Ikoya Barcelona Izakaya is positioned throughout from Santa Caterina market. It opened earlier this yr, a collaboration between the 1 Michelin * holder Hideki Matsuhisa (Koy Shunka) and Iñaki López of the Sagardi group. Apart from Koy Shunka, Matsuhisa additionally has the traditionally oversubscribed on a regular basis Japanese spot Shunka and Kak Koy which focuses on Robata grill dishes. Robata hasn’t been reopened since its closure for refurbishment. (I think that the ample seating of Ikoya, will make the small Kak Koy redundant and we received’t see it reopen.)
I’m shocked on the door when the earpiece-wearing, clipboard-wielding man with the Abraham Lincoln beard seems to be the previous sommelier from Vila Viniteca. After checking if I’ve a reservation (I don’t it’s Monday early afternoon) he ushers me in and shouts “Irasshaimase!” above my head to which the workers within the cavernous restaurant yell again “Irasshaimase!”.
I’m put in on the bar, a sq. that wraps round a central kitchen, sushi counter and robata grill. The lighting of the place, even throughout the day, jogs my memory of the inky model I usually encounter in Manhattan. Place settings are fastidiously picked out with exactly focused beams. Across the bar the lamps are product of Hake pores and skin, the sunshine pouring out of gaping mouths. That’s not the one distinctive design I spot, above my head is the hull of a giant picket ship and a number of the brick partitions have work of windswept characters.
Proximal to the 4 and 5-star accommodations of El Born, Gothic and Eixample (the 5* Version Lodge is correct throughout the road) the purchasers aren’t prone to baulk on the costs. As if on cue, an English-speaking silver-haired man with an costly haircut sporting a protracted jagged fringe and no watch sits down along with his two boys. He tells them about his concept for a brand new set up with AI-collected ambient noise. “Keep in mind after we have been in New York and we had that chef make Japanese meals for us? It was virtually nearly as good as after we lived in Japan.” They swap to seamless French. I estimate his web value at 35 million. Throughout from me, I’ve determined the younger hirsute man with the thick eyelashes and the tie-dyed shirt is a Saudi Prince. (Additionally no watch, vacationers have lastly gotten the memo that Barcelona is a leave-your-bling-at-home sort of metropolis.)
The menu is made up of chilly plates, heat plates, sushi, sashimi and robata grill. There are even two Ramens on the menu which the youthful of the boys orders a lot to his father’s chagrin. “This the place to order ramen? Are you positive this is what you need to order?”
It needs to be Agedashi Tofu for me. One in every of my favorite all-time dishes. Agedashi Tofu is sort of a dessert cactus flower, no sooner does it bloom than it begins to die. Tender Tofu comes wrapped in an ethereal crisp coating, shaved bonito flakes twitching life-like on prime of it, the entire sits in a Dashi broth which stealthily creeps up the crisp sides rendering them soggy in minutes. It’s doomed to fail and like all tragic narratives, it’s compelling. And the Agedashi Tofu at Ikoya Barcelona is ideal.
The number of three sashimi (21€) comes with salmon, tuna and razor clam. The wasabi is bumpy having been freshly grated. I end the lot with a cherry mochi.
My fastidiously thought of lunch for one tallies as much as 55.50€. As Barcelona establishes itself as a spot folks need to transfer to moderately than simply go to I anticipate extra of those skilled setups to focus on an more and more wealthier traveller. Is it a superb factor or unhealthy factor I’m wondering? Solely to conclude that like all the things, it’s quickly altering.
Ikoya Barcelona Izakaya
Av. de Francesc Cambó, 23
El Born 08003
www.ikoyaizakaya.com/es/
Extra Hideki Matsuhisa eating places in Barcelona are reviewed on this weblog:
Koy Shunka (2013)
Shunka (2014)
Kak Koy (2018)
Extra Japanese eating places on Foodie in Barcelona
Solar Taka (2020)
Sato i Tanaka (2018)
Can Kenji (2015)
