Enigma - Barcelona

You can’t order anything a la carte, you’re not told it’s fixed menu only, it’s min 220eur for a range of weird tastes that are mostly just slimy and without any theme or special wow factor, so very disappointing, we would have walked out but for the fact they threatened to charge our card eur100 for making the reservation. Comical and pretentious beyond measure. It’s a funny story, but one I could have preferred to not have had.

Definitely up two Michelin Stars Went there yesterday to celebrate mu husband’s 40th birthday. He is himself a chef and was extremely excited to experience the tasting menu. From the beginning of our journey at Enigma, I have to say that the booking process was easy and smooth making sure they got all the relevant information about us beforehand. At the arrival, door opening was on time and everyone welcomed us from service team to bar and kitchen, including Chef Albert Adriá! We were welcomed with a cold soup to open the appetite (kefir and lettuce water) and then we were seated to start the gastronomic journey. I was impressed with the beautiful combination of Japanese ingredients and modern cooking techniques but still feeling a very much Mediterranean flavour based menu. We started with the rice koji with caviar which for me brought up the perfect raffness of koji with the elegant yet strong caviar flavour. We had an earl grey ravioli, pistachio waffle with bergamot, an amazing water corn empanadilla…. I could go on and on and mention all the dishes, but you better go and discover yourself! For my palate, I would name the cold almond soup with bonito as was probably my favourite. I was transported to a very unique flavour paradise that reminded me of Japan, North of Spain and the freshness of few Peruvian dishes. Very delicate and special. The basil soba was incredible too. Anyways, the dinner went on for almost 3 hours were we were served by an excellent crew from runners to waiters and sommeliers. Thanks to our Aturian sommelier for the great Spanish tour (wine pairing) and for the fabulous vintage cava I had. The tables and déco are unique and modern, resembling the Enigma ‘cloud’ feeling where everything is possible. We had our last dessert course at the bar and we were luckily introduced to Xavi who took care of us throughout our dinner. Thanks to the entire Enigma team for the incredible experience. The whole dinner was like a musical symphony written to perfection and taking you to unexpected emotions. The only negative was that it took us 1 hour to find a taxi to go home. Next time, book one in advance!

I am very disappointed to have to write this review, but after some incredible Michelin experiences in Paris, San Sebastián and the US I felt obligated to share with others. In my experience the four attributes of an incredible culinary experience are the food, the presentation, the service and the ambiance. I found all areas lacking as did my family. The cost however was what you would expect. Your first exposure is to the ambiance: Enigma is a good name for what you experience as I never really understood a theme. You walk in and the ceiling has an appearance of sunrise clouds and the walls sheets of ice. This looks nice but leads to horrible acoustics and having to ask the waiting staff repeat almost everything they say. The restrooms are hidden and challenging to find. The perfume used in the restrooms is so strong it gives you a headache. When my wife and daughter went to use the facilities I often wondered if I needed them to turn on their location on their cells in case they got lost. This is just not us, because whenever you ask where the restroom is or say you are going to use the restroom a member of the waiting staff would walk you to the restroom. There is a glass door separating the restaurant from the restrooms and we were warned numerous times to be aware of it and avoid running into it. The waiting staff and kitchen staff: Engima has an interesting touch as all the waiting staff and kitchen staff are on parade as you are taken to your tables, it is sort of strange, but not unpleasant. You are assigned a person and ours was very kind and nice, she really was the up side of the experience. Unfortunately, she was pulled in many directions. Surprisingly my wife and my own water glass sat empty on multiple occasions; I find this ironic since I would normally use this as an indicator of the level of service I received. I think the service we received was poor, but not because of the effort or intent of the staff, but rather the way they were organized and the processes in place. The food: Unfortunately for most of the meal we really could not identify a theme or flow. We had one part that was a cloud theme, but it did not link to anything else. We often had a hard time understanding which wine went with which course. I feel there’s was a real emphasis on innovation, but the commitment to taste and enjoyment was not prioritized. Half way through we decided the only word to capture our experience as a theme to that point was “slimy.” When I looked up the definition of slimy, it is covered with slippery wet earth. That captures the courses we experienced quite well. I really would have ranked this a 2 star based on the food, whether I was eating at a street vendor (I would have probably spit it out in that setting) or a Michelin restaurant. Lastly, we purchased their seven Spanish wines that were designed to accompany the meal. They were very poor matches, and for the cost I was surprise our oldest was 2019 and two were 2022 (it is May of 2023 as I am writing this review). The presentation: This was probably their best quality, but it was still pedestrian. If I was to summarize our experience it would be, slide on down to Engima you will be unpleasantry surprised.

Experiencia única. Nos lo hemos pasado en grande. La comida es excelente y el servicio maravilloso. Una mención especial a Mónica que nos acompañó durante toda la degustación. Hacía mucho tiempo que no veíamos una persona tan i tan entregada en su trabajo, vive cada explicación del plato y eso se nota. Felicidades. Personal así hay muy poco y Enigma es un gran afortunado de tenerla.

Estamos ante el nacimiento de uno de los mejores restaurantes del mundo.