Cocina Hermanos Torres, Barcelona
This is a popular restaurant for sure, because the restaurant only offered me a lunch serve for one person. Indeed, it proved to be an excellent menu. It will be one of the most memorable restaurants for a long time for me.
The restaurant is located in an old warehouse. There is a very large open space dining area, while the open kitchen is in the centre of the space. I thought there must be back kitchen to deal those cooking less presentable, but I believe they actually cooked everything in the central open kitchen. I also noticed that all the staff wore red trainers, which I guess was part of the uniform.
Open kitchen
The menu was rather simple yet very informative actually. The waiter offered me an extra dish of mushroom at an extra charge. It turned out to be a very nice dish too. It was certainly very sea food focused but with a nice gap of an aubergine dish and the extra mushroom dish that I ordered separately.
Menu
Just after a very creamy, chill (that is, not cold), perfect ‘Cured Squid’, I was impressed by the next dish, ‘Marinated Mackerel, Cockles, Razor Clams, Seaweed, Dende Gazpachuelo and Kalix Caviar‘. First, the plate was very appealing, a feeling of a summer by sea but under a shade. Mackerel often has a very characteristic taste especially in raw, but the chef balanced it very well, partially because it was cold, if I remember, in fact colder than the usual sushi temperature, which filtered the unwanted oceanic flavour, and partially because it was marinated, which replace sharp sea odour by slightly sour tone. It was a very firm texture, and every bite provided the joy of a great seafood and cooking skill. All the side vegetables and cockles, similarly, provided harmony and were not sharp to overtake the flavour of mackerel.
Marinated Mackerel, Cockles, Razor Clams, Seaweed, Dende Gazpachuelo and Kalix Caviar
The immediate next dish, ‘Estuary Spider Crab, White Shrimps, Green Tomatoes and Pickled Cucumber‘, was also a masterpiece. It was a great crab and shrimp salad, in a very complimenting way. The cold crabs and shrimps were inside the small cucumber tart. Despite it said pickled cucumber, but I found they are very fresh, crunchy but not sour at all. The green sauce is made from tomatoes but with an interesting light chilly taste. This mixed very well with the crab and shrimp. One of the most common but pleasant combinations of umami and freshness.
Estuary Spider Crab, White Shrimps, Green Tomatoes and Pickled Cucumber
Let’s move to the extra mushroom dish. I cannot remember what the type of the mushroom is, but it was almost raw mushroom slices, which were common in high-end restaurants to emphasis the earthy flavour. The highlight here was actually the pistachio, that were light sweet and crunchy, and rosemary, that were of sharp taste boosting the earthy tone of mushrooms. The soup is probably a beef or/and mushroom stock, which were very thick; interestingly, it probably helped to hold the shape of the mushroom slice, acting like a glue.
Mushroom, Pistachio and Rosemary
The aubergine, or eggplant, surprisingly was my favourite dish. My interpretation was, the chef replaced the aubergine skin by an aged ‘Rubia Gallega‘ slice; this recreated a meaty aubergine. The aubergine itself was very juicy but still in a firm shape. It absorbed the greasy, salty and umami broth, which in fact, was a great combination for the aubergine. The aged ‘Rubia Gallega‘ added some tough texture and meaty flavour. It makes the aubergine more interesting. This dish was the hottest (in temperature) dish overall. I found it very refreshing before the two main dishes. It also probably cleaned and reacted one's palate so one can enjoy the main dishes better.
Aged ‘Rubia Gallega’, Eggplant and Escalivada Broth
Both main dishes were nice and fulfilling. The mullet was mild. One small suggestion was that the mullet is overwhelmed by (1) the seaweed base beneath, (2) sauce and (3) some capote capers. However, the overall was very delighted and enjoyable. The lamb was very impressive, compared to the mullet, because of the simple presentation, great lamb ingredients. I also found it was surprisingly just fully cooked, as many fancy restaurants will probably do medium well or medium. This meant the smell and especially taste of blood is out of the dish. The slightly soft vegetable bunch had strong vinegar taste while the vegetable to the right were tougher and bitterer. Stock beneath the lamb was not too thick nor overwhelmed and the green sauce was of mint and other spices. I think the best way to describe was, ‘a simple but happy lamb’; the dish was looked amazingly simple, but everything just worked together in subtle way.
Red Mullet aged in Seaweed, Watercress, and Buddha’s Hand (left), and Aged Suckling Lamb with Spices and Herbs, Wild Greens and Mint (right)
I liked this restaurant. I will repeat that it is likely to be the best restaurant I tried at least for 2025. Everything was well thought, nicely presented, and in great and balanced flavour. Also, all dishes look clear and sharp rather than busy nor overwhelming. Even though the price tag is €310, I think it certainly was worth the money. Separately, the restaurant has gigantic collection of wines. I will imagine the wine pair to be excellent. However, I do not drink, so I can only guess.
🐼 Score: 5/5
