La Alqueria

[mbernstein]

I am going in May, and I've read somewhere that one can order a "special" tasting menu when making the reservation that is bigger than the official tasting. Is this correct? Anyone confirms? I tried that through e-mail, but got the answer that there is the regular tasting menu only.

Also, for its fame, I thought curious there is no thread on this restaurant, no photos, maybe it can be started now (I just found some comments here and there on the forum).

Thanks.

[ASM NY]

I am going in May, and I've read somewhere that one can order a "special" tasting menu when making the reservation that is bigger than the official tasting. Is this correct? Anyone confirms? I tried that through e-mail, but got the answer that there is the regular tasting menu only.

Also, for its fame, I thought curious there is no thread on this restaurant, no photos, maybe it can be started now (I just found some comments here and there on the forum).

Thanks.

←

Hmmm... pretty sure I've seen this restaurant mentioned in some other thread. Basically you can order a la carte or you can get the tasting menu. Everybody winds up just getting the tasting menu because the a la carte prices are pretty outrageous. They will ask you if you have any allergies and/or things you don't eat. The "official" tasting is pretty long, over 20 courses (most very small). You can order additional things to add to your tasting menu, but did not hear about a "special" tasting menu. The normal tasting menu as it is, is a pretty serious amount of food.

[mbernstein]

Sure, it was mentioned, but within other restaurant's threads. It seems that non-guests of the hotel can only do the Tasting. Thanks for confirming/expanding the info I had. Just wanted to make sure I was not missing anything.

[ASM NY]

Sure, it was mentioned, but within other restaurant's threads. It seems that non-guests of the hotel can only do the Tasting.  Thanks for confirming/expanding the info I had. Just wanted to make sure I was not missing anything.

←

I have been a number of times, and some as a guest some as a non-guest and all the times we have taken the tasting menu. I have never seen anybody in that restaurant order a la carte.

As you know, they serve ElBulli dishes from past years. One thing that I would suggest, is that you ask that they give you as many recent dishes as possible. In my last visit, they gave us something from the 80s that even though it was not bad, it lacked the creativity that the restaurant is known for. We were pretty disappointed.

[mbernstein]

I've been to El Bulli last year. My "dream come true" would be to have Bulli's classics thus my question about the "special" tasting menu. But from your posts I guess that's just a dream...

[mbernstein]

Hi, reporting my dinner at La Alqueria.

They had a renovation. I don't know how it looked like before, but it is pretty charming now with an air of Hacienda. They also changed the concept of the restaurant. Now they don't serve an assortment of old El Bulli dishes. They still have some of them in the menu, but the major part are new creations by Adriá, taking local produce into consideration. It seems products are more into consideration now (as well in El Bulli) than in previous years as opposed to things "invented" that taste like something else, I guess. The number of courses also diminished, with bigger portions.

You can check the difference in the menus in the links below (I don't know for how long as I don't know the best place to upload pictures as I don't have a blog).

Old Menu: http://rapidshare.com/files/238176972/La_A...antigo.jpg.html

New Menu in May 09: http://rapidshare.com/files/238176973/La_A...090507.jpg.html

I still don't know if this new concept is better or not. In El Bulli last year I thought that although it was great to taste so many different things, it was impossible to be outstanding with 35 courses or so, and when there was something exceptional there was not enough food to savor and imprint the tastes in your memory/palate. But then again you have the opportunity to taste lots of dishes and there were amazing things, oh yes.

I thought that in Alqueria, as it was a selection of past El Bulli dishes (with no obligation to change every course every year as there is in El Bulli) there would be even a few more outstanding courses. But it seems I lost that incarnation of Alqueria.

On the other hand, as it is now, it addresses my consideration above and the outstanding dishes can be appreciated more. And to me (us all in the table, in fact) there were two of those:

- Gnochis de polenta: I normally am not very fond of polentas, but this is another experience completely. No taste of corn, they put some coffee over the gnochi, and some more things that I can't remember. We are still amazed how a "gnochi" can taste. They served us four gnochis each. It should have been fourteen!

