Espai Sucre (Sugar Space), on Princesa, 53 in La Ribera,  was one of the most memorable gastronomic experiences we have ever had in Barcelona.  The experience pushed our boundaries in terms of texture, flavor and possibilities of food.

Espai Sucre is run by genius Jordi Butron, who worked at El Bulli, and has been endorsed by El Bulli’s Alberto Adria’s as best desserts in Spain. During the day, the restaurant transforms into a cooking school.

I loved the orange ant logo. This white, simplistic, but elegant restaurant space is by reservation only, offering two seatings per evening evenings. To enter, you have to ring the doorbell and they lock dinners into the restaurant! I loved the large glass jar of biscuits. I may have to use this idea myself. The main room only has capacity for 30 people.

One of the neighboring patrons, she exclaimed she came here 2 years ago and had to come back. We tried the big dessert menu and tasting menu. There are multiple iterations of menus sweet and a combination of savory and varies in number of courses. If you don’t appreciate foams, complex layers and obscure flavor combos, Espai may not be the best restaurant. It is cerebral and a form of entertainment in itself.

The big menu for approximately 50 Euros and for an additional charge, wine was 4 euros also included Espaisucre starters. Every course challenged the palate and had a surprise which created a smile from ear to ear.

I can not reiterate how well timed our courses were and how attentive and knowledgable, all black adorned staff. Our first course was an homage to chorizo and pan, a rye cheese biscuit cracker and warm broccoli and cheese soup. The soup had mustard flavor and cream cheese on the bottom. My dining partner exclaimed, this was the most memorable.

Chorizo paste and thin cracker

Ginger ale and melon foam, cucumber cannelloni and pineapple-tarragon sherbert

Cod rice with tomato ice cream, artichoke and honey. The cod rice was luscious, cut by the cold tomato ice cream and was juxtaposed the thin cod crips.

The most flakey, delectable croissant like roll. They were crispy, buttery and we wanted to take a basket home.

A very thin extra virgin olive oil cake, white peach jelly, green olive oil and “San Simon”

Passion fruit-coffee, lemon-cress and mint sorber Keffer

Sobao with salt, lime and basil

Coconut tapioca, burnt yolk ice cream and “orujo de Galicia

Red wine baba, pear and saffron. I felt the wine flavor in the cake was overbearing.

Truffle mushroom, butter, hazelnut, cocoa

Empireumatic 3 Chocolate, prune, oak, rum and tobacco. It was amazing to taste the tobacco smoke and the other aromatics. Briliant.

The denouement was a menagerie of a homemade Petit Fours Tray filled with a piruleta, shortbread, bonbons, pate de fruit, marshmallow and chupito.

I loved the lime and rosemary piruleta, sesame liquorice paper wafer, butter and salt shortbread, chocolate and smoked tea bonbon, the coffee and anise pate de fruit, the peanut and curry cookie, the cocoa and green cardamom marshmallow and the green apple and laurel chupito.

All of them were delicious, but my favorites were the sesame item and peanut curry cookie.  The peanut curry cookie simply wowed me. I wish they have these at the supermarket.

The Green apple and laurel leaf shot was amazing. The refreshing flavor was like an icey green appletini.

The Piruleta jelly covered in white chocolate, but had an intense lime and rosemary flavor.

The sesame sugar crisp’s flavor of the crisp reminds me of the Asian sesame chewy candies.

Espai Sucre was a memorable and lovely meal  for 110 Euros for 2 epople. One for the memory bank and we hope to return.