On our second day in Barcelona this past summer, my wife Jun and I were joined by a long-time friend who came to attend the wedding of our mutual friend. I had always wanted to show the magnificent Sagrada Familia of the famed architect Antoni Gaudi so we headed over mid-morning to beat the tourist traffic. It was another scorching hot day in August, and after walking around the church and fighting for photo spots for an hour or so, we were ready to head out for a relaxing lunch at Suculent in the Raval district. This restaurant had been on my radar since it was featured in New York Times’ Barcelona guide a couple of years ago, and I’m glad I chose this spot for a very satisfying lunch.

At Suculent, led by chef Toni Romero (who once worked at the venerable elBulli), you could opt for either tasting menus (both options at less than €100 per person) or a la carte during lunch time. As all three of us only arrived in Barcelona the day before and weren’t as hungry as we would’ve been due to time difference, we decided to share a number of dishes. I was quite pleasantly surprised how delicious all the dishes were. The modern Catalan cooking from Suculent was exciting with ingenious touches here and there and, more importantly, the fresh ingredients were prepared with high level of precision. After a scoop of cuttlefish and Iberian pork jowls tartare in almond milk sauce underneath, you would instantly realize that this place is no ordinary restaurant. I probably could’ve finished the dish all on my own without sharing with my beloved wife and our friend.

The refreshing red prawn ceviche with avocado was a perfect antidote to the punishing heat we were just experiencing, and the beet root with smoked eel in beurre blanc sauce was another highlight of our meal. The larger dishes were no less delicious, like the lamb neck with ras el hanout spice mix from North Africa and the lovely crispy suckling pig that we had to give a try since we were in Spain. Even for simple desserts, the kitchen at Suculent was masterful. After taking a bite of cheesecake, our friend immediately asked our server if he could later come back to the restaurant for take-outs; it was that memorable, with ethereal texture that I struggled to remember having experienced elsewhere from hundreds of cheesecakes that I had tasted before. Jun was also very fond of the flan with its immaculately smooth and creamy texture, and I agree that it probably ruined flan for us at other restaurants in the foreseeable future.

Getting a reservation at Suculent was not overly challenging, and the dining room was nearly empty until people started showing up around 2 p.m. (people in Spain do eat pretty late, we have observed in our trip). We really liked the cozy décor of the restaurant that makes you feel like you are dining at someone’s house. The service was warn and friendly with everyone on the staff speaking fluent English. The wine list exploring diverse regions of Spain is another highlight from the restaurant. Suculent is the kind of restaurant that you want to visit over and over again. It’s by no means the type of haute cuisine from multiple Michelin-starred restaurants in Barcelona and in other parts of Spain, but the high level of sophistication and precise cooking from the restaurant will leave a fond memory for anyone living in or visiting Barcelona.

Address: Rambla del Raval, 45, 08001, Barcelona, Spain

KenScale: 8.25/10 (Jun’s Score: 8.25/10)

Website: https://suculent.com/en/suculent-en/

Reservation via Website