As in any thriving city, hotspots come and go and with so much to tempt your tastebuds we’ve found a hidden Barcelona gem that is one of those restaurants that other chefs like to go to on their very few days off.

The highly accoladed Restaurant Suculent is located on the edge of Rambla Raval in the centre of Barcelona, almost hidden among an array of other dining outlets. Inside the narrow entrance is a warm, welcoming, intimate restaurant with comfortable wooden furniture. There is no pretension here; the staff are excellent; the service is slick, and the food is positively outstanding.

Chef Antonio Romero, better known as Toni Romero, has been the head chef since the restaurant opened in 2012. He’s a very humble, yet incredibly talented chef, who has created a menu of both Mediterranean and Spanish dishes that can be enjoyed à la carte or as a tasting menu, which is highly recommended. He has extensive experience, having spent time in the kitchens of El Bulli and Arzak, and you can taste that.

Our server described Suculent’s cuisine as ‘mojar lentamente’ or ‘to sop up slowly’ and this was the perfect way to describe so many of the delicious and clever dishes. The ten- course tasting menu featured superb locally sourced ingredients and a clear influence of local Catalonian cuisine.

Highlights included the fresh marinated anchovy, orange gelée and olives (the olive water was outstanding), roasted duck croquette, beetroot with beurre blanc sauce with smoked eel (you absolutely need the bread to sop it up!), stingray with black butter and citric mashed potato, while the stuffed strawberries with white chocolate, yoghurt and vanilla were heavenly.

Restaurant Suculent is definitely one that you want to book in advance. It’s open for lunch as well as dinner, with lunch being a good option. For the price, the tasting menus are good value for money as they are extremely generous… you won’t leave hungry and the secret is definitely in the sauce! suculent.com