Courses 1-5
The El Bulli meal traditionally starts with a 'deconstructed' cocktail, or in this case, three. As we noted in the last post, as soon as we took our seats at the table, the first course was upon us, a strawberry Campari, but not of course in a glass. This came so quickly we didn't even have our camera out the bag at this point and so is one of the few elements we were unable to photograph. The cocktail itself came like a frozen ice strawberry, itself on a bed of ice and we were forcefully told to eat it now (presumably before it melts) and to eat it in a single bite. Picking it up was a little tricky as it was effectively a spherical ice cube and in the mouth, nice, refreshing, not overly alcoholic and gone so soon.
This does highlight a number of aspects of eating at El Bulli though. First and foremost, it is about engaging with the food. Silverware is used only when strictly necessary, for the most part you are expected to touch the food with your hands to feel the textures of the food before you even put it in your mouth. The lights too are remarkably bright with a spotlight aimed over each table. You're expected to see what's presented - this is not a candlelight dinner, this is about the food and therefore the ambience is designed to highlight the food, not the mood. Furthermore, most dishes came with instructions on how to eat it jokingly leaving us lost on the occassions when it came with none. Finally, the frenetic pace of the service meant that as soon as the strawberry Campari was cleared away, we hardly had time to ask each other what we thought of it before a 'mojito and apple flute' arrived.
The El Bulli meal traditionally starts with a 'deconstructed' cocktail, or in this case, three. As we noted in the last post, as soon as we took our seats at the table, the first course was upon us, a strawberry Campari, but not of course in a glass. This came so quickly we didn't even have our camera out the bag at this point and so is one of the few elements we were unable to photograph. The cocktail itself came like a frozen ice strawberry, itself on a bed of ice and we were forcefully told to eat it now (presumably before it melts) and to eat it in a single bite. Picking it up was a little tricky as it was effectively a spherical ice cube and in the mouth, nice, refreshing, not overly alcoholic and gone so soon.
This does highlight a number of aspects of eating at El Bulli though. First and foremost, it is about engaging with the food. Silverware is used only when strictly necessary, for the most part you are expected to touch the food with your hands to feel the textures of the food before you even put it in your mouth. The lights too are remarkably bright with a spotlight aimed over each table. You're expected to see what's presented - this is not a candlelight dinner, this is about the food and therefore the ambience is designed to highlight the food, not the mood. Furthermore, most dishes came with instructions on how to eat it jokingly leaving us lost on the occassions when it came with none. Finally, the frenetic pace of the service meant that as soon as the strawberry Campari was cleared away, we hardly had time to ask each other what we thought of it before a 'mojito and apple flute' arrived.
The flute here was we think a super light meringue with an iced mojito filling. The whole thing was so delicate it would break under its own weight making it a little tricky to eat as it crumbled through your fingers but the mojito flavours were strong and readily identifiable. Light and refreshing.
With the mojito being cleared, the next cocktail was already on the way, an almond fizz with Amaretto and a vodka base. Oddly, this didn't look odd but looked exactly how cocktails often do. Whatever the twist here, it was I think lost on us; it would not be the last time that this would be the case. While we were drinking this, a nori seaweed parcel of lemon arrived taking us by surprise as we were now layering courses. Again, the instruction to eat it now with two bites resulted in this again escaping our camera though it would be the last course to do so.
Course 5 was a gorgonzola globe with walnut shavings. The globe is brought to the table and then with a spoon, rather as if you were breaking a soft boiled egg for dipping soldiers, the top is knocked in. Walnut shavings are ground over the globe and then with fingers, you pull the cheese globe to pieces and eat. As the globe warms up, the cheese further melts and at this point, instead of breaking a bit off and eating it, the cheese doesn't so much snap off in your hands but melts all over your hands giving a finger lickin' moment. It's fun and its playful and of course messy, but again, you really do get involved with the food. We also noticed that a table for four got a cheese globe the same size as ours that was only for the two of us. This was in fact quite a lot of cheese for two people to eat and we tactically decided to leave some of it.
To give you a sense of the pace so far, the gorgonzola cheese ball (course 5) is being served exactly seven minutes after we've sat down!
Courses 6-10
Course 6 was an easier and smaller bite - hibiscus and peanut. This was one of those dishes that does elicit an audible wow and feels very El Bulli. At a single bite, it was just right and delicious. Delicate, incredible and so good were the words we used at the time.
