El Celler de Can Roca

[Neu]

It’s been taking a while to post this – almost six weeks in fact.

We walked to Can Roca from the city centre which I can only recommend. It’s

A nice 24 minutes walk through a park and over a bridge and the restaurant was easy to find.

We had the lunch tasting menu, which cost €78 (a bit more I think than in previous years).

Because our menu was in most parts the same as docsconz’s and fromagophile’s on their recent visits I don’t write a dish by dish report but just comment on some of the dishes.

Overall, the meal was of very high quality and made for a fantastic dining experience. Apart from El Bullli it was the most memorable meal we had on our trip to Catalonia where we also ate at Sauc, Hisop and Espai Sucre in Barcelona among others.

Here is the menu we ordered:

Snacks

Parmesan chips with truffle oil

Crunchy Cod Fish

Black olives crunchy

Sesame crunchy

Tapas

Fennel Veloute with sea water and barnacles

Parfait of pigeon, Bristol Cream, orange and spices

Fig’s terrine with bitter tender almonds and foie gras

Menu

Spring Mushrooms cold soup with avocado and pines ice cream

Artichokes with sunflowers and orange

White asparagus souffle on embers

Codfish with pumpkins and red paprika oil

Kid with goat milk parmentier and mint

Dessert

Lactic dessert

Roses souffle

Trip to Havana

With one exception I liked all dishes a lot. Some particular favourites were the foie gras bon bon, the artichokes, the asparagus souffle, the kid, lactic milk and trip to havana.

Very good bread selection as well. I had to restrain myself not to eat too much of the bread and butter.

White asparagus souffle on embers

This was the best asparagus dish I’ve ever had. I thought that the smoke was not just a nice effect but actually enhanced the taste of the dish. Our waiter was very young and eager to help in explaining the dishes to us. When we asked how the smoke was put under the dome he said that it’s the same pipe that’s used for marihuana pipes...

Codfish with pumpkin and red paprika oil

What I did like about this course were the caramelized pumpkin seeds that added some bite to the dish and were a nice and surprising sweet contrast to the red paprika oil. However, for the rest I didn’t care much about and I agreed with BrianZ, docsconnz and fromagophile: this was the most disappointing part of our menu. I don’t think that it was tasting bad just quite bland. Because of this (and because I knew that another main course was still to come) I returned the half full plate. The waiter was truely concerned about this, asked if I didn’t like it and offered to have another fish dish prepared (which sounded tempting but I declined nevertheless. What happened next took me a bit by surprise. The plate was brought back into the kitchen. Because of the placement of our table I could look into the kitchen from where I was sitting. A few people people in the kitchen glanced the returned plate and then one member of the kitchen staff looked at me through the window and then shook his head in disapproving disbelief. The not empty plate seemed to have truely shocked him and it left me with a mixed feeling of amusement and being unpolite for not having eaten everyting.

Vegetables with potato purée

This was the vegetarian course that my girlfriend got instead instead of the codfish. I would have much preferred to get this as well. It was just potato mash and cooked vegetables but judging from the two bites I could steal from my girlfriend it was the best I ever had. The next vegetarian course (as a replacement for the goat kid) was equally traditional and excellent at the same time: a risotto with Spanish mushrooms that were just in season and white truffles. Unfortunately i didn’t take a picture of this.

Trip to Havana

I couldn’t resist asking for this Can Roca classic, despite being a non-smoker. The cigar smoke that was pumped into the vanilla icecream lingered in your mouth for a good while after you ate a bit and the deconstructed mojito provided a refreshing contrast to the cigar taste. A great way to finish a meal.

After this we were asked by the waiter if wanted to have a look at the kitchen. We were introcued to the youngest of the three Roca brothers Jordi who is the patissier at Can Roca and created Trip to Havana. He showed us the devices that he used to put the cigar smoke into the cream and the smoke that got in the dome for the asparagus dish (the first one was a simple mechanical pump, the second an electric pump).

