Lantern Asian Fusion Restaurant 蘭亭 — Restaurant in Barcelona

True I know quite a bit about different Asian cuisines and differentiate well authentic versus far from it but I arrived enthusiastic about the fact that it was fusion and was surprised to see Caipirinha on the drink menu so I ordered one. It’s quite a simple drink to make when you have the ingredients, lime, sugar and Cachaça. When I observed how they tried to make it giving each other instructions and clearly scratching their heads, I was sure they were making someone else’s drink, but they weren’t. They put rum, then tiny cut pieces of standard lemon loose in there, then Malibu, yes, Malibu!!! Then to top it all off they put pineapple juice. I don’t need to say anything else do I? The food follows the same path. Of course I didn’t dare order the Thai curry because they said it’s not spicy at all and the curry was not yellow, red or green or Panang but Lemon. Whichever curry is called lemon curry in Thailand and is completely mild, I’m yet to discover. Vietnamese rolls were standard Chinese rolls not the Vietnamese with mint and lettuce and fish sauce but standard Chinese with sweet and sour. I had been convinced to order what they said is their star dish, the duck. I had figured from the menu that they are Chinese trying to include aspects of other southeast Asian cuisine and being unable to, so I went for the duck. Nobody makes a better duck than the Chinese. It was ok. Forget about crunchy skin or the amazing texture. It was a bit barely ok. The good thing is the place is cute, the servers super friendly and the prices incredibly cheap. I’d never go there...

We had made a reservation at this restaurant, which went smoothly, and we were warmly welcomed upon arrival. Unfortunately, the person serving us didn’t seem to have their best day. Several dishes were brought to the table at different times, so each person received their meal separately. As a result, we couldn’t enjoy our food together.

The starters were good, and the main courses were okay. Considering the many great reviews, we were left a bit puzzled — the food was decent, but far from exceptional. For a restaurant with such high ratings, we...

Should have known the 3 picoteos at the start were the nail in the coffin: overripe vinegar kimchi, 2 olives, and 3 grapes. But no, we stayed. Ugh. The “kimchi pancake” was frozen Indian prata with kimchi and … cheese? … on top. The spicy wanton soup was the best of a bad lot; it was actually spicy and comforting. In the end we just stayed for laughs. It ended with “fideos de mariscos” that were Yatekomos with vegetables cut by the hand of a 1st grader. The decor and ambient music is surreal and frankly fantasic. The food is so sadly not good....