Colibri

From haute cuisine and fine Spanish fare to tempting tapas and fresh seafood, Barcelona offers something special for all those who take their food considerably more seriously than most, and the city's countless culinary havens never fail to delight those who appreciate the fine art of cooking.

Colibri is one of those warm and inviting destinations that helps bring joy to the act of dining, making it much more satisfying and exciting than just providing nourishment to the body. The restaurant is comfortable, spacious and quiet, qualities that many restaurants in today's day and age are deficient in. You could spend the first few minutes of your time just relaxing in the calmness of its lovely dining spaces.

Chef and owner Caesar Pastor and his sister Remedios serve deliciously creative European food accompanied by a masterful list of two hundred outstanding wines, from Spain and the rest of the world. The standards are always consistent, helping Colibri to blossom into one of the city's best and most preferred dining destinations.

Among starters, there is grilled octopus with mashed potatoes, yellow pepper and tender garlic; morel mushrooms, egg and cream of poached liver, jumbo prawns fried with nuts and a delightful crab and chickpea ravioli with tomato sauce and fresh papaya, all paving the way for the main dishes.

A Mediterranean twist to most choices at Colibri is very appealing and clearly evident in mains such as a wonderfully cured Spanish loin of tuna that comes to the table with aubergine and mustard with caramelised Sharon fruit; scallops, rice and tomato confit with butifarra, a typical Catalan spiced pork sausage, or Morro, cod with vegetables and green tomato jam.

Meats appear with roast duckling, green asparagus sauce and soft cocoa puree; fillet of beef with apple, duck liver and rosemary sauce, and baked lamb with onions and potatoes.

Desserts are to die for; an almond and nougat confection, called turrón, a great Spanish speciality, is served with chocolate and Sichuan pepper; mango, vanilla and mascarpone cream with caramel syrup and merlot, and pineapple, syrup of vanilla and ice cream of fresh cheese with crackers of black sesame lend a gracious end to a meal.