When we arrived at La Rambla around 7pm, the restaurant was bathed in a golden glow. The sun was setting and the sky was beautiful shades of orange and pink. La Rambla is always a lovely restaurant (read my recent brunch review), but it’s a real treat to be there during golden hour.
So what does Chef Ferran Tadeo and his team have in store for us this summer?
Run, don’t walk, to La Rambla to try this black truffle coca ($190). An addictive 12-month dry-aged Comté cheese mousse with balsamic vinegar is sandwiched between homemade traditional brick crackers and topped with winter black truffle from Australia. Heavenly.
The seared tuna bao ($180) is baozi inspired and contains chuturo, cured cabbage and piparra (a spicy pickled Spanish pepper).
Another Asian-inspired dish is this Hokkaido scallop ($180). It’s sautéed with chanterelle mushrooms and shio kombu, served with a saffron sabayon sauce and topped with garlic chips.
My goodness, I went to heaven with this special of tuna a la Gallega (market price). Not only is it a stunning dish, but the tender chutoro melted and had the tastiest, fattiest flavour. It went perfectly with the Josper-grilled green peas with paprika and caviar oil. I hope they add this one to the main menu.
You might not think of La Rambla for steak, but this Spanish Black Angus rib-eye ($1,260/kg) was delicious. The tender Miguel Vergara Angus has become a house signature and comes with house fries and Catalan-style spinach.
And because no visit to La Rambla is complete without paella, we tucked into this rich (but worth the calories) scampi and pluma Ibérico paella ($450 for regular; $550 for large) with Josper-grilled pork loin and Spanish scampi on bomba rice. A few weeks ago, I had a version of this at brunch and found it a bit sweet and heavy (though my friend loved it). This version was well balanced.
Verdict
There are lots of “treat yourself” options on La Rambla’s summer menu. The restaurant is also offering two Taste of Barcelona dinner tasting menus; these present curated highlights from the à-la-carte menu. The Tradition menu ($680) features six classic signature dishes, while the Festival menu ($1,080) showcases 10 seafood and seasonal, ingredient-focused dishes. I’ve visited La Rambla five or so times now, and this may have been my favourite visit yet!
Shop 3071–73, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, 2661 1161, book online
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