Sensi, Barcelona

I'm usually one of those people who will plan a holiday weeks in advance, research the hotels, the tourist attractions and of course the 'must-go' restaurants...however our arrival at Sensi came about through a recommendation from a tour guide whom we spent an afternoon biking around Barcelona with when we visited the city last Autumn.

When asking the guide for a restaurant to go to, he made no hesitation in offering up Sensi as his top choice for both it's authenticity and service, as well as a friendly, romantic vibe which is something we requested. Sensi is nestled within the streets of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter, and retains so much of this old-world charm, with exposed brick walls, and candle-lit tables (as well as a rather difficult location to find!).

(I apologise now for the photos as my camera that evening seemed to be playing up quite a bit!)

Entrance to the restaurant, hidden in the dark streets of Barcelona!

We entered the restaurant around 8pm - and by this point the place was already absolutely heaving (something we were surprised to see considering the local tradition of eating far later than in the UK) however we were greeted by a lovely man, who said he would make us up a table and be sat down in no time. True to his word we got ourselves sat on a little table directly in front of their (even smaller) kitchen - how anybody is able to produce such incredible food in a space that tiny is a mystery to me!

The menu is unlike any other restaurant I have visited before, it serves traditional tapas dishes, yes, but with a twist, however they also pride themselves on their unique 'oriental tapas' dishes, making for one of the most inviting menus I have ever read! Due to this we felt it best to ask the waiter (who's English was excellent) for his advice on what to order, there was however one condition...and that was to include the Iberian Pork Tataki (another tip off from our bike guide).

He was more than happy to oblige asking our level of hunger, as well as personal tastes and favourite foods, it was lovely to have someone so interested in making our dinner special, especially when he had so many other tables to attend to.

Cherry Tomato and French Brie salad with almonds, crostini and red onion marmalade

The first dish to come was a salad with little cheesy, oniony bread bites. The salad was extremely crisp and fresh and the dressing was to die for. The little cheesy bites were also delicious and I could have polished off all four if I had not been eating with my significant other! If this was a sign of things to come we were definitely in for an absolute treat!

Duck Timbale with potatoes Parmesan

Next came the duck timbale. This dish is very difficult to describe, but as far as taste goes it was definitely up there with one of the best things I have ever tasted! It was kind of crushed potatoes, with pieces of crispy duck and onion and yumminess all rolled up into a cylinder shape and this gorgeously sweet reduction drizzled over the top.

Iberian Pork Tataki

Now I have to be completely honest with you...when this dish arrived we thought it was the steak, we later found out that it was the pork - completely rare in the centre, and marinated in this heavenly concoction. We gobbled the whole plate up without question, and (I know I am speaking for my boyfriend as well) we still speak, and dream of this dish, hoping one day we made find something even nearly as tasty and tender. It just goes to show how western perceptions of whats 'right or wrong' can be so easily changed after sampling a dish of this calibre. 

Fillet of Beef with black pepper sauce and dauphinoise potatoes

We were actually quite surprised how full we were getting after only sampling a few dishes, however when the steak arrived I dived straight into the Dauphinoise. They are a personal favourite of mine, and these were done excellently, crispy on the outside and tightly compacted with hints of garlic and creaminess. The steak (which we requested served Rare-Medium) was perfectly cooked, and the sauce (although quite strong) worked very well to cut through the creamy potato dish.

Seafood Risotto (1/2 portion)

To finish off our wonderful meal we had to choose between either their seafood risotto, or their paella (this was such a tough decision) but as we were a little paella-d out, we decided to opt for the risotto. Something I loved about both of these options was the chance to either go for a full or a half portion (and knowing we were quite full the half portion suited us perfectly). This risotto is the risotto I now hope all my risottos will turn into - however it never happens! It smelt of the sea, was dotted with little prawns and scallops and tasted divine - I think this may have had something to do with the fact that they flambeed the dish with Cointreau (maybe that's the secret ingredient I need to add!).

After a bottle of wine, and five of the single best dishes I have possibly ever eaten unfortunately for us we decided to opt for a little coffee instead of dessert, but I'd imagine dessert here would be just as divine!
To be perfectly honest, no amount of praise can fully show you how much we loved our meal at Sensi. The service was outstanding and the food matched that perfectly, as well as being extremely excellent value. If you need any more convincing I'm trying to find any excuse to go back to Barcelona purely for their pork tataki!