- Pan Ingles de chocolate blanco - boy, this is awesome. Something like "air" of white chocolate with yogurt powder over it, colder in temperature. The attendant asked us to eat fast to appreciate it more (before it dissolved, perhaps?). She didn't have to ask twice. My parents who joined me and my wife and are not used to go to these "modern" restaurants couldn't believe it. It felt almost like there was nothing in the mouth except the flavors (my dad kept saying "it does not exist, unreal")...

Rest of the meal was pretty good as well, with Gambas and the Rabbit (conejo) more notable, as well as the Sabayon de rosas, the first dessert.

All in all, it was great. Just for the sake of reference, I would compare it more to an evening at Can Roca now than El Bulli in terms of concept, number of courses, and "type" of satisfaction. A little more traditional with some great innovations.

[PhilD]

Hi, reporting my dinner at La Alqueria.

They had a renovation. I don't know how it looked like before, but it is pretty charming now with an air of Hacienda. They also changed the concept of the restaurant. Now they don't serve an assortment of old El Bulli dishes. They still have some of them in the menu, but the major part are new creations by Adriá, taking local produce into consideration. It seems products are more into consideration now (as well in El Bulli) than in previous years as opposed to things "invented" that taste like something else, I guess. The number of courses also diminished, with bigger portions.

You can check the difference in the menus in the links below (I don't know for how long as I don't know the best place to upload pictures as I don't have a blog).

Old Menu: http://rapidshare.com/files/238176972/La_A...antigo.jpg.html

New Menu in May 09: http://rapidshare.com/files/238176973/La_A...090507.jpg.html

I still don't know if this new concept is better or not. In El Bulli last year I thought that although it was great to taste so many different things, it was impossible to be outstanding with 35 courses or so, and when there was something exceptional there was not enough food to savor and imprint the tastes in your memory/palate. But then again you have the opportunity to taste lots of dishes and there were amazing things, oh yes.

I thought that in Alqueria, as it was a selection of past El Bulli dishes (with no obligation to change every course every year as there is in El Bulli) there would be even a few more outstanding courses. But it seems I lost that incarnation of Alqueria.

On the other hand, as it is now, it addresses my consideration above and the outstanding dishes can be appreciated more. And to me (us all in the table, in fact) there were two of those:

- Gnochis de polenta: I normally am not very fond of polentas, but this is another experience completely. No taste of corn, they put some coffee over the gnochi, and some more things that I can't remember. We are still amazed how a "gnochi" can taste. They served us four gnochis each. It should have been fourteen!

- Pan Ingles de chocolate blanco - boy, this is awesome. Something like "air" of white chocolate with yogurt powder over it, colder in temperature. The attendant asked us to eat fast to appreciate it more (before it dissolved, perhaps?). She didn't have to ask twice. My parents who joined me and my wife and are not used to go to these "modern" restaurants couldn't believe it. It felt almost like there was nothing in the mouth except the flavors (my dad kept saying "it does not exist, unreal")...

Rest of the meal was pretty good as well, with Gambas and the Rabbit (conejo) more notable, as well as the Sabayon de rosas, the first dessert.

All in all, it was great. Just for the sake of reference, I would compare it more to an evening at Can Roca now than El Bulli in terms of concept, number of courses, and "type" of satisfaction. A little more traditional with some great innovations.

←

Good to read a recent report. On my visit it was the full 32 course El Bulli classics menu, which was faultless. I had thought I had written it up on the board back in Oct '07 (probably on a Seville report). I remember a couple of tables did go ALC; they seemed to be locals having a business meal. In some ways it is good to see it is getting its own character, but also sad that the "short cut" into an El Bulli experience seems to be closed.

[mbernstein]

Yes, there were some reports on Seville forum, but I believe it deserved its own. At least I managed to get to El Bulli last year...

[PhilD]

Yes, there were some reports on Seville forum, but I believe it deserved its own. At least I managed to get to El Bulli last year... 

←

I agree - worth its own thread. I will try and post some photo's tomorrow.