We walked back to Girona’s city center. Around the corner of Can Roca we saw a big building site of a house with a big glass front that said Torre de Can Roca. So could this be their new location?

[Silly Disciple]

We walked back to Girona’s city center. Around the corner of Can Roca we saw a big building site of a house with a big glass front that said Torre de Can Roca. So could this be their new location?

←

La Torre de Can Roca has been their banquet facility for quite a while, and it is indeed bound to become their new restaurant location.

Edited August 9, 2007 by Silly Disciple (log)

[Pork Belly]

We walked back to Girona’s city center. Around the corner of Can Roca we saw a big building site of a house with a big glass front that said Torre de Can Roca. So could this be their new location?

←

La Torre de Can Roca has been their banquet facility for quite a while, and it is indeed bound to become their new restaurant location.

←

After my lunch last November, I chatted with Josep Roca and he gave me the impression that La Torre will continue to be their banquet facility and the new location for their restaurant is somewhere in the old part of town.

[pedro]

No, the new location will be the Torre de Can Roca. I was there on Tuesday --they're in great shape once again-- and both Josep and Joan were very clear about it.

[Silly Disciple]

We walked back to Girona’s city center. Around the corner of Can Roca we saw a big building site of a house with a big glass front that said Torre de Can Roca. So could this be their new location?

←

La Torre de Can Roca has been their banquet facility for quite a while, and it is indeed bound to become their new restaurant location.

←

After my lunch last November, I chatted with Josep Roca and he gave me the impression that La Torre will continue to be their banquet facility and the new location for their restaurant is somewhere in the old part of town.

←

They switched the banquet operation from la Torre to Mas Marroch, a country house in the outskirts of Girona, a while back. Not quite sure when exactly, but I can find out.

Edited August 11, 2007 by Silly Disciple (log)

[Neu]

thank you, sillydisciple.

this explains why the building looked both old and new.

here's a photo of the exterior of the building.

[marc at fraiche]

thank you, sillydisciple.

this explains why the building looked both old and new.

here's a photo of the exterior of the building.

←

had a great time at roca on saturday, spent the day in the kitchen with jordi and the team, was lucky to get a show round of the new restaurant, and it is stunning, with a much larger kitchen holding a bonnet central island suite and the dining room designed by the same team as moo, so very open and airy with the centre piece housing a glass triange holding a modern garden area, jordi said all was great for begining of october, so must return to see it from a diners view.

had suprise menu also while i was there and food is as strong as last year with only one weaker dish,a beef dish served as last savoury didnt really hit any heights, sardine and aubergine foam is stunning, alongside a tomato and balsamic ice cream dish with anchovy.

bread and pastries really are fab at the moment,

dont know if anyone else noticed but lactic dessert here is quite similar to a dish at bulli i recieved on sunday.

[Mumin]

Are they going to keep el celler de can rocca when they are opening the new place?

It wod bee a shame to clos the original!

I have just been there 1 time in 2004 but still.

[Neu]

marc, can you remember which other courses were part of your surprise menu?

[marc at fraiche]

marc, can you remember which other courses were part of your surprise menu?

←

yeah

had

oyster with the rose champagne with cumin and apple

cucumber jelly with almonds and sardines with tomato seeds and balsamic ice cream

mussels with riesling

artichokes with sunflower and orange reduction crisp artichokes and orange segments

aubergine foam with sardines and smoke

veloute of prawn with cocoa onion and mint

sole with citrics

pigeon with summer berries

beef with olives and anchovies

then dkny

lactic dessert

carolina herrera which is passion fruit mousse with rose jelly and tonka beans

chocolate souffle with ginger ice cream

bread was stunning by the way brilliant

marc

[GOAT]

Does anyone know the difference in number of courses between the most expensive lunch menu (78 I believe) and the less expensive menu, which I think is called seasonal? I made reservations for early October and I am on a tight budget and I'm just trying to figure out if I should go with the seasonal tasting with wine pairings or the more expensive without wine pairings. I appreciate the help...

