Loidi (Barcelona, Spain)

After drinks at Schilling, we walked to the restaurant we were going to have dinner. We have heard many good things about Loidi. It was the new 'in' restaurant in Barcelona. A friend of ours who is a journalist for the Wall Street Journal Lifestyle section ate here and told us that it was one of the best meals he has had in Barcelona. So, we had to try it.


When we arrived at the restaurant at 21:30; it was practically empty. Which was a big surprise for us since it was the restaurant that everyone was talking about. However; there was a very big football match, Barcelona vs. Madrid (playing in Madrid) starting at 22:00. So, everyone decided to stay home to watch the match.

The decor & concept of Loidi is minimalist, comfortable & modern style bistro and the main colours used were beige, gray, white and black.

The three of us took the LOIDI tasting menu that only cost 54 Euros with wine paring (38 Euros without wine).

The first wine that was served for aperitif was Collet Tradicionelle Extra Brut (D.O. Penedès).


The first starter was octopus carpaccio with little sprouts and asparagus salad. The octopus carpaccio was amazingly sliced so thin that you could see through it. The octopus was so tender and flavourful. A very nice dish.


The second starter was tuna marmitako. The tuna was very tender and the sauce added fantastic tastes to the dish.


The third starter was potatoe smoked soup with sautéed prawn and parsley oil. The soup was creamy and rich. The flavours combination of taste was very good.

The wine that was paired with the starters was: Pago de Cirsus Chardonnay 09 (D.O Navarra)


The first fish was mackerel with green beans trinxat and it´s refried. The mackerel was so tender and had such an intense taste. Lovely sides that added texture, colour and flavours.

The wine that was paired with the fish dishes was: Pago de Cirsus Vendimia 06(D.O. Navarra)


The second fish was candied cod, vegetables piperrada and all i oli sauce. The cod had a lovely firm texture and it soaked up the very nice tasting sauce.


The first main dish was Iberian jaw, potato parmentier and cherry jam. I never had this dish so was very excited to try. The Iberian jaw as very tender and juicy. Cooked perfectly. The hate sweet sauces but the cherry sauce turned out to be a good blend of sweet, sour and acidity. The potato parmentier was so creamy that I think it was only 20% potato and 80% cream. Just lovely.

The wine that was paired with the meat dishes was: Ochoa Moscato de aguja(Navarra)


The next meat was grilled galician veal T-Bone. The T-Bone was absolutely delicious. The meat was cooked perfectly; the meat was tender and cut like butter. The side of grilled chillies were just wonderful.


The first dessert was rice with semi-cold milk, biscuit streussel and caramel ice-cream. A really delicious dessert. Lovely texture from the rice and light taste from the milk. The caramel ice-cream had an intense flavour.


The second dessert was candied pineapple ravioli, coconut ice-cream and filo crunchy. A light and exotic dessert. A very nice blend of sweet, sour and acidity. Nice colours and textures as well.


The third dessert was chocolate curdled, rum-flavoured crushed ice and white chocolate ice-cream. A very unique dessert with the rum-flavoured crushed ice. But when you blend all the ingredients in this dessert; the outcome was pure chocolate heaven.


To clean our palatte; we were given a small shot glass of fresh pineapple juice.


Overall, we had a very nice experience at Loidi. The food was simple & hearty traditional Spanish food. The price was very reasonable for the 'in' restaurant of the moment. The service was very good, discreet and friendly. We definately will return to Loidi.

www.loidi.com

Paseo de gracia, 73
08008 Barcelona
934 450 000