Famed Ryuta Sato from popular Sato I Tanaka (run by the Can Kenji-team) recently opened his own restaurant in Gracia, called Sensato. And there is no doubt that his new project is destined to be among the best Japanese restaurants in Barcelona.

Sensato Barcelona — *Sensato, Barcelona. Photo © Barcelona Food Experience.*

Already before the first day of opening, Sensato was fully booked for weeks. This most certainly shows how much Barcelona appreciates Sato-san, and expectations were high. And, of course, Sensato doesn’t disappoint.

Fresh wasabi (right photo) at Sensato, Barcelona. Photo © Barcelona Food Experience.

The restaurant has currently six seats only, which allows for a very intimate setting. You can see first-hand how Sato works, and it is spell-binding. How he moves the knives, how he cuts, how he forms the rice for the nigiri in his hands; it’s like watching a dance performance. And seeing all the incredibly fresh, high-quality ingredients right in front of you makes the excitement almost unbearable.

You can choose between two different menus, a shorter and a longer one. On our first visit, we chose the shorter one (which by no means is short) and chose a wine from a curated wine list. The concept here is omakase, where you leave yourself in the hands of the chef who creates a unique experience for his guests.

Sensato, Barcelona. Photo © Barcelona Food Experience.

First off was a clam soup which in Japanese cuisine is presented as a starter to aid with digestion. From there, we moved on to the much-awaited and beautifully prepared nigiri. The focus is seasonal fish and seafood; depending on the time of the year, some fish and shellfish are better tasting and fattier. We began with squid, razor clams, octopus, and salmonete (red mullet), with the last one prepared with a blow torch.

The next item on the menu was something I haven’t seen much on menus: the galera (squilla mantis). Chef Sato explained that this shrimp is not much used except for the time when we visited when it is in season and at its fattiest and most tasty. I found it very interesting, and of course, delicious.

We continued with dorada (sea bream), horse mackerel, and then came the tuna. Here chef Sato diverged from the traditional order of serving tuna by prioritizing the fatty tuna and then serving the leaner one to preserve the flavors and appreciate each one as much as possible.

A wonderful surprise came next: the calçot tempura—what a dish. The tempura was incredibly delicate, and the flavor of the calçot was brought out beautifully.

From there, we moved on to makis prepared with different fish and shiitake mushrooms and continued with a delicious, refreshing pickled tomato. After this, we had a maki with tuna and pickled quail egg, which was a tremendous explosion of flavors.

The much-awaited eel came next, and after having spotted uni in Sato-sans “magic box”, we asked him kindly if it would be possible to have this added to our menu (it was originally meant for the long menu). It was, of course, divine. After this, we finished the savory courses with a miso soup made with nutritious fish stock, and moved on to the dessert: miso ice cream and chocolate and sesame truffles—the perfect ending for a perfect meal.

Sensato is one of a kind. You come here for a beautiful experience and exquisite flavors from the best-quality ingredients. This is where you finish your meal, and you request to make a reservation for your next one. It’s that good.

Sensato Restaurant, Carrer de Septimània, 36, 08006 Barcelona (Gracia).

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