Manresa restaurant by Chef David Kinch. He has worked in kitchens from Japan to New York to France to Germany to Spain. He’s among the 3 Michelin stars elites.
He’s been exposed to different types of cooking techniques and flavors. It definitely shows through his cooking as a lot of the dishes drew influences from everywhere. With that expertise, it comes with many awards and accolades: Manresa Restaurant
- 2 Michelin stars in 2014
- 2 Michelin stars in 2015
- 3 Michelin stars in 2016
- #62 on the San Pellegrino 2014 World’s Best Restaurants
- #100 on the San Pellegrino 2015 World’s Best Restaurants
- #83 on the San Pellegrino 2016 World’s Best Restaurants
- #90 on the San Pellegrino 2017 World’s Best Restaurants
I arrived at Manresa and my eyes laid eyes on its beautiful courtyard. As I walked up, the hostess opens the door for me then greets me. The restaurant is broken up into three areas, which are the main dining hall, the bar, and the secondary dining room. However, it was okay cause I was starving and don’t mind eating alone. The service is on the same level as other Michelin 2 or 3 star restaurant; the service level is very comparable and barely noticeably different. It’s really hard to determine what equates to a third star. Manresa Restaurant
Now, the food. The menu was about 14-15 dishes depending whether you include the amuse bouche. I’m only going to go through my favorites:
- Tortilla Espanola – This was a fried tomato. It was easily the best dish of the night. It was only a bite and the initial bite was a nice crispy crunch. It had a zesty flavor to it and the Spanish influences of the dish was very apparent. Manresa Restaurant
Tortilla Espanola - “Pot au feu” of Squab – The dish was served with matsutake, parmesan and kale chips. The ingredients went very well with the tender squab and the aroma of the Parmesan wasn’t over powering the dish. The squab was very juicy and tender. The sightly salted kale chips was a nice touch to the squab if eaten together. Manresa Restaurant
“Pot au feu” of Squab - Tamago – Tamago is a dish found on every sushi menu. Chef Kinch draws his influences from his Japanese experience. It was a Rockfish paste laid in black truffle sauce. The strong aroma of the black truffle was heaven and added a complexity to the Tamago. It was nicely done but wasn’t as fluffy as Tamago from other notable restaurants like Urasawa or Sushi Zo. Manresa Restaurant
Tamago
Overall, I really wanted to like Manresa. The service was great and I had a good time talking to my waiter. However, there was something missing from Manresa. There wasn’t one dish that really stuck out for me. Lastly, Manresa is a really good restaurant but I wouldn’t say the food was unforgettable. Manresa Restaurant
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- Service - 8/108/10
- Presentation - 7/107/10
- Flavors - 6.5/106.5/10
- Decor - 8/108/10
- Ambiance - 7/107/10
Summary
Manresa recently received its third star. It’s one of the few restaurants with 3 Michelin stars outside of the San Francisco’s downtown area. However, I really wanted to like Manresa and the service was great. Unfortunately, Manresa is a really good restaurant but I wouldn’t say the food was unforgettable.
