Posted on Thursday, 18 August 2016

Kerry McCarthy and her husband booked themselves into no less than four of Barcelona's top-rated restaurants – for a culinary odyssey that would push their taste-buds – and their wallets – to the limit.

Barcelona is enchanting on so many levels. From strolls alongside the glittering Mediterranean, to gazing up in awe at Gaudi's Sagrada Familia – to tucking into some of the world's finest cuisine. But it was this last area that my husband and I were keen to explore this time round.

Spoonik

The label 'cooking services' after the rather film noir-esque Spoonik logo doesn't quite do this eatery justice. It fails to capture the artistry of the place – and of the delivery of the food. Arriving a little early for our 6.30pm meal, we were not allowed in until the exact minute – perhaps so as not to give anything away.

The service was impeccable – they even asked us if we had any dislikes or allergies before we ordered. After a tour of the kitchen, which involved a few tasty morsels from around the globe, we settled down in the funky interior and opted for the wine paring menu.

Everything was sublime and cooked to perfection. I adored the red wine bread in particular – just one of 14 small courses.

The bill came as a surprise. At just over 200 euros we would expect to pay twice as much as this in our native London! Worth every euro-cent.

Viana Barcelona

After a day of eating more regular food (although Spanish tapas is always delicious), we visited our next top-end eatery: Viana. We were glad we booked ahead as the place was full – and no wonder. The staff were especially gracious and kind – but the food was out of this world.

Much of the fare was drawn from the sea: tuna, octopus, cod. These, along with rib eye special, triple chocolate dessert and the cheesecake – satisfied us completely. Waving goodbye to the affable waiting staff, we caressed our full tummies as we hailed a taxi to the hotel. Tomorrow, we vowed, would be a low calorie day, with a long walk along Barceloneta Beach to tackle our love handles!

Blavis

With only 16 seats, booking your table at Blavis is essential. We must admit this restaurant was off our radar somewhat, but the glowing online reviews persuaded us to go. Indeed, on one review site alone it received 5 star ratings totalling nearly 99 per cent.

A wonderfully helpful waiter explained each dish to us, having presented our options on a charming chalk board. We were both deeply impressed by the pear, arugula, blue cheese salad and very thinly sliced eggplant. The pork tenderloin was also remarkable. All authentic Spanish cuisine with a fresh modern twist, washed down with some wonderful Rioja.

Uma

You can't fake the kind of passion owners Iker and Anna have for fantastic food. The whole experience was also tremendous fun: we were invited to ask the secret behind each dish – and even used our hands on some courses.

Having been invited into the steamy kitchen we glimpsed "Cooking is not enough! Tell stories..." written on a chalk board. After an evening at Uma's one feels as if Chef Iker has bestowed upon you a culinary odyssey. I will never forget their chocolate bomb with cherries and flowers – a work of art!

Uma is a truly Michelin-level restaurant and thoroughly deserves the praise it gets. It's a costly experience, but worth every penny.

After our exploration of contemporary Spanish and Catalan cuisine, we were thoroughly spent – both in terms of our wallets and our taste buds. We vowed to return next year and try a few more of Barcelona's many, many wonderful restaurants.

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