To give you a sense of the pace so far, the gorgonzola cheese ball (course 5) is being served exactly seven minutes after we've sat down!
Courses 6-10
Course 6 was an easier and smaller bite - hibiscus and peanut. This was one of those dishes that does elicit an audible wow and feels very El Bulli. At a single bite, it was just right and delicious. Delicate, incredible and so good were the words we used at the time.
This was followed by a parmesan macaron. The waiter notes were 'parmesan, marshmallow and pine nuts to eat in two bites. This was another really fun dish becasue the marshmallow was so light that it squeezed in as you tried to grip it as if you were trying to grip a balloon filled with water. We laughed our way through eating this and thought the texture was like those 'snowball' cakes though we doubt Ferran would be flattered by that comparison.
Also quite funny is that the napkin that they had given us was about 4 inches by 4 inches and all the food till now has been eaten with the fingers. This was already becoming a pretty dirty napkin.
Also quite funny is that the napkin that they had given us was about 4 inches by 4 inches and all the food till now has been eaten with the fingers. This was already becoming a pretty dirty napkin.
We wondered throughout the evening at the order of the food (the light to heavy idea) and now we were being served hazelnut-rasberries to be 'eaten in one bite'. This could have easily been a dessert course. We noted that it was delicious. We also noted that this was not a hazelnut or a rasberry but something else with elements of both with a texture you weren't expecting.
Following this was the shrimp tortilla (omlette on the menu). Super thin, the first one sweet with a sort of sugary glaze, no instructions on how to eat it and the second one (the one on the left in picture three) with the smallest prawns you could imagine. Had they been smaller, they simply wouldn't have existed. They were so small, they were like foetus prawns and it seemed almost rude to eat them.
We had questions to ask and there was lots about the food that was a mystery but it didn't seem right or proper to ask, something like not asking a magician how he did that. What's more, the waiters who did an incredible job throughout the evening just didn't have time to chat, they were simply too busy.
We had questions to ask and there was lots about the food that was a mystery but it didn't seem right or proper to ask, something like not asking a magician how he did that. What's more, the waiters who did an incredible job throughout the evening just didn't have time to chat, they were simply too busy.
Rounding out the first ten course was a coconut sponge cake. Again to be eaten with the fingers (in two bites), this really was like trying to pick up and eat snow. As soon as it hits your tongue too it was gone, crazy in a good way. More fun, more laughs.
Courses 11-15
For course 11, we again returned to a flowery concoction with 'roses with ham won-ton and water melon' or put another way, ham and watermelon dumpling. Again, to be picked up with the fingers so the texture was apparent, this was another dish that elicited a wow. Such beauty too.
For course 11, we again returned to a flowery concoction with 'roses with ham won-ton and water melon' or put another way, ham and watermelon dumpling. Again, to be picked up with the fingers so the texture was apparent, this was another dish that elicited a wow. Such beauty too.
While we were still eating our rose petal dumplings, the next course arrived titled 'ham and ginger canapee' (to be eaten in two bites). We got wows, woos and 'good god' from this little dish. Time check, 29 minutes in, 11 courses down.
What followed next was one of the highlights of the meal. Titled 'caviar cream with hazlenut caviar', little explanation is given at the time of serving of this dish. As can be seen in the picture below, there are two sauces, the grey and the brown and two lines of caviar. The twist is that the grey sauce is a caviar sauce but on top is not 'real' caviar but hazelnut chocolate 'caviar', while the brown sauce is hazelnut chocolate with real caviar on top. On the plus side, this is the first dish for which we did not have to use our fingers - would have been a bit too messy even for them.
This was absolutely delicious, and as you got through the dish, the sauces would mix and the caviar would mix and so the taste of the dish changed as the balance changed in the process of consuming it. Definitely four thumbs up.
This was absolutely delicious, and as you got through the dish, the sauces would mix and the caviar would mix and so the taste of the dish changed as the balance changed in the process of consuming it. Definitely four thumbs up.
We then moved to a heavier dish described on the menu as 'marchand du vin' but which in its elements was bone marrow, oyster and red wine sauce. This was a monster of a dish, hugely flavourful, amazing textures with massive depth. The bone marrow disintegrated in the mouth and would ooze all around while the salty oyster provided a taste contrast. We really liked this dish but it was quite a lot of food (especially as course 14) and we noticed that the table next to us had only one piece of bone marrow on their plates. We obviously looked fat enough to handle double portions!
