We decided to try Cocina Hermanos Torres on the recommendation of many fellow Redditors. Given all of the high praise this restaurant had been receiving, we were going in with high expectations.
The Food (8/10):
Perhaps our expectations were too high and while all of the dishes were enjoyable and there were no ‘misses’, we felt that there were only 2 standout dishes between the chicken broth / squid / caviar dish and lamb dish and the rest of the dishes were solid but not memorable. Having experienced mostly 1 and 2 Michelin star and a couple 3-star restaurants, we expected a great deal more. For a 3 Michelin star restaurant, we expected to be blown away by the flavours, however perhaps they just weren’t to our preferences which is completely understandable.
The Drinks (10/10 for taste, 0/10 for price):
As we have fairly low alcohol tolerances, we asked for mocktails. We provided our preferences and a cocktail was prepared for each of us, a ‘sour’ cocktail using passion fruit, yuzu and ginger beer, and a ‘fruity’ cocktail using pineapple and lime. Our mocktails were delicious, however what wasn’t delicious was the price tag that they came with. Of course we weren’t presented with the mocktail prices when we ordered our drinks, so we were understandably shocked when we received the bill. At 32€ per mocktail, we were left mindblasted. Even at a ‘fancy’ bar in Barcelona, a cocktail with alcohol would only run 15-20€. We felt that 32€ was insane for a mocktail and it felt like highway robbery. For some reference, our mocktails at Disfrutar just a few nights before were only 9€ each.
The Service (6/10):
We felt that the service was professional, attentive and friendly, but not as warm as we would have liked. We have received less stiff and more personable service at many other fine dining restaurants. Interactions were fairly minimal, and there were a few odd moments. I had asked one of the waitstaff a question and he communicated that he didn’t know the answer, so he would get back to me, but he never returned with an answer. As well, we were told that one of the desserts had a ‘secret’ ingredient and we were implored with trying to figure out what it was. We understood it to be a bit of a game and thus expected the waitstaff to follow up with what the ‘secret’ ingredient was, but they never did, so I had to ask after we had already finished the next course.
At the end of our dining experience, there was a service mishap where we were asked by our main waitress if we wanted a taxi and we responded with ‘No’. At that point, I left for the washroom, and upon my return to the table and just as a member of the waitstaff is helping me to get seated, my partner tells me that our taxi was outside and waiting for us. It felt like we were being rushed out of the restaurant even though the kitchen was closed and the restaurant was still at least half full. Seems to have been an unfortunate miscommunication among the service staff which left us with a sour taste in our mouths as we left the restaurant.
The Atmosphere (10/10):
The dining room is unlike any other we’ve been in and may be the most memorable part of our dining experience. The open kitchen in the centre of the room is stunning and allowed us to experience ‘dinner and a show’, watching the chefs operate in such an organized manner.
Overall (7/10):
While Cocina Hermanos Torres offers a great dining experience, we didn’t feel that it was worthy of 3-stars, and was closer to a 2-star experience. From the awkward moments in the service and miscommunication at the end of our experience, to the food which didn’t quite ‘wow’ us, and given the price tag of 310€ per person, excluding drinks, we felt that the value wasn’t quite there. The value of 32€ per mocktail definitely wasn’t there.
by gonehalohunting