euros per person. While the food was all quite good and unique/​interesting, I don’t think there was anything about it that really stood out to me.

He gaudit del menú degustació Short. Realment molt millor que l’antic Àbac. Altament recomanable per a determinades ocasions de negocis o de relació de parella. Menjar original, sorprenent en alguns plats, ben presentat, ben servit, amb bona acústica… I justifica la factura. Amb petita oferta d’habanos per gaudir en la seva terrassa!

CANCELLED our booking!!-we had booked Abac 2 – 3 months early for a 40^th birthday dinner to end a 72 hr trip to Barcelona from the U.S. On the day of the meal, we received confirmatory emails from tripadvisor and
only to learn from the restaurant that they had cancelled our reservation because we had not responded to an email request to confirm.
We have no such email from Abac. Not an email warning us that we would later have to confirm our booking. Nothing at all. When presented with this, Abac mgmt did not even apologize nor try to make it right it any way.
Just stunning and tone-​deaf on their part. Had customers cancelled at the last moment, their credit cards would have been charged. Disappointing way to end an otherwise lovely trip. Probably needed the table for a VIP and shamelessly floated a lie to make room.

The food, service, and space were all very nice, four stars probably, but not particularly memorable. We had a drink on the deck before dinner and that space was both high-​end and warm, contrasted with the cold and uninviting formal dinning room. The room was well appointed but incredibly quiet and we almost felt as if we were imposing by speaking. For two Michelin stars and a price of € 200 per person I can’t provide more than three stars to ABaC.

This two-​star michelin restaurant definitely lived up to the hype. Far superior to two michelin star restaurants in New York. The tables are spaced in a way that you feel your meal is fairly private. The service was impeccable — a variety of servers were involved in attending to you and explained each dish very well in English. We had the full tasting menu. The courses were about 16 — each very detailed using really interesting ingredients. I would say the meal veered more towards Asia and South America than Spanish. As I always, find in these types of meal, the first 7 or so courses were far superior to the final ones. Where this restaurant really gets the edge is the presentation –they cook a portion of the meal at your table with a bit of a molecular gastronomy flair. Really memorable meal.

Restaurante execelente de cocina de alto nivel. Carta muy variada y un menú degustación muy completo! El maridaje estaba totalmente a la altura de la calidad de los platos.
En la sala, trato excelente y muy personalizado, buen ambiente y profesionalidad.
Realmente una muy buena experiencia!

This does not feel like a 5 star experience. I dine and travel all over the world, eat anything from the top Michelin starred restaurant in Paris to street food in Honduras, and did not feel like this was an exceptional experience. The host was extremely rude when we were ten minutes late for our reservation, which was the result of holiday traffic, and made us wait out of principal as the restaurant was empty and our table was ready. Ambiance was blah, and the only person that had a pleasant demeanor was the assistant to the sommelier. Food was presented and done well, but the overall experience was not one I would recommend to friends.

Simply the best meal I’ve ever had. It’s comparable to Le Bernadine in NY or The French Laundry in CA, except that the core cuisine is more to my liking — a blend of Mediterranean and Asian influences.
We enjoyed the 18-​course lunch tasting menu in their dining room which faces the hotel’s internal garden. Service was wonderful and non pretentious. Our favorite dishes was a «bloody mary» consisting of tomato water and some awesome sorbet (tastes better than it sounds), a fried fish bone dish with foamed hollandaise (also tastes better than it sounds), and a bouillabaisse with broth that is boiled table side during the meal.
Wonderful meal overall. I definitely recommend it. Be ready to spend a long time there though. We got in at 1:30PM and left at 5PM!

Stayed at the hotel and decided to try the highly recommended restaurant. We had the tasting menu during lunch, it was delicious and well-​executed but the staff and restaurant can feel a tad stuffy.

The only but? is why it does not have the third star yet.
Amazing, quality, products, service. The Argentinian Staff were great, friendly knowledgeable.
Chef Jordi just great.

Great dinner experience. Did the tasting menu. Found the food/​presentation to be very creative and delicious. Thought there was a little drop off in the desserts but overall, the best meal I had on this trip to Spain. Note that if you do order bottled water with your meal, they will automatically pop open a new bottle and keep topping up your cup.

