4 Hours. 12 Courses. 5 Senses.

This post is only for those with a morbid curiosity to know every detail about my meals here...so I have a feeling that's just me.

Our last night in Barcelona we made reservations to dine at the tasting menu only Cinc Sentits and pretended for just one evening that we weren't two unemployed wandering soon-to-be students.

Wine:

1. Zarate Tras da Viba. D.O. Rias Baixas. Albarino. 2005. Bright, fruity. Albarino is a typically Catalan white grape varietal from the area north of us.

2. Bodegas Fefinanes. Fefinanes III Ano. D.O. Rias Baixas. Albarino. Smoky, minerally. Aged in steel for three years.

The menu:

1. Three snacky bites to start. Bowl of marcona almonds. Fig and anchovy bread sticks. Stuffed olives.

Bread served with two types of olive oil. Both from just north of Barcelona.

2. Layered foamy, creamy maple syrup shots with chunks of salt at the bottom. This was much tastier than I just made it sound.

3. Pan con tomate. Fresh tomato sorbet with garlic bubbles, sausage flake, mini croutons, green tomato relish in a puddle of olive oil. Tasted kind of like frozen Campbell soup.

4. Foie gras terrine coca. Slab of rich foie from Baix Emporda topped with carmelized sugar and chopped chives on a bed of glazed leeks and a thin pastry crust. So rich and sweet, it felt like dessert.

As a side note, my culinary student friend from the farm said she saw a video of a foie gras farm in class. Apparently the geese actually run to the feeders every day to be fed. We overheard the waitress saying the same thing to the table next to us. So maybe it's not such a cruel food? Or more likely just effective foodie propaganda?

5. Perfectly poached farm fresh egg (such a cheerfully orange yolk on the little guy!) from Llobregat atop smashed potatoes (should really just call it what it is: smashed butteriness with splash of potato). Also, the menu said the chicken was "blue-legged." Anyone know what that means and why that is a desirable trait?

An optional course, which we felt necessary to pay the extra 10 euros to incorporate. The waiter brought out a hunk of white truffle and shaved sheets off tableside. There was an electronic scale and everything! Such showmanship. 6 euros per gram. We purchased 2.5. Sooo worth it.

6. Wild Mediterranean mullet. Wrapped in a clear cellophane bag. Waitress cut it open upon serving, and the bright aromas of lemon thyme and veggies just hit you in the face. More showmanship! Love edible entertainment.

7. Seared langoustine tail with catalan picada and truffled lentils. The langoustine was so tender and sweet it was reminiscent of our smashed butteriness.

8. Cube of Iberian suckling pig from nearby Extremadura. Cooked over 24 hours with a light, crisp fatty crust. Served with a spiced apple puree and a sauteed apple wedge.

9. Farmhouse cheese course. Catalan goat cheese with a basil infused tomato, sprigs of fresh basil and drizzled with more basil in oil form. Eh, a little too sweet for my taste. Could have done without this one.

10. Chamomile ice cream with diced peach rectangles and a cloud of pistachio dust. Few things in life more deliciously comforting than sweet, milky chamomile. It's what I imagine a big, cozy armchair (much like the one in my former and Pris' current apartment) and a good book or NPR radio show on a winter day would taste like.

11. Chocolate (67% to be exact) mousse with olive oil ice cream, shattered bread (yes, this just means bread crumbs, but it's what the menu actually said) and chopped macadamian nuts.

12. Trio of chocolate and hazelnut brittle, shot of cream with violet gelee and an almond cookie.

And now we are living off bread to make up for this indulgent splurge. Thank goodness for cheap Moroccan food though!