Restaurante Hofmann, Barcelona

Ok ok... I admit, I've not been posting for a while, since I got caught between work and travelling, so now that I have time, I decided to continue. Hofmann is a Restaurant In Barcelona I've always wanted to try. Heard so much about it that I told myself that on my next trip to Barcelona I had to try it, so I did.

My aunt, who is my eating partner in while I am in Spain was treating for this meal, so what more could I ask for? My mom also joined us for this dinner. Hofmann is a very elegant, refined, classic restaurant with some modern dishes. They have had one Michelin star for a quite some time now and they also run a culinary school, one of the most recognized in Barcelona.

For starters, the Amuse Bouche: a platter of several dishes: Sweet olives, Bunuelos de Bacalao, Cinnamon sticks, Gazpacho in a shot glass and Cheese Ice Cream topped with grated Reggiano. They were all correct, but quite simple and noting really stood out of the ordinary.

For our first plate, I had Calamar de Potera Asado con Guisantes, Crema de Cebolla y Tempura de Cebolla Negra (Squid caught the traditional way (line or Jig Caught)Peas, Onion Cream and Tempura of Black Onions. As you can see, the dish looks quite complicated but I enjoyed the freshness of the Squid and the sweetness of the Onion cream. I've noticed that the seafood caught in the Mediterranean waters are much tastier than any others I've tried, and this was not an exception. I paired this dish with a fresh Albarino, which went very well.

Another Starter I'd like to highlight, was the Farcellets de Acelgas rellenas de Mascarpone, Pinones y pasas con crujiente de Panceta (Slightly fried Swiss Chard filled with Mascarpone with Pine nuts, raisins and crunchy Pancetta Iberico)..whew that was long...this was actually one of the best dishes. The chard, which is a type of beet, slightly fried with melted mascarpone cheese was delicious. The crunch of the Iberian Pancetta gave the dish good contrast.

For mains, we had: Pichon Crujiente en Dos Texturas, con Chutney de Cebolla Especiada (Crunchy young Pigeon 2 ways with Spiced Onion Chutney), another great dish. The crispy part was very tasty while the 'other way' was gamey, perfect for the Ribera del Duero glass of wine I had. The Onion Chutney had the exact spice and sweetness to give the pigeon.

I did not have a chance to try the other 2 dishes my Mom and Aunt had, but I will post the pictures. My Aunt had a Foie dish (probably the biggest cut of Foie I've seen served on a single plate) which had chocolate, a balsamic reduction and cherries. Quite simple straight forward Foie, correct but just way over-sized...

Over all, another great dining experience. You can never really get enough of the dining/food scene in Barcelona, although many tend to be on the modern/molecular type, which quite frankly I am getting a bit tired of already. Hofmann was different, a combination of classic, traditional, modern cooking but not to over the top. On my next trip, I plan to search for more traditional Spanish cooking restaurants, basically like a back to basics, not so fancy cooking.