Review: Aleia

What were your first impressions when you arrived? 

Barcelona isn’t famous for its love of white tablecloths, but a space this grand deserves a certain level of decorum. We are on the first floor of the Casa Fuster hotel, from 1911 designed by by the Catalan modernist architect Domènech i Muntaner (who was also responsible for the likes of the Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital Sant Pau). It transformed into five-star luxury hotel in 2004 with all original art deco-style pomp intact.

What’s the crowd like? 

You've probably heard that Barcelonians like to dress casual, but not so much here. This would be a good time to pull those heels out from the bottom of your suitcase.

What should we be drinking? 

The wine pairing that accompanies the tasting menu, of course.

Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss. 

A great option for indecisive diners, Aleia offers one tasting menu, that's it. It costs €110 at lunch time and €150 at dinner. Your only decision will be whether to go for the long or the short wine pairing. To avoid being overwhelmed (by which I mean drunk), we’d recommend going short. 

What you will get is a series of dishes so beautiful, so thoughtful, that you will leave here feeling like you’ve just experienced a moment of magic. From the cuttlefish and hollandaise inky brioche, to the superb flourless hake croquette, or the chawanmushi—a Japanese take on egg custard—with Iberian pork consommé and squid tartare —that sounds like it shouldn’t work but totally does, everything is perfect. Even the desserts are surprisingly refreshing and leave you feeling not too full (quite a feat after 15-courses).

And how did the front-of-house folks treat you? 

Maitre d’ Paula Miguel runs a tight ship. The service is flawless yet friendly.

What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here? 

Few spaces in Barcelona are more elegant or romantic than Aleia. Better still, the food more than lives up to the hype.