Mont Bar Barcelona, Fancy Tapas, Eixample

I was having lunch at Mont Bar with Lauren, one of the founders of the independent tours Devour. We arrived when the place opened at 13:30 and stayed until the kitchen porter dragged the bin bags out to toss. After asking our waiter to point out the most emblematic dishes of Mont Bar Barcelona were, we ordered 7 dishes to share.

We started off with the mochi filled with sobrasada and Mahon cheese (4 each). It’s hard to make sobrasada, a fatty fermented coarse pate stuffed in a large casing, look attractive. Encasing it in the floury skin of a mochi and embellishing it with a single borage flower is clever and works.

We continued with 2 crunchy ‘tacos'(4.20 each), all valleys and hills filled with dollops of things.

Stracciatella mozzarella is something that is encountered a lot on menus here. It seems to be coming up neck and neck with the tuna and avocado that persisted for so long as a trend. It came in a white dish, looking like the bleached dried out shell of a sea urchin. Inside a white froth scattered with rose petals (13.50).

Without being able to see the layers within, I dipped in my spoon and came out with a strata of things. Mozarella at the bottom, a pesto, the froth, pine nuts.
“Normally, I would dislike this.” I commented to Lauren. “It has everything I try to avoid, fancy plates, froth, flower petals – a symphony of fuss – but it eats really well doesn’t it?”

Next a scallop ceviche, a little two sweet for the both of us with its physalis sauce – but once again, stunning presentation (17). A single, shiny, chicken canelon, more foie gras than chicken (19). A last-minute order of croquetas (2 per unit).

“Are you having a dessert?” our waitress asked. “The desserts here are…” she said trailing off and rolling her eyes into her head.
“That good?” Lauren and I smiled.
We ordered the cherry cakes. It came, an oblong cake and a kilner jar with a pale orb floating in it.
“You push this down like this.” she said, depressing the middle of the cake with a spoon. “Then you spoon some of this on.” she spooned on the clear liquid from the jar. “Then this.” She balance the orb on her spoon and gently laid it down in the depression she had made.
“Now hit it.” She handed me the spoon.
“Hit it?!”
I smacked it hard.
“Oh…” Lauren and I exhaled delightedly.

 

Mont Bar Barcelona 
www.montbar.com
Carrer Diputació, 220
08011 Eixample

Read about their restaurant next door – Media Manga