[Mr. Bottisn]

We walked back to Girona’s city center. Around the corner of Can Roca we saw a big building site of a house with a big glass front that said Torre de Can Roca. So could this be their new location?

←

La Torre de Can Roca has been their banquet facility for quite a while, and it is indeed bound to become their new restaurant location.

←

After my lunch last November, I chatted with Josep Roca and he gave me the impression that La Torre will continue to be their banquet facility and the new location for their restaurant is somewhere in the old part of town.

←

They switched the banquet operation from la Torre to Mas Marroch, a country house in the outskirts of Girona, a while back. Not quite sure when exactly, but I can find out.

←

La Torre is a banquet prep kitchen, Mas Morrach is a banquet hall.

It also has a kitchen but very little prep is done there.

The new building will house the restaurant, private dining, a large tarrace,

and a kinda of waiting room/lounge. Its going to be very impressive!

[chrisp]

I ate at Can Roca in April and was slightly disappointed. Started well but the main wasn't nice at all.

Here's the link to my review:

Can Roca

Not sure if this against eGullet etiquette - if I'm not supposed to do this then somebody put me right and I won't do it again

Chris

[Gavin Convery]

I ate here back in April and had pretty much everything Docsconz had. Clearly I was in a better frame of mind as this now stands out as one of the great culinary experiences of my life, only to be equalled by my more frequent trips to Maisons Bricourt. However I see that one of my favourite dishes of sea urchin isn't on Docsconz's list.....

The wine selection for each course was also fantastic - I particularly remember the Gewurz from Rebholz and the late harvest Condrieu from Cuilleron.

Hopefully I will get my reservation to El Bulli next year to compare and contrast......

[GOAT]

Just returned from a great week in Spain and a very good lunch at Can Roca.

Our Menu (doing it from memory...)

Snacks:

salt cod puffs

peanut brittle

crunchy black olive

balsamic filled tomato

red wine vinegar gelee in baby zucchini

--nice start to the meal and arrived within minutes of sitting along with a glass of Cava. The tomatoes were served on popsicle sticks and were injected with balsamic. The peanut brittle was more sweet than savory, which I found to be odd to start a meal, but regarless, was quite good. The baby zucchini were the smallest baby veg I've seen, no more than an inch in length, hollowed out and filled with the gelee

Trio: pidgeon parfait, foie gras and fig tarlet, raw cockle in sea water

--the foie and fig tartlet was delicious and a great pairing. The raw cockle had strong fish flavor which I liked but my wife hated. The pidgeon tasting very much like a pate covered in some sort of gelee that I could not distinguish.

First course: Foie Gras Torchon with salad of black truffle vin and sliced black truffles

--great dish and a nice sized serving. What is not to love about eating a big slice of black truffle with foie?

Second Course: Smoked Eggplant Souffle with sardines and anchovy oil

--definitely my least favorite dish. The smoke filled dome made for an interesting presentation (as other diners pictures above can show) but it really wasn't a souffle, more like a pudding and had a really strong fish flavor from both the sardines and the anchovy oil and had nothing to really balance it out.

Third Course: Pan Seared Skate (can't remember sauce)

--very simple dish but really good. The simplicity is interesting when comparing earlier courses, but again, a large serving of perfectly seasoned food.

Fourth Course: Roasted Suckling Pig with grilled melon

--my favorite course. Simple again, but crispy skin like the top of a creme brulee with deliciously fatty pork meat...the way pork is supposed to taste like. The sweetness of the melon was a nice contrast and the portion again was suprsingly large.

First Dessert: DKNY Be Delicious

--very interesting concept. The perfume has a strong apple scent, so obviously the dessert focused on apples. Frozen little balls of apple with a sort of loose apple gelee and edible flowers. The dessert had a strong cinnamon flavor that I did not find in the scent of the perfume, which they provide with the dessert for comparison.

