I am excited to write about one of my favourite restaurants, Espai Kru, for some fantastic raw food in Barcelona.

The Espai Cru experience

A raw space

The name Espai Kru means raw space if you translate it from Catalan. I used to come here to celebrate the main events of my life: birthdays, the acknowledgement that I am alive. A bit too deep, maybe!

Ok, all these are just excuses. I come to Espai Kru because I want to eat fresh, stunning and fun raw food in Barcelona, and this is one of the best restaurants I found for it.

A bit about the raw food

I love raw food. And I love raw fish more than cooked fish. Espai Kru is one ideal place for someone like me since their menu has an extensive raw food menu. They also fusion cuisines with Latin American and Japanese inspiration, which makes it all the more interesting.

Usually, our order begins with a cocktail. Surprisingly, Espai Kru offers a wide range of cocktails, and so far, all the ones I have tried were delicious and well-balanced. My favourite is the bloody mary. It has the right amount of seasoning in it!

Raw food specialities

Oysters

We always start with oysters. Last Tuesday was no exception. They have French oysters with toppings like ponzu salsa and salmon roe, my favourite.

My mum prefers the oyster with gazpacho and ham. Not too bad either, but the salsa ponzu, with its tangy taste, had me going for it.

Prawns

Then I tried one Palamos prawn in Mexican aguachile. My first raw prawn in Barcelona. I had raw prawns for the first time in a restaurant in Erice, Sicily. Marinated raw pink prawns. The texture… the taste… even now, I still remember how I enjoyed them.

So I ordered one. First, you eat the tail, then suck the head, and finally, drink the juice.

Sashimis

Then it was time for some sashimi selection: two pieces of each fish and seafood to taste.

My favourite at the moment is the raw squid served with salt and lime (I love the texture), the raw mackerel on a bed of mushrooms (I never thought this combination would work), and toro (the fattest part of the tuna, really yummy). I discovered toro in Espai Kru.

Tartars

Then it is tartar time! I prefer raw or seared beef over cooked beef. Plus, steak tartar has many ingredients I love: raw meat and egg, ketchup, etc. We ordered half a portion of the Galician beef tartar. This “half” option is fantastic to try dishes.

We also asked for half a portion of tomato tartar. The best I have ever had. I was intrigued at first, but now I cannot dine here anymore without my share of tomato tartar. You would not think that you are eating tomatoes because of the texture. I also love the recipients they use to present the tartars like in the picture here! They have a feel of Russian mystery.

The cooked menu

There is a cooked food part on the menu. I don’t really look at it as I come to Espai Kru for raw food. But now and then, one of the appetizers attracts my attention. This time, we ordered the cochinita pibil dumpling with its pico de gallo sauce. I liked it.

My mum not so much, but just because she was not keen on eating cooked pork after the succession of raw food. That I can understand. However, we are also here to try something new. These dumplings were flavoursome, and the pico de gallo sauce was hot!

The desserts

Finally, the dessert arrives. I usually get small cones of ice cream or sorbets. They never disappoint me.

This time, I tried the apple Tatin. I did not enjoy it as it was too liquid for my liking. I will stick to ice cream and sorbets next time.

My mum ordered white Chinese mushrooms in passion fruit sauce. They were delicious with an interesting texture. Chinese mushrooms are a type of mushrooms (yes, I checked on Wikipedia!!!), but they look and taste like seaweed. It was a nice and light dessert. The perfect ending to our raw food dinner.

Update 2023

Espai Kru does not exist in its old format anymore. It has merged with another restaurant of the same group, Rías de Galícia to become RíasKRU. Classic seafood dishes from Rías de Galícia and Espai Kru’s creative cuisine make up their menu.

Check out here for more seafood restaurants in Barcelona.