The first of two prawn dishes were up next. First, a very elegant perfect example of the kind, this was a boiled shrimp whereupon we should 'suck the brains and eat to the tail'.
Courses 16-20
The second shrimp presentation was termed 'prawn two firings'. The first 'firing' was the prawn juice which you can see on the spoon on the left of the picture, while the second 'firing' was a grilled prawn with an amazing textural quality alongside. Delicious.
The second shrimp presentation was termed 'prawn two firings'. The first 'firing' was the prawn juice which you can see on the spoon on the left of the picture, while the second 'firing' was a grilled prawn with an amazing textural quality alongside. Delicious.
Quails with carrot 'escabeche' were next but this was a slightly problematic dish for us (escabeche means poached or fried). Here, the quails breasts were brought to the table and painted with the carrot emulsion in front of you. No silverware but a wooden pick to eat with and we were told to start at the top end and work down. The top quail was adorned with some sort of ground pepper, the second quail also had something shaved onto it. The final two quail breasts looked unadorned.
While the quail was done quite rare and was very strongly flavoured, our problem here is that we just didn't get the dish. The carrot didn't really come through and there was little discernable difference in taste between each of the breasts. Clearly Ferran has some reasoning behind this dish but we just couldn't figure it. What's more, for course 17, four quails breasts is quite a bit of food! Our verdict was 'underwhelming'.
While the quail was done quite rare and was very strongly flavoured, our problem here is that we just didn't get the dish. The carrot didn't really come through and there was little discernable difference in taste between each of the breasts. Clearly Ferran has some reasoning behind this dish but we just couldn't figure it. What's more, for course 17, four quails breasts is quite a bit of food! Our verdict was 'underwhelming'.
Next up was a welcome change of taste and texture as a tomato tartar provided a palate cleanser. To add to the sense of freshness, the tartar came with shaved ice on top. As can be seen in the picture below, the colours were absolutely glorious on this dish (though admittedly helped by the bottom side of the dish being yellow).
Courses 19 and 20 are really one course but overall done very theatrically. First, we were served the wine, a 1981 Rioja with huge earthy forrest aromas. Then, a white truffle was brought to the table. Enormous in size and even more enormous in smell, this was a knockout of a truffle, almost overwhelming for me though Mrs CC was in truffle heaven.
Then they shaved the truffle (most generously) into a red wine glass. This is listed on the menu as a seperate course (tartufo glass) though you're not supposed to do anything here other than push your nose in the glass as if you were nosing a wine. That said, this truffle was so powerful you really didn't need the balloon effect of a wine glass to concentrate the smell any further.
After some one-on-one time with the truffle, a 'tagliatelle of consomme - carbonara' is served. The waiter then takes the truffle glass and with a pair of long tweezers, extracts the truffle shavings and places these on top of the tagliatelle and then you're good to go.
The wine paired fantastically with the dish, but also worth noting is that the tagliatelle is not ordinary pasta - it wouldn't be would it - but rather Ferran's special translucent pasta. The flavour combinations perfectly balanced and this dish was an absolute winner, even if a touch difficult to get the pasta to wrap around the fork.
Then they shaved the truffle (most generously) into a red wine glass. This is listed on the menu as a seperate course (tartufo glass) though you're not supposed to do anything here other than push your nose in the glass as if you were nosing a wine. That said, this truffle was so powerful you really didn't need the balloon effect of a wine glass to concentrate the smell any further.
After some one-on-one time with the truffle, a 'tagliatelle of consomme - carbonara' is served. The waiter then takes the truffle glass and with a pair of long tweezers, extracts the truffle shavings and places these on top of the tagliatelle and then you're good to go.
The wine paired fantastically with the dish, but also worth noting is that the tagliatelle is not ordinary pasta - it wouldn't be would it - but rather Ferran's special translucent pasta. The flavour combinations perfectly balanced and this dish was an absolute winner, even if a touch difficult to get the pasta to wrap around the fork.
This takes us to the end of the first 20 courses, 1 hour 15 mins into the meal.
Click here to read part two of the meal - courses 21-40
Click here to read part two of the meal - courses 21-40