Roca Bar, haute cuisine snacks
If I like something Omm Hotel is that he is alive . That's why he gets old. And it ages well, without losing class or style. But wrinkles do not forgive. After ten years in the gap, the time has come for the first facelift. To recover the illusion and feel young, again . Without fear of the scalpel, the Roca brothers -responsible for the gastronomic proposal- and Rosa Esteva -owner and soul of the place- have put themselves in the hands of the interior designer Sandra Tarruellas who has adapted the scene to a new, more casual and markedly bipolar concept.
The operation has been perfect : the change is perceived, although, from the outset, everything looks the same. Two spaces so well integrated that they seem to be one. Two opposite but complementary gastronomic proposals. Different environments for different times.
Terrace of the Hotel Omm: without a doubt, a very good surgery
ROCK BAR
The star of the Roca Bar are the “rocks” . A brioche bun filled with smoked eel with teriyaki sauce, oxtail in red wine or chicken with mole . They are served hot, as if they were empanadas, and they are irresistible. I confess I couldn't stop eating. Andri, the Japanese ham slicer, who distributes portions of very well-cut Joselito pork legs, accompanied -if desired- by pan de cristal spread with tomato and oil, is also funny. And the corner with oysters, sea urchins and king crab legs that the client seasons to her liking with an appetizing assortment of sauces devised by the Roca brothers . The portions (salad, chicken wings, some striking waffle-shaped fried potatoes) lack that rogue point that gives them a spark: The Roca are too elegant to face the "bar mode".
Ooommm this needs a twist quick please! Among the rest of the specialties that make up the menu (pasta, tiradito, rice, salads, steak tartare) there is a bit of everything, an attractive offer that will be finished off. Indeed, great selection of european wines for drinks that are stored in a self-service bottle rack: load a card with the euros you want and try wines until the balance runs out. Attractive system for repeat customers.
Take note of the selection of European wines by the glass at Roca Bar
Roca Moo, the ritual begins with a parade of creams, stews and tortillas
MOO ROCK
In front of the bare tables of the bar -a sign of informality- those of the restaurant dress up, making a difference. Behind a bar that serves as a reception table, five chefs dressed in black finish off the dishes. Closeness is sought, contact with the client, break the traditional structure, connect. An almost ethereal bookstore separates the restaurant from the bar: the view is lost, the atmosphere mixes, the bustle rocks me without getting in the way. The birch trees in the inner courtyard, identical to those of El Celler, remind me of where I am.
Roca Moo: haute cuisine dressed as normal
The ritual begins. Philip Llufriu , a faithful interpreter of Roca's cuisine, parades cardamom cream, stew, liquid mushroom omelette with sausage -I want more-, the evocative royal hare, the lemon and tarragon dessert... Haute cuisine dressed as normal . No rules, no corset, no instruction book. It's not heavy, it's not cloying, it's not boring. It invites you to eat, to feel, to enjoy. No more is needed. Nobody wants more.
OMM HOTEL: Roselló 265, Barcelona. Telephone: 93 445 40 00. Rock Bar : does not close. Between 25 and 45 euros per person. moo rock : Closed on Sundays and Mondays. Between 70 and 120 euros per person.
*** You may also be interested in...**
- The restaurant without a chronicle: Celler de Can Roca
- Barcelona Guide
- Restaurants in Barcelona
- All articles by Julia Pérez Lozano
Facade of the renovated Hotel Omm