Les deux régions les plus gastronomiques d’Espagne probablement doivent être le pays Basque et la Catalogne tenant compte du nombre impressionnant d’étoiles que l’on y trouve. Et cette-​fois le choix à Barcelone était plutôt cornélien. Passablement de «secondes tables «de chefs étoilés se trouvant à San Sebastian ou à Gérone mais aussi des tables réputées par leur chef local.
Cette fois-​ci c’est sur Jordi Cruz que j’avais jeté mon dévolu. Un jeune chef de 37 ans, étoile montante en Espagne et chef de cuisine au restaurant «ABaC «, deux macarons. Lauréat d’une impressionnante série de concours gastronomique, c’est en 2010 qu’il rejoint l’hôtel du même nom… «ABaC «.
Alors pourquoi ce choix, simplement parce que si l’on apprécie la cuisine espagnole d’avant-garde, retravaillée, ré-​imaginée avec une énorme créativité comme chez les frères Roca ou Eneko Atxa de Azurmendi, cette table avait tout pour me séduire «sur le papier «.
» ABaC «né se situe pas vraiment dans le centre touristique de la ville mais soyez rassuré car le métro vous déposera en probablement 15 minutes depuis la place de la Catalogne à bon port avec la ligne L7, arrêt Tibidado. Vous sortirez de la bouche de métro, traverserez la rue et vous y êtes… L’alternative étant évidemment la voiture ou le taxi.
Vous né pourrez manquer l’entrée avec l’inscription du restaurant en grand et illuminée sur une palissade en bois. Une entrée peu conventionnelle car l’on sonne… et la porte s’ouvre…
Une fois la porte franchie vous longerez le bâtiment sur une allée délicatement éclairée afin de rejoindre le hall d’entrée. Immédiatement vous serez sous le charme de cet endroit luxueux où l’accueil est sans faille. On vous voit arriver, le personnel s’enquiert de votre réservation et vous installe quelques minutes sur un sofa avant de passer à table.
Deux salles de restaurant indépendantes en longueur ou l’on est installé à coté de baies vitrées; les tables sont suffisamment espacées pour avoir de l’intimité et même des rideaux partagent ces longues pièces pour renforcer le côté chaleureux du lieu. L’éclairage moderne est parfaitement approprié et éclaire subtilement les tables dressées de blanc, permet de distinguer clairement ce que l’on a dans son assiette.
Les cuisines que nous visiterons en fin de repas se trouvant dissociées des salles à manger afin de préserver un certain calme.
Sur ces tables, une élégante vaisselle qui si à la base est plutôt classique, deviendra plus inventive tout au long du repas, un élément important des mets servis car elle fera partie intégrante des compositions culinaires.
La carte propose deux menus. Le menu ABaC a 135 euros et le «El Gran «à 165 euros avec la possibilité de coupler les vins avec 65 et 85 euros selon le menu choisi. Je dois prévenir que la carte des vins est dans le haut des prix malgré que nous soyons en Espagne.
C’est donc le grand menu ABaC avec 16 assiettes que nous retiendrons, déjà par les plats qui nous ont semblés très intéressant mais aussi par l’envie de profiter pleinement de notre visite.
Comme dans la plupart de ces restaurants de cette catégorie, il est quasiment impensable de se rappeler de tous les ingrédients qui composent chaque assiette. Le travail étant gigantesque et le nombre d’éléments parfois important, que seul une bonne mémoiré peut se rappeler de tout… et encore… Mais voilà ce que cela donne…
Nous démarrerons avec une Neige de Bloody Mary, fruits de mer et salaisons. Première assiette que je pourrais qualifier de gifle car la surprise est grande. J’avais gardé un magnifique souvenir du Bloody «Mar «de Azurmendi mais je suis vraiment surpris de découvrir une toute autre interprétation de ce cocktail. Ici on a utilisé de l’eau de tomate qui est évidement exempte de pulpe et transformé celle-​ci en un granité. Sous «cette neige «on retrouvera un explosant mélange en bouche de divers fruits de mers finement coupés tels que des couteaux et coques avec un assaisonnement précis où l’on identifiera une touché pimentée et une trace de vodka. Déguster ce plat plein de fraicheur en début de repas met immédiatement en appétit. Utiliser un élément glacé comme premier plat me semble être une excellente idée. Certes nous somme dans le moléculaire mais que je qualifierai de réussi.
Nous sont apportés une très belle et délicieuse sélection de pains maison, comme par exemple celui aux tomates, avocats et anchois, simplement le blanc ou encore le pain aux graines et abricots.
Je serai tout aussi impressionné par la Focaccia de foie gras et royal de gibier, miettes de maïs et glacé au mole. Rien que le nom met l’eau à la bouche et cette interprétation d’un plat au foie gras sera un souvenir inoubliable. Arrive sur une pierre une impressionnante réalisation avec quelque chose qui visuellement ressemble plus à un tacos qu’une foccacia mais cela n’a relativement peu d’importance.

