El Bulli

After having to cancel our treasured reservation due to illness this past January, I feared I would never be able to experience the genius of Ferran Adria's El Bulli before he closed his doors this Summer. Needless to say, this depressed me. I know it sounds dramatic, but I already felt as though I was missing out on the most amazing meal of my life. SIGH. Thus, after a heck of a lot of positive-thinking and persistence, and a few instances of stomping around like a spoiled 5 year-old child, my husband surprised me with another reservation for 6 July 2011!

As we drove the 2 hours from Barcelona to Roses, I could hardly contain my excitement. I have read so many blogs and reviews over the years, especially leading up to our failed January visit, but chose not to update myself on anymore recent postings. I was already mentally and physically prepared for anything.

The entire meal was brilliant and I am so delighted that we went! You often read that many people walk away disappointed or confused, pr many others who have found a majority of the dishes inedible or displeasing to the palate. This was certainly not true for us! We ate everything and enjoyed it all for exactly what it was and that which it was intended. It was all so fun and exciting. AND the service was perfection -- friendly, relaxed, charming, swift with the entire experience lasting approximately 4 hours from arrival to departure.

So rather than go on with more unnecessary wordiness, I shall just share my meal and brief captions in this sequence of photos. Enjoy!

We have arrived!

The kitchen brigade...

El Bulli

"Caipirinha" -- you don't eat the ice or drink anything. Just suck the flavor from on the sugar stems.

"Pina Colada"

 Mojito and apple baguette

Lulo-ada -- lulo is a Colombian fruit and this is a cocktail.

Spherical Olives

Pistachio Ravioli -- eaten in one bite, literally melts in your mouth.

Mimetic Peanuts

Parmesan cheese "macaron"

Parmesan cheese "porra"

Gorgonzola balloon and olive oil chip -- to be eaten together

Flower Paper -- a.k.a. Cotton Candy for Foodies

Beetroot and yoghurt meringue

Roses with ham won-ton and melon water

Yes, that is a rose petal... and it was delicous.

Ham and ginger canape -- So simple, yet wonderfully delicious. One of the evening's best.

Japanese ravioil (a.k.a. spherical miso soup) served with a Soy Matchstick

Germinated Pinenuts

Salmon "Nigiri"

Nori ravioli with lemon

'Prawn Two Firings' -- or prawn served with its jus.

"Air-baguette" -- you can taste the ham fat just looking at it!

Oyster Tartare served with Olive Leaves

 

Tomato Tartare 

My favorite of the night...

Parmesan frozen air...

  

...served with a raspberry muesli!

Carbonara tagliatelle

Real caviar cream with "hazelnut" caviar -- impressive.

Visually you are preparing for a burst of strong, delicious caviar but instead get a huge, nutty hazelnut explosion!

Liquid hazelnut "porra"

Pinenut "caviar" nigiri

Marinated pine needle 

Pinenuts "shabu-shabu" were served alongside the marinated pine needle.

Curry Chicken... ice cream.

Almond variation with a truffled peach sorbet.

Polenta gnocchis with coffee, saffron, 'skin' milk and capers

Sea Anenome

Lobster "ceviche"

Lobster "shanghai" -- awesome flavors! Another of the night's best dishes.

Black garlic frozen (and frozen coconut beads)

Clam, coriander-lime-corn sauce

Oaxaca taco

Mozarella frozen powder with the soup (underneath)

Sea cucumber "True or False" -- which is fake and which is real??

Sea cucumber and sea cucumber cream -- I missed the photo with the fish eggs that were placed on the right side.

Cardamom for smelling before eating the hare fritters... hmmm. 

 

Game meat capuccino

Blackberry risotto with game meat sauce

Suckling pig tail served with a chilled melon and tofu soup

Hare ravioli with bolognese served with... "blood" -- not really.

"Pond" -- kind of like ice candy??

Yoghurt blini

Mini-donuts -- cool liquid inside.

Crystal Cake -- "Coca de vidre"

Strawberry Carpaccio

The mother of all chocolate boxes!

This thing was serious...

THE END!