Second Dessert: Lactic Dessert

--has others have said, this is a great dessert. Variations of "lactic," in this case, sheeps milk. The cotton candy added nice sweetness and interesting texture and the orange "sheet" added some nice citrus.

Petit Fours: White Chocolate w/ Fennel seeds, dark chocolate truffle, strawberry and raspberry jellies

--nice way to end the meal with the sheet of white chocolate presented stuck in a whisk on a small wooden block.

The overall experience was fantastic. Service was on point from the time we sat down to the time we left except for the fact that we waiting so long for the bill we had to call a server over to ask for it. Besides that, the servers were all extremely friendly and accomodating and Joan (the GM) came over and talked to us briefly about the meal.

[Lenski]

According to "El periodico de Catalunya" El Celler de Can Roca has opened its new space, 200 meters from the old one and same number of tables. Article linked below.

Can Roca

[AlexForbes]

Hi Doc,

somehow I only saw your Celler report today... although it's been posted for a good while.

Anyways, great photos, have you upgraded your camera?

Really, too bad the circumstances were against you, as I find the Celler one of the best restaurants in Spain. That's precisely why I never try to squeeze in too much when I travel - usually this sort of thing happens, and I end up to tired to enjoy the meals.

That being said, just came back from 4 days in NY in which I squeezed in Benoit, Adour, Nobu 57, Commerce, Gemma, Spotted Pig and Falai Soho. Go figure!

One question: did you see their interactive wine list, like a computer that shows you info about the producers? I was thinking of writing about it but can't remember the details...

thanks!

Edited May 18, 2008 by AlexForbes (log)

[docsconz]

Hi Doc,

somehow I only saw your Celler report today... although it's been posted for a good while.

Anyways, great photos, have you upgraded your camera?

Really, too bad the circumstances were against you, as I find the Celler one of the best restaurants in Spain. That's precisely why I never try to squeeze in too much when I travel - usually this sort of thing happens, and I end up to tired to enjoy the meals.

That being said, just came back from 4 days in NY in which I squeezed in Benoit, Adour, Nobu 57, Commerce, Gemma, Spotted Pig and Falai Soho. Go figure!

One question: did you see their interactive wine list, like a computer that shows you info about the producers? I was thinking of writing about it but can't remember the details...

thanks!

←

Hi Alex. That was a big travel day, but hadn't been a big eating day due to the travel and the desire to eat well at Can Roca. Sometimes, though circumstances conspire against one. Had the weather been decent that day, travel would have been much easier, quicker and less stressful. My frame of mind would probably have been better as well. One advantage we had, was that we didn't drive to and from Can Roca as our friend handled that chore once we arrived at their home. In retrospect, I would plan it the same way again, but hope for better weather

I have been using my Canon 20D for about three years now. I think I may have upgraded my ability to use it.

A simple answer to your question about the interactive wine list: no.

Your schedule in NYC made mine in Spain look like I was at a resort!

[mbernstein]

I posted a similar, although shorter, comment on another topic I started, but wanted to post it here as well, as most people searching for Can Roca will end up here.

I post my comments as an evolving "eater". I've been to a bunch of well commented restaurants, but people here know quite a bit and I can't really begin to match their knowledge. Thus, I'll be brief, but if anyone wants to know something specific, I will be glad to try to help. People did this for me here and it was really enlightening.

That said, I ate at Can Roca last Wednesday. It was a wonderful night. Some outstanding dishes (to my taste, of course: the Gambas, the Cabreza de cabrito, the parmentier de olivas verdes, the adaptacion del perfume Tresor de Lancome)), great service. I was enjoying as much as to ask for another dish outside the big degustation menu. And it was not because I was hungry. Just out of gluttony and curiosity. They were so nice that they didn't want to charge. But I added some bucks to the check.

The sommelier (not the brother in my case) was really honest. He understood my taste, or lack of it, and gave me three glasses of different red wines from Catalunia (there was no Priorat for a change) that I quite liked and didn't seem to compete with the food, and were cheap.

