Sant Pau

Every dish came with great excite and surprise.
Great place for a special occasion.

I’d read about Carme Ruscalleda in a NY Times article some time ago, and when my wife and I were looking for places to eat dinner on Sunday night — a bit tricky in Tokyo, given many top-​end spots take the night off — I remembered Sant Pau in doing our search and was delighted to find it was open. We made a reservation at 7:30 PM — a bit on the later side — but it was quite empty, with only a few other parties at most dining at that time. Getting seated was pretty straightforward, and the service was very attentive and detail-​oriented. Although the menu originally placed were in Catalan and Japanese, the wait staff was kind enough to replace them with English versions once they realized we weren’t from around here. The ambiance is definitely more on the European /​American side of being a spacious, modern area, as opposed to the more intimate setting of most Japanese restaurants we went to.
While there are two types of tasting menus, we decided to go with the cheaper ‘Menu Gastronomic’ — the full tasting menu gets you a couple extra courses, but we figured that might be pushing the limits of what we would be able to eat. First up were seasonal appertifs, all of which were delicious. In particular I enjoyed the pesto soup, mainly because, given its strong flavor, I wouldn’t presume to ever eat it outright — but it was delicious, with the strength of the basil tempered, and the spicy stick a very nice complement to the course. I also really enjoyed the stuffed shiitake mushroom — it was very much like a croquette, but with a nod to Japanese influences (such as the presence of shiso). Next up was a delicious tomato and watermelon (!) soup — very much a soothing gazpacho-​type soup, with perfectly-​cooked prawns served in the bowl. The squid course was very well-​executed as well; if anything, the presentation (with the squid encapsulating its contents) was almost like an inverse croquette. The squid wasn’t as tender as the sushi spots we’d been to, but it was grilled and cooked enough where the flavors were maintained and it was still easy to chew and appreciate the texture. The fish course was sawara (Spanish mackerel), served as a lightly seared cut with a beautifully-​designed saffron and wasabi sauce (the saffron is shaped like the sun, while the wasabi accents the shape around it). The next course was definitively the highlight of dinner: the Iberian pork, cooked medium-​rare, had such amazing flavor and texture — it’s definitely the best pork dish I’ve ever had the joy of tasting. What made the dish more interesting was the dry minced banana it was served with, adding a crunchiness to each bite as well as that muted sweetness of the fruit — a nice contrast to the juicy succulence of the pork.
From there, it was on to the dessert-​oriented courses. I’m not ordinarily a big fan of cheese plates, but the five cheeses and the ‘contrasts’ they were served with were very well-​executed, in particular when they are eaten in the given order — you go from the harder, heavier bites to lighter ones, ending with a creamy gorgonzola served with tomatoes that maintained their form even when bitten into. The palate cleanser followed, which was a very nice hibiscus sorbet (on the bitter side) and very succulent juicy peeled grapes. The main dessert course was a leathery mango square (for lack of a better word) served over shiso sorbet, which captured the intense flavor of the leaf perfectly. After a very kind congratulatory bite of cake (we just got married), we ended with ‘Gaudi’s Dragon’ — a very creative (and tasty) interpretation of the famous statue at Park Guell. Comprised of dark chocolate, speculoos, coconut, and green tea cookies, it’s a delicious end to a meal that pays great tribute to both the Catalan and Japanese inspirations of the menu.
Dinner was absolutely great here, and we’d love to come back again. It was on the ‘cheaper’ side of our higher-​end meals here (the Gastronomic menu comes in at JPY 19,000 per person), but the food is executed perfectly in all aspects. With very solid service and a wait staff that can cater to non-​Japanese-​speaking clientele, this is a place I’d definitely recommend to tourists looking for an exceptional Japanese-​influenced take on European cuisine.

What a great GREAT lunch. My wife and I thought we were just running in for a quick tapas lunch. What we got was a Catalan experience. I was not dressed for all this deliciousness. 45 minutes later we were out if there in the short meal. My only regret is that we didn’t have the 2 hours for the long course. Well deserved 2 stars and a big five from me. Enjoy.