Our next day in Barcelona we were invited to the intimate Relais et
Chateaux Hotel NERI (www.hotelneri.com)
located in the old Gothic Quarter just blocks from the Cathedral. The
hotel
could easily be missed (I have been by it twice before without noticing) as
it is two old buildings modestly marked and clearly met to blend in with its
surroundings. Inside, it's a different story with
modern décor and real flair. The dining room offers outdoor terrace eating
on a small almost private square in the rear of the hotel on San Felipe Neri
Square (Placa Sant Felip Neri in Catalan). Inside is a cozy, cushy setting
elegant for fine dining or even our luscious lunch. The General Manager dined
with us, but I saw everyone getting excellent service from the well trained
staff. Our server, Moncie (short for the very common
Catalan name, Montserrat) was a gem and when we first mentioned that we
disliked the local sparkling Vichy Catalan water, she immediately produced
bottles of Badoit, our favorite; we were already happy.
Will went to the local beers and I tried the DESIG Xarel-lo which has some
oak and would work for any meal on a hot day. Breads(sunflower and
honey-roasted) arrived with a small tray with Arbequina Olive Oil, Himalayan
Pink Salt. If you dipped the bread in the oil and then a touch of salt, the
sulfur reaction made it taste like "a Spanish fried egg" according to our host;
it was amazing. Tapas of olives with marinated anchovies arrived, which of
course, Sam skipped as he enjoyed the bread, and we were off to a brilliant
start,
Another "amuse" arrived in the form of a shot glass filled with a taste of
a drink the hotel has coined as "Bloody Sherry." Just think Bloody Mary with
sherry instead of vodka, and it's an Andalusian version of the traditional
treat.
I should preface the fact that the NERI has a set price for this lunch of
22Euros ($29) which is beyond belief as it includes all the above, a monstrous
plate of THREE starters, choice of main course and dessert.
A larger 37Euro menu is available should you wish to dine for hours!
The "starter" plate arrived and we were truly impressed; it was enough for
a lunch at home easily. CUCUMBER & YOGURT SOUP was a green version of
gazpacho that was cool and refreshing and the Salad was far from simple mixed
with tuna and a hard boiled quail egg, but it was the VEAL TARTAR that blew us
away. Sam was none too interested in these options so he begged for a pasta with
tomato sauce.
The 22Euro menu offers a choice of Lamb with wheat risotto, vegetables and
rosemary, which we did not have, or the CODFISH with SEAWEED BROTH which was
tasty, flavorful and light, yet elevated by leeks and a local delicacy, SEA
CUCUMBER (thing bigger than clam, but chewy a bit). Our host insisted we try two
of the items that are served on this menu with a surcharge, but are on the
37Euro menu as well. The SCALLOPS with FOIE GRAS and SEAFOOD SOUP was divine.
Just a small bit of the foie under a scallop in a broth bursting with flavor
made this dish irresistible. However, the hit dish of the day which even Sam
declared fabulous was the RABBIT RIBS with SHERRY, TRUFFLE and POTATO. Small
delicate ribs with meat (think chicken wings) were a bit messy, but a bowl
with a small dehydrated towel sponge appeared and Moncie ceremoniously poured a
dab of hot water on it as it expanded into a full towelette to wipe off our
messy dainty fingers. (Where was this the night before after the messy lobster
paella?).
At this time I had moved on to a wonderful medium bodied FULANITO
Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero. I also learned that locally they call
Tempranillo Tinta Finca; how confusing is that?
Dessert was a PASSION FRUIT MOUSSE with mint and Iced MOSCOBADO sugar,
which really is best described as a layered mousse cake with a top film of
gelled mint and a Moscobado(sweet grape) snow cone on the side. It was as
refreshing as could be, even for me who is not a mint maven.
More came with coffee in the form of CARQUINYOLI, local almond biscuits,
chocolate truffles, anise sticks (avoided these), small chocolates like
M&M's with almond and hazelnut and just to fill you up that last extra bit
for the road, Moscobado ShortCake, which was a thick chocolate-looking cake
actually closer to a dark sweet grape honey cake.
Again I remind you that while we had two extra courses, this menu without
the scallop or rabbit is 22 Euros, which are respectively a surcharge or 5 or
7Euros only!
Who wouldn't love this and in such a fine setting with such superb
service.
