Mercat

This place was such a nice surprise in the Bangsar village area.
They serve traditional Spanish food in a very cool environment. Their menu includes different types of Spanish ham, paella and tapas.
The portions are known for being small but I find the price is worth it and gives you the chance to try different things. Recommend visiting this place if you’re craving some Spanish flavor.

My friend brought me here for the first time. The reason why I haven’t been here for a while is that the price are quite expensive, but it was quite worth it after I went there couple days ago and I would have come here more often if it’s not because of the price. This place is located beside the famous nirvana banana leaf in telawi. I barely see a full house on this place and I feel like they are very underrated for their food (it’s so delicious but I’ve barely heard people talking about this place).
They have pretty good selection of food like Berenjena Escalivada for RM29++, it is a roasted eggplant covered with delicate nut, fresh nip of chives, mostillo and covered with tinge of honey. There is also Arroz con Morcilla for RM42++, which is a rice peppered with green beans, pine nuts, soft cheese and wild mushroom. Also their delicate Paella which you can share between your friends.
I am definitely recommending this place for all food lovers who appreciate great food that is beautifully plated.

Mercat may be a cool name for a restaurant, but when a restaurant carries the tag ‘Barcelona Gastrobar’, it is nothing but that.
Oh, it is not to say that it does not look like it. It DOES look like a Barcelona Gastrobar, but the taste is just from average to meh, which is never a good thing for a business that charges its customer around RM20-​RM30 for a few shrimps or a little to nonexistent plate of paella. I am not an advocate for human decency, but when you are paying this kind of price, I will expect some sort of moral decency to actually serve us the same amount, even when the price of the ingredients may cause you to lose money.
My solution? Increase the price, while also increasing the portion. With the impending GST tax coming in, we can surely see that the popularity in this restaurant will subside, and it is so sad to see, for its idea is good, but the substance is not.

If you wanna try traditional Spanish cuisine and ambience you can definitely try this restaurant. Mercat is a gastrobar, specialised in Catalan Cuisine, from Barcelona.
I love the food from here because I love the Spanish cuisine. They have amazing tapas and hot meals. From tapas I love the Jamon Iberico and from hot meals I really like Gambas al Ajillo/​Garlic Prawn (RM29). You can also try the paella which I heard that is delicious. i definitely have to go again to try it.
I was so surprised to see that they have Estrella Galicia beer, which is very popular back in Spain.
It’s quite lively on Fridays, and it’s a nice spot to people-​watch.
Overall: I recommend the place to everyone who wanna have a Spanish experience and I go here again to try the paella

When Mercat first opened last year, it was a big deal because there are not a lot of Spanish restaurants in Bangsar. I’ve eaten there three times and I find that the food is pretty average, and not cheap too. Once I tried the patatas bravas which they claim is their version of the tapas, but I swear I’ve seen the photo of something similar to that on a website of a Spanish restaurant.
The chilled eggplant with pine nuts is very good though, but I wished it didn’t have the fridge taste. You know, when someone puts food in the fridge for too long and it picks up the smells of the other food? The Iberico ribs are tasty too. But I think the best thing I like about this place is the atmosphere. It’s quite lively on Fridays, and it’s a nice spot to people-​watch. Don’t know if I’ll recommend it to anyone for the food, but for a drink or two, it’s alright.