The cooks at Mantis initially of service. (Mantis Barcelona restaurant)
The thick velvet inexperienced curtains on the entrance of Mantis are harking back to Gresca. Once I point out it to the blond chef he says “I don’t suppose it appears like Gresca however the inside designer is identical.”
(“Oh.”)
We’re seated on the bar in entrance of the kitchen. There’s a built-in wok station which prompts me to say to my pal that this place has an Asian Fusion menu.
Har Gow Dumplings (4x 16€) pink prawn / prawn jus / chilli oil
Once more the chef intervenes. “Nicely not Asian,” he says. Unironically chopping up cylinders of wheat and tapioca dough and flattening it along with his sq. cleaver for gyoza. “There are not any Chinese language cooks right here, no Koreans…”
“So what are you?”
“Catalan.”
I pause. “So that you lived in Hong Kong?”
“No, I lived in Sri Lanka for a 12 months and a half, I can’t say I liked it. Or curries. However I travelled to Bali and Singapore and was drawn to Asian meals. And you’ll train your self something with YouTube.”
Disamirmingly direct – the presence of two statuetes of Ganesh juxtaposed in opposition to a waving Maneki-neko makes extra sense now.
“However you’re good at shaping dumplings.” my Korean pal remarks. “We used to at all times make them in my household and there’s a saying that if you happen to make ugly dumplings you’ll make ugly infants.” She giggles.
Hare (4x dumplings 21€) chocolate/beetroot / carrot
The idea is small plates. We’re informed to order a good few which as soon as we see the serving dimension, seems to be good recommendation. Within the nook of the kitchen are two cooked blackened beef tongues and one pigeon, head and claws intact. “It’s served complete.” He tells us. “Within the method of Peking duck.” Dismembering a small chook looks like an excessive amount of effort for lunch.
Langoustine (8€ every) rooster pores and skin cracker/saffron mayonnaise
We begin with a simply cooked langoustine on a shard of crispy rooster pores and skin. My pal has the ocean urchin complement. Subsequent comes mackerel sashimi, minimize like it is going to be mounted in jewelry and served intriguingly on the lip of a shallow bowl with a pool of sesame oil within the centre for dipping.
Mackeral with smoked yogurt (13€)
There’s a shrimp and pork hargau served with a shallow bowl of shrimp head bisque. Gyoza of hare and chocolate served on a flat plate and paired with earthy beetroot, the chocolate labored right into a deep jus. It is a basic French dish and it happens to me that what the chef is doing at Mantis is getting ready Catalan and French dishes utilizing Asian cooking methods. The wok, the steamer.
Celeriac with truffle (21€)
We’ve a dish of celeriac which he appears particularly happy about. There’s a creamy discount beneath the wedges and we go for the truffle complement. The lengthy Chinese language eggplant with a aspect of sticky rice steamed in a lotus leaf is the least profitable and coincidentally probably the most just like the unique
Candy Aguachile (9€) raspberry / lychee / mezcal / beetroot
We’re directed to an agua chile fruit salad for dessert, the small uniform cube make it meld into one homogeneous tropical fruit flavour within the mouth, however the texture from the coriander seeds and shoots doesn’t add sufficient to make it attention-grabbing. A lacy tuile may need finished the trick.
We might have walked in considering Mantis is like Gresca however we go away feeling it’s extra like Dos Palillos, Albert Raurich’s fusion Raval Eatery. However younger and enjoyable within the vein of Suru Bar illustrated by the amicable guffaws from the open kitchen when the younger lady subsequent to us drops the uni onto the countertop earlier than she will be able to get the langoustine into her mouth. The pricing reminds us of Clara, in reality more and more new openings within the metropolis are coming in at these value factors.
Afterwards, I analysis. There are two cooks: Romero and Solans. Solans who I’ve been chatting to frolicked at Fäviken which makes the claws on pigeon reappear in my thoughts. Whereas Romero was at Koy Shunka and Diver XO. The background checks out with what we’ve got skilled. Furthermore, when the kitchen is led by younger cooks who’re lastly implementing their imaginative and prescient after years of apprenticeship there’s a particular distinctive vitality that’s pleasant to be round.
Receipt lunch for 2 at restaurant Mantis Barcelona.
Mantis
www.restaurantemantis.com
Carrer de París, 145
08036 Eixample
Extra like this on Foodie in Barcelona:
Brugarol X*, Nov 2022
Dos Palillos, June 2015
Palo Verde, Dec 2020
Suru Bar*, Jan 2023
*Favourites!