partial review see my blog for more
Food:
–Chef Cruz’s cuisine is best described as a satisfying balance of creativity and Spanish tradition. With his delicate plating, and moments of deconstructed textures, there is an element of modernist cuisine, but it’s definitely understated.
–The restaurant gives the option of a la carte (with items ranging in price from 15 – 72 €), the 13 course ABaC menu for 135 € or the 16 course grand tasting menu for 165 €.
–We were already on our third tasting menu in a row, and knew that the day following would be a big one at El Celler de Can Roca, so we «just» opted to go with the 13 course spread. It was more than enough.
Bread
[11]
Delicious poppy-​seed brioche was some the best I’ve had since Paris last year.
Iced Bloody Mary with Cherries
[6]
If an appetizer is supposed to rev up your appetite, then consider this putting peddle to the medal. The granita had all of the distinct flavours of the popular drink– the acidic tomatoes, the aromatic celery salt, the solid hit of heat– and while it seemed strange at the time, the addition of the sweet ripe cherries really helped balance everything out.
Foie Gras: Shaved with Pigeon Royales on Frico and Pigeon Consommé; Duck Broth with Cream of Foie Gras; Foie Gras Foccacia with Seared Foie
[10]
A decadent foie gras course felt a bit early in the meal, but it was delicious nonetheless. The delicately shaved foie gras melted like butter on the light ethereal crisp, pairing beautifully with the salty deeply flavoured consommé.
[9]
With a texture smoother than freshly whipped cream, the cream of foie was even more luxurious, while the tiny little «slider» turned out to be my favourite bite.
[8]
Don’t judge me but we both felt it tasted a bit like McDonalds fries in the best way imaginable– addictive and unapologetically tasty.
Oysters with Cured Mackerel Tartar with White Garlic Ice Cream and Watercress
[12]
I would have never thought to make a garlic ice cream, but it surprisingly wasn’t offensive in the least. Rather the combination of sweet, meaty tartar with the aromatic cold cream made for a satisfying first fish course.
Canarian Black Potatoes with Roasted Octopus, Curry Mojo Sauce, Lemon Brine and Acidified Broth
[13]
While admittedly I did find the octopus a touch overcooked and rubbery, the combination of the tangy curry mayo, lemon, and bright broth made up for any shortcomings in technique. Light, yet deeply comforting.
Baby Lobster with Young Leeks with Coral Juice and Thai Coconut
[14]
One of my favourite dishes of the night. I absolutely loved the delicate sweet shellfish and leeks against the fragrant coconut sauce. I scraped that coconut clean with such gusto, I was actually worried it may break.
Parmesan Egg with Chicken Stock, Truffle and Walnuts
[15]
A very delicious and comforting dish– the «egg» was made up of a runny egg yolk with a cheesy creamy bubble holding it all in. When broken, it engulfed the tiny matchsticks of aromatic truffles and walnuts, moistening them in luscious moisture and fat. I am not sure why, but both of us thought it reminded us of a bowl of shredded wheat cereal in the absolute best way possible.
Squid Treated like Black Rice with Padron Sedes
[16]
I wasn’t crazy about this dish– partially because it stained our mouths black (so naturally we took silly pictures of it), but mainly because it was just a bit overwhelmingly fishy for my tastes. A smaller portion of the ilk and squid would have been much more appropriate, while the dish could have used another component (other than the crunchy pepper seeds) to temper the overwhelming fish-​flavour down.
Prawn «Suquet» with Potato Gnocchi, Candied Tomatoes and Hazelnuts
[17]
I quite liked the rich suquet (traditional fish stew) with the delicate hit of sweet hazelnuts, but found the gnocchi soggy, and the tomatoes underwhelmingly bland.
Mediterranean Red Mullet with Seaweed Foam, Fried Seaweed and Aioli
[18]
I am a big fan of mullet, which we don’t see much at home, and enjoyed the crispy yet light preparation here. Again, a clearly fish-​forward flavor profile, but here the seaweed was mild enough to not overwhelm.
Guinea Fowl with Foie Gras, Aubergine, Black Garlic and Kumquat
[19]
I loved the tender guinea fowl against the sweetness of the black garlic and caramelized aubergine. An already rich dish, I could have done without the added foie, but who really complains about foie?
Kobe Beef with Foie Gras, Aubergine, Black Garlic and Kumquat
[20]
This was a supplemental charge to try the Kobe beef, which was so flavourful and unctuous it merely dissolved on the tongue– there one second and gone the next. Again, here more even so than with the fowl, the foie gras was surely overkill as it made for a bit of an overwhelmingly rich plate.
Tonic Water Bubbles with Mango, Candied Lemon and Juniper
[21]
After tucking into this, I decided that in my opinion, desserts are where ABaC really shines. This de

