Daring fusion at Direkte Boqueria

After some extensive Instagram research ahead of a quick 24-hour trip to Barcelona, I discovered Direkte Boqueria. Image after tagged image of a gooey green cheesecake caught my attention for reasons I was yet to understand…

As soon as we arrived at the tiny venue tucked away within Barcelona’s Boquería Market, I had a good feeling about what was in store for the evening. Bringing together a blend of Catalan-Asian fusion, Direkte Boqueria’s head chef Arnau Muñío and his team have garnered a lot of attention and admiration since opening back in 2018.

Once seated, we were offered a tasting menu of either seven or ten courses. We opted for the seven courses (it was the end of the trip so the purse strings had tightened) but by the time we’d reached dish three, we were begging our waiter to let us have all ten.

There was no actual menu given to us and, writing this a little while after our visit, my memory is failing to recall specifics. What I can remember, though, is that from one dish to the next I was blown away by Direkte’s ingenuity. Eel, Catalan tofu and aubergine. Coca de recapte (a Catalonian flatbread) with shrimp and Iberian pork jowls. Sardine and charred watermelon sushi. The more the meal progressed, the more inventive it seemed to become…

To drink, we let the waiter bring wine pairings as we moved through the courses. He was incredibly insightful about both the wines and the dishes – it felt like he was an old friend who had taken us out to his favourite local.

This meal was really special. Inventive cuisine in a laid-back and intimate setting, sitting up there as one of my most memorable holiday dinners to date. My key takeaway from Direkte Boqueria? If I could have that gooey green smoked matcha cheesecake for dessert every day, you’d better believe I would.