Cocina Hermanos Torres Review, Barcelona
"Los Torres gemelos" - The Twin Towers. A review of the twin brothers' newest venture, the two star gem
Introduction To The Cocina Hermanos Torres Review
I'm going to come right out and say it - this is modern, haute cuisine to its core. I mean that as a compliment in the highest regard, but for you that might mean something different. If your definition of that is the same as mine, you're going to want to keep reading. This was fine dining at its best, from soup to nut, as the saying goes.
Opened in the Les Corts neighborhood of Barcelona in 2018 - this place already has its 2 stars. And from what I saw, it's not surprising at all. The techniques were classic (the use of sauces was spot on) and modern (one dish was made by a 3D printer) and used the two quite nicely together. You're going to come across molecular gastronomy (foams, textures from science class) and visual trickery (bits that may look like one thing, but are actually another). More on that later.
The space itself is also ultra modern. It's built in an old tire (or tyre, for my Brit friends) factory and still has the open feel. In the center is a luxuriously high end kitchen of 3 chef stations. Presumably, these chefs each own a specific job on these stations. I saw one publication refer to the space as a "kitchen with a restaurant" which is great, haha. It's certainly accurate. The seating is built around this central hub. There's no music (which I liked) and oddly enough you can hear the sound of conversations of those around you, but never the conversation. The sounds of the kitchen do come through. It was pretty cool.
This is my review Cocina Hermanos Torres, the ultra-fine dining spot in Barcelona. I came here on my own as a paying customer, and was not comp'd as a reviewer, nor were they aware that I have a website that publishes travel restaurant reviews.
Cocina Hermanos Torres Menu Highlights
We're talking about a super high end place, so you're going to get the full experience here. I know I keep saying that, but it's true. We picked the "Raices" version of the tasting menu. This is pure culinary exploration. Twenty-one courses and 175 Euro per sitting. I did not get the wine pairing, but I did have a nice gin and tonic (when in Spain....) made with G Vine from France. It was nice to be back in Europe and get access to some awesome gins again. The bartender came and made the drink right at our table, which was a great touch and I got to talk to him about his gin selection. I won't have every single dish pictured here, but will cover enough to visually impress, I hope.
Amuse Bouche and Cocktail: As noted, I started with a well made GnT with G Vine gin. The amuse bouche (part of the 21 courses) was described simply as a "rosemary butterfly". It was pretty striking, had some creme fraiche, and certainly had a wonderful rosemary flavor throughout.
Next Up: Three small courses (with 21 in all, I'll be grouping some, haha). Forest truffle with a frozen mouse; game consume that was rich and velvety; bread with oil.
Group 2: Uni, prawn consume gelee, seaweeds (rich prawn flavor, and they really packed a lot of ocean into this one); squid tartare with sake, beluga caviar, and crystal clear chicken consume; Normandy mussels, noodles, cold mayo and fish soup (the noodles were made from seaweed, really cool) .
Group 3: Onion "cream" with Parmesan bread and truffles (14 hour cooked onions, basically the greatest French onion soup ever created); new winter peas with Iberian ham broth (simply the best peas I've ever had, plus a broth made from the greatest food item on earth, jamon de Bellota); Scarlet shrimp with pickles and seaweed (lovely); truffle and mushroom ravioli, fois gras, and black olives (these were almost like "soup dumplings" and were outrageously good); tuna roe and fresh cream (didn't blow me away, but was made entirely with a 3D printer - THAT is innovation in the kitchen).
Group 4: We're moving now into the "main course" kind of ingredients. Sea bass with citrus salt (wonderful, had "rice" in it that was actually made from various vegetables like squash - it was utterly incredible, actually); codfish and it's essence (a mousse-like foam made from bones and skin); suckling pig (along with the peas and jamon, my favorite course).
Dessert Course: From here we move into the dessert round. And what a round it was. blackberry yogurt (incredible); citric sorbet and aromatic herbs (incredible); caramelized egg yolk iced nougat; the age of cocoa (loved this); coffee caviar (beautiful looking, and a great depth of flavor to go with it - the chocolates were flavored with whiskey and passion fruit and were amazing).
Final Thoughts On My Cocina Hermanos Torres Review
From the very beginning of this meal, with seating and the bartender mixing my drink at the table, I knew we were in for an experience. And that's what they want this to be for you, it's an experience. I'm not sure I would say it's "showy" - and that's a good thing. It's polished, modern, and the truly open kitchen (it's more like having the entire kitchen in the restaurant, than simply "open") allows you to be part of the action. When your dish is ready, you see them plate it. When a sauce breaks and they need to re-do it in frustration, you see it. One of the Chef Torres brothers actually delivered a few of our plates himself. After being caught off guard the first time and mumbling something unintelligible, I managed to compose my self the second time and ensure a, "Gracias, Chef" came out. Phew, reputation restored.
It was truthfully one of the best food experiences I've ever had, and trust me, I've had a few. I don't mean that to brag, but more so to try and help you to imagine where on the scale this one was. It's very seafood focused (at least our version of the menu was) so keep that in mind. The first few dishes certainly challenged how much you actually like seafood. Do you REALLY? Or do you just like a nice white fish with a delicious sauce? Consider that. The "Tierra" version of the menu will be more land focused, I presume.
So if you're a food tourist and like to hit one of the top restaurants in the town you visit, put this on your very, very short list. It was by far the best dining experience I've had in Barcelona, or as mentioned, one of the best ever. Period. For my London friends, I'd say it's worth flying down for a weekend to go here. If you're the crazy travel type like I am. Gracies, Chefs.
Carrer del Taquígraf Serra, 20
Barcelona, Spain 08029
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