Quirat

The gourmet restaurant at the Intercontinental Barcelona is another example of a hotel keen to diversify its services for guests by transforming itself into a foodie destination in its own right. Quirat, which has its own independent entrance (as well as access via the lobby), represents, in its own words, “the purity and wealth of the elements that form the land”. Chef Víctor Torres, who is renowned for his cuisine at the Michelin-starred Les Magnòlies in Arbúcies, creates contemporary Catalan cuisine that always showcases locally sourced ingredients while at the same time fully respecting seasonality. Dishes here are full of depth and flavour, with simplicity only evident in their sauces and reductions. Highlights on the menu include oyster with macadamia “ajoblanco” and pickled grape, Puy lentils with grilled red prawn, and duck magret with coffee, salsify and Melanosporum truffle – dishes that Víctor Torres views as tiny jewels, hence the naming of his menus 18K and 24K. The hotel even has its own kitchen garden!

• Two tasting menus, 18K and 24K, that share a core but widen in range, including a chicken and lobster ravioli in the longer menu.
• A clear land and sea alternation, porcini and offal notes against clams, caviar, scorpionfish, and sea urchin.
• The menu reads as seasonal Catalonia in a modern hotel setting, with classic forms like escabeche and civet sharpened into fine dining portions.

• Maresme peas, used for sweetness and snap in a fish course with sea urchin.
• Sea urchin, used as a briny, creamy amplifier rather than a garnish.
• Ganxet beans, a Catalan staple deployed with foie and escabeche.
• Venison, braised into civet and paired with beetroot and parsnip for depth.

Two tasting menus priced like jewelry, 18K at 110€ and 24K at 160€, built around Catalan ingredients and precise hotel dining room craft. Both menus start with a vermouth with porcini mushrooms and run through dishes such as squid with roots and caviar, cod fritter, pork churro, artichoke with broad beans and clams in green sauce, rabbit and onion, foie with escabeche and ganxet bean, red scorpionfish with Maresme pea, sea urchin and almond, and venison civet with beetroot and parsnip.