Neal

the tasting menu is €145. wine is not overpriced, all were recommends by the very young and bright sommelier, our most expensive bottle ( a gorgeous white Nuits St George '95) was €65. there were six of us and the entire bill with six different bottles of wine from cava to a sweet wine was €1220, just around €200 p/p with everything.

I recently discovered Yoshino in Piccadilly Place, just by the Meridean. You can see the "Sushi" sign from Picadilly. It was pretty good and somewhat reasonable.

Concerning ingredients - One of the most brilliant aspects of my recent meal at El Bulli was the way in which Ferran puts the bounty of the region on the plate and into your mouth. The dishes transform local offerings into very pure and powerful experiences. I certainly got a kick out of knowing that I will never look at an ear of corn the same way after tasting his sopa de palamitas. I loved the fact that I was eating simple ingredients like tarragon, beet root, peas, pumpkin, melon, etc. in a totally new and delicious way. Of course, I enjoyed other ingredients like truffle, oysters, toro, jamon, cigala, and rabbit. One of the great things about the meal was the healthy nature of the dishes. I felt invigorated rather than uncomfortable. I can't say this about most other Michelin starred meals which typically feature more "luxury" items. Let's face it, one of the greatest local ingredients the Costa Brava has to offer is Ferran himself. Criticizing the meal without eating it, based on a reading of the ingredients as "pedestrian," strikes me as silly. It's like accusing Picasso of being cheap because he used clay. Sounds like this poster is approaching his meal with a predetermined negative attitude. One of the charms of my dinner at El Bulli was the way in which Ferran challenges you to be open to new experiences.

Hello to everyone, I AM the guy from the "other board!" I've been enjoying this board for a while now and found it especially useful in planning my pilgrimage to El Bulli. I was very pleased to see my "notes" linked from this site as I was planning on sharing my experience with everyone here but hadn't gotten around to it. I've become a member now, so thanks for that! I'm thrilled to find others who've already tasted El Bulli 2004. At the risk of sounding too much like a member of a strange religious cult, the experience was so startling I've found it hard to explain, let alone share. I was surprised to hear about the "Espuma de nitro Heston Blumenthal" served the night after I was there being a frozen whiskey sour. Ours was called a "truffle ball" by the head waiter. Perhaps the "flavor" changes but the process, which was so dramatic when done tableside for us, is now part of the repetoire. There were a number of dishes that passed our table that we didn't taste. Of course we asked about them and were told that each table had a personalized menu. I was taken into the kitchen at the height of service and the impression I got was of Ferran as a conductor in front of his orchestra. The logistics of getting these dishes out, in a timely fashion, with different tables receiving slightly varied tasting menus, must be daunting. The "notetaker" at our table has just returned from his extended tour of France and Italy so I'm looking forward to remembering the finer details of each course. There might be a few sketches and photos as well.