Michelin star blah blah. Yes the food was good. The plating, presentation, service, and all was very well done. The food options were creative, but I expected the food to be more memorable. For this price and hype I would think my mind should be blown, but it wasn’t. Someone else booked this place and I’m sure it was 150 – 200 euro per person. They do a great job, but I’m just too down to earth to really appreciate or desire this hype. 3.5 stars.

3.5 stars, not quite 4 stars. This is the first time I felt very disconnected with a Michelin starred restaurant. I felt that 5 out of the first 6 dishes had some sort of ice-​cream sorbet on the dish, which was kinda repetitive. I had high expectation of this newly crowned 2 star Michelin restaurant but the whole meal was quite a let down. As another Unilocaler mentioned, food was by no means bad. But the flavor was a solid 3.5, it was a lower energy kinda environment, hotel is super neat and hip, everything else is good but not great. Again, I felt disconnected and lost. After the first 5 – 6 courses of smaller plates, the portion did get more substantial and the meal picked up with more substance, less monotone and complexity. But I still expected more from ABaC.

Best food and service of my life… (So far) I did not have the tasting menu as my partner was worried would not be enough food. We went à la cart the staff recommended dividing up some of the courses between us, so we split our main courses half each…
I have eaten at some great places, this is the BEST, so far it’s not cheep but this is a special place your not going to go every week or every month… However the next time I an in Barcelona I know where I am going…
THANKYOU

Absolutely amazing experience. Best tasting food I have ever tasted. Felt like I was eating pieces of heaven. No words can explain how amazing this restaurant is. Wow. Service was impeccable. No complaints, best restaurant in Barcelona.