And if you compare to similar quality restaurants, I wouldn't say it was a bargain, but it was a quite nice price indeed. Last year I ate at similar priced restaurants in Italy that couldn't compare to this... At least until they get their third star.

Also, the restaurant (new address) looks really good. Modern, smart, without being cold.

I just wish I can go back soon.

[Corinna Dunne]

Thanks for the report mbernstein. I'm going to Can Roca in the next few weeks and really looking forward to it. What was the price of the menu you had and how many courses were there? The last time I was there, I think there were two different menus as well as an ALC.

[mbernstein]

I had the bigger menu. It was EUR 100. The smaller is 85. The glasses of wine were 6, 7 e 8. And there still is the ALC.

There were 7 snacks ("Bombón de Pichon" was the highlight here) , 9 courses and 3 deserts plus 4 petit-fours.

Edited May 27, 2008 by mbernstein (log)

[docsconz]

I had the bigger menu. It was EUR 100. The smaller is 85. The glasses of wine were 6, 7 e 8. And there still is the ALC.

There were 7 snacks ("Bombón de Pichon" was the highlight here) , 9 courses and 3 deserts plus 4 petit-fours.

←

While not cheap (especially for dollars), that remains a relative bargain in the land of alta cucina.

[hmspector]

Dined at ECCR on Thursday. The food was sublime. The Lactic Dessert - 5 preparations of sheeps milk confection -- was as inventive and tasty as anything I have ever had.

The new location is stunning.

The service - for a table of 5 persons - was an absolute train wreck. I have never seen so many people work so hard to screw up service. They could not serve dishes simultanously, even though we all had the same number of courses; we waited (literally) 75 minutes before the first of two bottles of wine was poured, only to be told that they were out of the first bottle we ordered; waited for the check for another 20 minutes.

Oddly, on the wine, they brought a different bottle to the table (instead of the wine list) as a proposed substitute but we declined since it was not at all close to what we ordered.

Great food spoiled by polite but completely unorganized service. What a shame.

[gaf]

Catalan Cookery

Part One: Jamonisimo, Abac, El Celler de Can Roca

Any account of restaurant life in Barcelona and its environs must begin with El Bulli. So I confess that during my six days in Catalonia I did not eat at El Bulli. Perhaps it is just as well because El Bulli has become at least as much of a shrine as a restaurant. (I cannot comment on the shape of Chef Adraia’s cuisine or the validity of the religion for which he is the godhead). However, attempting to acquire a reservation eleven months prior to the date of our visit proved unsuccessful and no amount of waiting, pleading, or networking gained a table. This stands in contrast to the platonic El Celler de Can Roca (a Michelin three star restaurant), which still had open tables during the lunch that I dined in Girona. Could El Bulli be eleven months more fantastic than Can Roca? I can’t judge, but must speculate that at least some of those months may be attributable to our celebrity culture.

Still, my week in Barcelona was not without glories: Jamonisimo (*), Abac (***), El Celler de Can Roca (****), Cinc Sentits (****), Comerç 24 (**), Botafumeiro (*), Alkimia (****), and Drolma (**). There were some disappointments (Comerç 24 most dramatically), but there was not a bad meal. How many cities might one say that of? Paris? New Orleans once upon a time? New York, if one is careful?

Arriving in Barcelona in late morning, I set my sights on what I imagined would be a light lunch: a smidgen of Spanish ham: Iberian jamon. Near my hotel was a modernist and elegent jamoniserie (my term), Jamonisimo. Primarily a purveyor of dry cured ham, Jamonisimo has a few tables in back where they serve their wares. Perhaps it was due to our uncertain communication, but when I ordered Iberian ham in three textures (the parts of the leg from which they derived was shared for my edification), the plate was larger than I imagined (and could have easily satisfied several ravenous beach volleyball squads). But what an introduction to Catalonia! With dinner served at 9:00, pigging out at lunch was not a tragedy. The slices and chunks had subtly different tastes, density, and moisture, and the experience was distinctively different from an American country ham: richer and less salty. As I chomped, I couldn’t avoid thinking of Bill Buford’s Dante-quoting butcher, wondering whether such a butcher stood behind Jamonisimo.

