Suculent – Barcelona

Suculent is a restaurant in Barcelona on Rambla de Raval. It appears in the Michelin guide, but, currently, does not hold a Michelin star. But, in my opinion, it very, very much should.

I loved Suculent. It is the perfect mix of formal and laid back, with warm interior, excellent service and, most importantly, delicious food. Not a single dish misses – they are all spectacular. The wines by the glass are excellent also, and poured generously.

So onto the food – what I loved about Suculent is that most dishes are very familiar, but are given a twist or modern technique that arguably takes them to the next level. There’s simplicity on the surface of everything, but the flavours impart none of that. Squid and pork jowl is fresh as you like and just melts in the mouth. An oyster is equally as fresh, but punchy with flavour and delicious to the max. A cep mushroom custard is deep in flavour and balanced beautifully with saline sea urchin. A roasted duck croquette is unassuming in everything other than its flavour. Prawn ceviche with chicharron is buzzing with citrus and the prawns are absolutely divine. The star of the show is a beetroot and caviar dish with smoked eel and caviar and brown butter sauce – it is utterly terrific and a perfect balance of everything you need from a dish. French onion soup is unctuous and moreish. The Spanish stew is littered with incredible crispy chickpeas and chorizo, but made from chicken crowns rather than the usual cow tripe – unusual but it most certainly worked.

Carrying on, artichoke with butifarra sausage is deeply savoury and comforting. A beef tartare comes with tiny potato souffles, atop a grilled bone marrow that you can drag it through – utter perfection. Seasonal morels come stuffed with duck and served with an armagnac sauce. An incredible masterclass in deep flavour. The mains are a lovely hake in pilpil sauce and then an exceptional hare dish with coffee and capers. Desserts don’t let up either: there’s a tremendous kiwi millefeuille and a chocolate rum cake with cream that I forgot to photograph.

Start to finish this was an absolute delight, and it won’t break the bank if you’re in the market for a tasting menu. Highly recommended from me.