Mind. Blown. One of, if not the, greatest meal of my life. My wife and I ate there on June 4, 2013, and I will never forget that date. We also stayed at the hotel that evening, and it was worth the cost. They have very few rooms, and very many staff. You can do that math. We saw one other couple that was staying there during breakfast, but that was it.
But I digress. Let’s get back to the best meal of my life, yes? We opted for the first of two tasting menus. There are individual courses on the menu, but please do that right thing and just choose one of the tastings. I’ll copy and paste ours here, if only so that every time I see my review, I will be reminded of how great it was.
— Nitro cocktail
— Mediterranean mussel curry with kaffir lime
— Shellfish Bloody Mary snow and cured meats
— Liquid Parmesan gnocchi with summer truffle with raw and roasted Mushrooms, cep water infusion with lemongrass
— Foie-​gras with figs, fig tree leaves ice cream and balsamic vinegar
— Smoked steak tartare, seasoned snow-​like beef, cooked egg yolk, veil of mustard and pepper bread brittle
— Palamós prawn, Iberian pork tail and cutlet, coral consommé and curry bread
— Casarecce Pasta with sea cucumbers, squid’s water, «Comté» cheese and lemon basil
— Salt-​baked black grouper with a veil of glass, spicy roots purée and halophytes
— Beef cooked in three ways, lemon thyme consommé, beef tendons and stir-​fried mushrooms
— Yuzu sorbet with yoghurt, basil and citrus zests
— On a bed of smoked bread brittle, roast biscuit, banana, coffee, vanilla and bourbon
The Sommelier (totally deserves to be capitalized) recommended the Nun 2011 for our first bottle, and it was a terrifically clean and zesty white that played off of the multiple seafood plates perfectly. He recommended a second local wine, the Els Bassots 2010 Chenin Blanc that had a light mineral flavor (very good), though by this point in the meal I was too punch drunk by the food and wine to give it much thought.
As for the plates, there was not a single low-​light. The mussel curry tasted mainly of lemongrass until the curry sacks (I don’t know how else to describe them) would burst in your mouth, and then the curry, mussels, lime and lemongrass combined into the most amazing flavor. The smoked steak tartare was covered in glass, so that we could see the smoke as it was placed on the table. Then, the waiters would lift off the lid and the smell of the smoke would waft around the table, so that the taste of the smoke in the tartare was amplified by the smell. Look, I could go over these dishes one by one, but it will just make me sad that I already had this meal, and won’t be able to return there for some time.
The serving plates were all stone, from quartz to slate, and there was also a ceramic plate in there somewhere. The plating was perfection. The service was perfection. The ambiance was perfection. The food was perfection. There was not a single flaw in this entire meal. I would argue that it deserves a third star, but that’s for the Michelin guys to decide.

Quite probably the best meal of my life. You will definitely pay for it, but so unreal.
I believe we had 7 different waiters throughout the night, 1 for each dish /​drink.
They brought out lots of very small plates to try things. The food was out of this world good.
That’s all I can really say…

Best things I ever ate in Spain were had here. Forget paella, I will gladly take one portion of that shaved foie gras and truffle with onion soup for the rest of my days. If there is an option for a la carte or tasting menu, I beg you… Please do the tasting menu.
Service, surroundings… Perfection. Didn’t stay at the hotel (too out of the way for us tourists on a tight schedule) but it looked swanky. Look forward to returning one day.

1. The food was not worth the visit. Obviously the food was not bad, but for a new 2-​star michelin establishment with buzz, we expected much better. Especially when compared to our other michelin-​restaurant visits on this trip like el club Allard (Madrid), Paul Bocuse (Lyon), Regis et Jacques Marcon (Auvergne). Several dishes used the same sauces so wasn’t that interesting and each course was just ok
2. The presentation of each course was stale and not really impressive
3. The service was poor, our servers were overwhelmed and couldn’t calmly or smoothly work the room. And at the end, I literally waited 15−20mins for the bill and it was very hard to get our servers attention.

Definitely make the trip to the outskirts of town to this 2 Michelin star gem. Set in the swanky modern hotel Abac you definitely feel like a VIP as soon as you enter. The grand tasting is rather daunting and the wine pairing is Herculean but it was the best meal of my life (sorry EMP!).
The meal started with melon mojjitos made table side with liquid nitrogen and picked up from there. Other highlights included the best tomato I’ve ever tasted, smoked steak tartar, lobster, and something called «smoked earths» for dessert. We opted for a more conservative pairing than their recommended «glass per course» and it was still excellent. Finally, we got a tour of the kitchen and menus of our meal. Is it worth the flight back just for this meal? I have a hard time saying no.

Restaurante situado en Barcelona.
Su cocina es contemporánea, de alto nivel.
La decoración es elegante, todo muy limpio y buena presentación en las mesas.
Su carta es muy variada pero las grandes, importantes especialidades, recomiendo: la ensalada de langostinos y alcachofas, tartar de champiñones y de postre manzanda con vainilla.
Importante carta de vinos.
El servicio es muy educado y atento, están a la altura del nivel del restaurante y su cocina.
El precio medio son unos 65 euros por persona.

Nueva cocina
L’Abac es uno de los mejores restaurantes de Barcelona, en cuanto a: Nueva cocina muy cuidada, trato muy esmerado, platos extraordinariamente trabajados. Lástima que el precio (muy caro, aunque justificado) haga que sólo puedas acudir de tarde en tarde.