Dinner brought me to Abac where an al fresco dinner was filled with pleasure, even if I could not claim that the meal was transcendent. Still outdoor dining in a splendid little garden on a warm late summer Catalan night provided hours to be treasured, and a worthy comparison for other dinners. I remember particularly one of the opening snacks: crispy veal, tasting for all the world like a meaty potato crisp.

Equally appealing was an appetizer that consisted of a lovely textured soup, part foam, part mousse, part liquid. An emerald vichyssoise, combined with scallions, leeks, and asparagus. This was a libation that coolly contrasted with the still summer evening. Perfectly made, perfectly enjoyable. However much work went into its construction, its elegant simplicity was a diner’s joy.

I also enjoyed the sashimi quality tuna, raw on the inside, with a cherry gelee and sangria sauce. The tang of the fruit complimented the fish well. While not a unique presentation or set of flavors, it was successful. Similar was the pigeon with cardamom and onion, served with a well-composed salad. The cardamom might have been pushed up a notch, as the flavor was muted, but the game was luscious.

Of the desserts, I particularly enjoyed the sculptural passion fruit with cream sauce and spun sugar. As is typical for Abac the flavor combinations are not astonishing, but the dishes reveal real sophistication for the mid-range of diners. I was not stunned, but it was a fine way to share a first evening in B-lona.

In contrast, platonic is the word for my visit to El Celler de Can Roca, a sleek and airy restaurant on the outskirts of Girona set in a peaceful modernist garden setting. One of the effects of having El Bulli down the road is that there is no need to compete in startling excess. Can Roca offers poetry to E.B.’s cracked science. But through it all the effects of a cuisine agape are evident. El Celler de Can Roca reveals a distinctive style, a style that owes much to sous vide techniques, capturing a density and purity of taste. However, sous vide does not scream at a diner. Not told that one’s meat was cooked sous vide, the marks of the process are hard to pinpoint, other than that the dish seems remarkable tender and flavorful, exquisite in taste and texture, but without blaring headlines.

At a restaurant of the quality of Can Roca, anything less than the tasting menu would be a sin: and I rarely sin at table. My tasting notes are, rather redundantly, filled with the word “amazing.” Chef Joan Roca is in confident control (along with his brothers, Josep, the Sommelier, and Jordi, the Pastisser).

Still the less dramatic “snacks” make the rest of the meal look astonishing in comparison. Weakest was baby carrots with orange, stick and sweet, but not clever. Better was a nicely prepared lavender crisp and the lovely bitter cherries with campari and anchovies.

But it was the second opening course that persuaded. This was among the most experimental presentations of the luncheon. Actually it consisted of a trio of courses: ‘Sferificacion’ of Cockles with Guava Juice and Campari (Sferificacion is an El Bulli-derived technique of controlling the gelification of a liquid to provide desired shapes), a skin of cucumber soup with popcorn made of garlic soup, and a luxuriant and very Spanish pigeon bombon with Bristol Cream sherry. The last, appearing to be a cross between a truffle and a mallomar, is an exquisite game pie in a single bite. It heralds autumn. The cucumber soup is perfect in its edgy elegance, rich with herbal flavor. I loved the cockles, particularly because of the bitter and cocky campari-reprise. Although there didn’t seem to be a strong connection among these three starters, eating them in sequence was delight.

Oysters with with Agusti Torello cava, apple compote, ginger, pineapple, lemon confit, and spices was modernist salt-spray fruit salad, coordinated to emphasize the briny taste of the mollusk. Here was complex deliciousness that was both clean and oceanic.

