Can Cisa/Bar Brutal — Restaurant in Barcelona

Hip restaurant/wine bar. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff. We asked them to recommend a Spanish white wine for around 30 euros and they did. A local natural wine called La Petita. For me it lacked a little bit of personality but my friend really enjoyed it.

We started the meal with oysters which were delicious. Served simply with rice vinegar, it said katsuobushi on the menu but we didn’t get any. Then we had air dried tuna loin with almonds and queen scallops with tarrogan. Both again very good 👌🏽

The bread that came was very crusty and a little dry, it didn’t have oil, butter or tomato with it. But it did come in useful for cleaning plates.

We had a confit artichoke dish with what I believe was tapenade in the middle and sat on a celeriac (or similar) purée. Very accomplished dish, comforting, seasonal and delicious. Then came my favourite dish, smoked eel with potatoes and crème fraiche. Baked new potatoes with (I’m guessing) paprika or similar oil and little chunks of smoked eel finished with a dollop of good crème fraiche on top. The dish was missing broad beans which were on the menu but they didn’t have but it was very good regardless! Next was sea bass with a bisque foam and cauliflower, crispy skin on the fish and the cauliflower had colour but was not over cooked. Nice subtle flavour in the bisque too

I tried a gin and tonic with their own gin (Harry gin Stanton) which was tasty and refreshing, while my friend finished the wine.

To finish we had a banana split, although not as you (or I) would imagine. It was bananas, with a dollop of chocolate ganache or similar and another cream alongside it and then lots of chocolate soil. But to my surprise there were at least as many strawberries in there as pieces of banana. As someone who doesn’t enjoy the combination of strawberries and chocolate it was a slightly unpleasant (not terrible) surprise. To my friends credit I was assured that I was firmly part of the minority when not enjoying that combination (although I’ll stand by the fact it doesn’t work). More banana and less strawberries in your banana split please 🙏 But overall very good, great vibes...

Yesterday evening, strolling in the center of Barcelona together with my two friends, eventually walked past Brutal. I had already heard of it but never had the pleasure to try yet, so we decide to stop by for a quick drink despite not having booked a table in advance. Being fairly early we got lucky. The very welcoming host walked us towards the back of the house and placed the three of us at the counter facing the open kitchen. We couldn’t have wished for better seats! Saying it looked like an episode of Chef’s table would be an understatement. The kitchen was incredible. Everyone of them was absolute spot on, from the Italian young chef who never lost his cool even when lots of orders started coming in, directing the rest with calm and a smile, to the blonde girl who was running the barbecue (with real coal!) and was always generous with answering our (many) questions about the menu..to the guys from the cold starters section and the one in charge of the the oven who was indeed a super star! Got a glass of an amazing rose (the wine list is very interesting and complete) and just enjoyed watching the kitchen creating little masterpieces for the next hour, trying out several dishes from the menu. As mentioned, they generously use real coal to roast and char many components of the menu, this indeed helps creating an extra-cozy atmosphere in the whole restaurant, besides giving that extra kick, that can only come from real coal, in several dishes. The service was also spot-on..our glass of wine was never empty as well as our bottle of water was always full. Very competent staff who knows what they have for sale and are generous with suggestions and tips. The atmosphere at Brutal is very funky yet very elegant and special, from decor to music selection. Perfect balance between an informal evening and a place where you take someone you would like to positively impress. I will definitely be back soon....

I usually walk into any restaurant with the mindset that every place starts at 5 stars - it’s up to them to stay there or work their way down. Even when mistakes happen, a simple acknowledgment and sincere apology can go a long way to keeping that top rating.

Unfortunately, this restaurant didn’t come close to living up to its hype.

We were a large group of 14, and I asked our waiter to prepare a selection of tapas based on his recommendations. From the start, it felt like he wasn’t really listening. Things went downhill when we moved on to the mains. We inquired about the size of the pork “steak” and were told it was a 180g portion, sliced nicely. We clearly asked for 13 individual dishes of that main. What we received instead were 6 plates to share. When we pointed out the mistake, the waiter didn’t acknowledge it, he was defensive, even arrogant, rather than helpful or apologetic.

The wine experience was equally disappointing. We requested a specialist to guide us through the selection. After a long discussion about preferences and notes, three bottles were brought out for tasting. Despite our feedback and the fact that several at our table are experienced wine drinkers, the choices completely missed the mark. It felt like our input was dismissed rather than understood.

These two major issues, combined with a lack of accountability and professionalism, cost the place two stars. Mistakes happen, but failing to own them shows a lack of respect for the guests and the experience.

It’s a real shame, because the venue and atmosphere are fantastic, clearly a lot of potential. But good staff make or break a restaurant, and this time, poor service overshadowed everything else. I sincerely hope management takes this feedback seriously and works to improve the training and attitude of the team for future...