Melon with cured ham was a trompe l’oeil triumph: an extrusion of melon with fine Iberian ham. Conceptually this was cute, but the heart of the plate was the superb cured ham. One could almost taste the acorns on which the pig once feasted. No lipstick on this porker, but it was still a pig.

This was followed by a magnificently imagined taste festival. Not experimental, it represented modern cuisine’s desire to explore the boundaries of taste: Cherry soup with shrimp and a scoop of ginger ice cream mixed tart and rich, warm and cold, with every element skillfully prepared. This was an astonishing dish. From now on I will serve my shrimp cocktail with jam.

Green olive parmentier with foamy tuna sauce was another experiment in taste: an egg-like lump, playing on the imaginings of olive and potato: a tuna salad from the far future. Perhaps the taste did not compare with the cherry soup, but it combined tastes and textures with élan.

The following pair of dishes – amontillado-steamed king prawn and smoked summer-truffle soufflé – depended on splendid ingredients, impeccably cooked. Neither had sharp strokes of contrasting tastes, but their subtleties were delicious. The truffle soufflé was so sensuous that it deserved to be eaten in bed.

Sole with sea fennel and charcoal-grilled leeks bowed to classic cuisine (sous-vide classic, of course). Many modern chefs seem at sea with sauce, but not Chef Roca. Silken, foamy sauce with fish cooked by God’s hand, its elegance can not go unremarked. This plate reminds us why so many diners loved – and love – classic cuisine, even as lightened with low cooking and roux-free saucing.

Kid belly fillet with goat’s milk parmentier consisted of a rectangle of goat belly (today’s “in” body part) with perfectly crispy skin. This presentation was far more modern that the sole with just enough potato pudding and goat sauce to provide for an interactive experience. Another sumptuous dish.

Goose liver terrine with apricot compote is Chef Roca’s tribute to the foie gras wars. Foie, but not gras, it had a gaminess that foie gras can never equal, evoking the wild in ways that depend on the pungency of goose liver. This was a powerful plate. As foie gras is meat jam, Chef Roca’s foie is a treat from the hunt.

Dinner concluded with a pair of desserts. First was a decorative dish labeled “A fragrance adapted: Extreme by Bulgari (Bergamot cream, lime sorbet, tonka bean, vanilla and patchouli).” The idea seemed precious, but the dish was a decorator’s dream. Not my favorite of the afternoon, it was a pretty mix of textures, tastes, and aromas. Not knowing Extreme fragrance, I cannot tell whether it matches, but I surely would prefer Extreme on warm skin than cold glass.

Cherries with vanilla and amaretto, draped with a clear sugar wrap, completed the cherry trilogy. I love cherries, and found this ending to be filled with smiles.

Were it not for its colleague down the road, El Celler de Can Roca would be goal of any gourmet’s pilgrimage. Bravo.

END OF PART ONE, CATALONIAN CUISINE

Jamonisimo

Provença 85 (Eixample)

Barcelona

93-439-0847

http://www.jamonisimo.com

Abac

Avenue del Tibidabo 1-7 (Tibidabo)

Barcelona

93-319-6600

www.abacbarcelona.com

El Celler de Can Roca

Can Sunyer 48

Girona, Spain

972-22-21-57

http://www.cellercanroca.com/inici.php?sec...ntacion〈=uk

Vealcheeks

[mbernstein]

One thing is confusing me. As I said earlier, one of the best dishes I had at Can Roca was the "cabrito" (Kid) with goat’s milk parmentier. Everybody says the meat was the kid's belly. But on my menu in Spanish it was "Cabeza de Cabrito", which is the kid's head. At the time, I even wrote Can Roca asking if this was the brains and they answered : "Dear mr Berstein, Well, not only brains but also cheeks and the rest of the beefy parts of the head." In the English version of the menu I had it also reads kid's belly like everyone else's.

Fact is, mine was exactly the same dish as in the post above, so I wonder why is this difference, and what we actually ate...