El Bulli 2005 Dining

[Pranian man]

Can anyone shed any light on these two above mentioned dishes?

Ravioli de alga kombu y erizos

Sesos de cordero con erizo de uva de mar

I understood erizo to be hedgehog, but it seems to have some kind of seafood connection here

Also, what on earth is this?

Panceta iberica confitada con buey de mar a la cantonesa

Thanks

[pedro]

Ravioli de alga kombu y erizos

Sesos de cordero con erizo de uva de mar

Panceta iberica confitada con buey de mar a la cantonesa

Ravioli of kombu seaweed and sea urchin

Lamb brains with sea urchin of sea grape (probably coccoloba uvifera)

Confited pork belly from ibérico with king crab Cantonese style

Sort of, at least.

[Bux]

. . . .

I understood erizo to be hedgehog, but it seems to have some kind of seafood connection here

. . . .

←

Erizo de mar is sea urchin, but in fact, whenever I've seen sea urchin on a menu, it's just been listed as erizo. It may be that no one eats hedgehog, so the distinction is not necessary. I'm not even sure how many people in Spain eat sea urchin. We had it as part of a dish in Galicia once. After spotting it on the menu, we asked the waiter if it was a common ingredient in Galicia and he replied saying it's hardly eaten at all in Galicia, but that it's very popular in neighboring Asturias.

In Puerto Rico, erizo is always sea urchin, but then they don't have any hedgehogs.

[vserna]

In the Asturian dialect (yes, there is one), sea urchin is 'oricio'. You will see that name more often than 'erizo' or 'erizo de mar' on the menu of Asturian restaurants - and some non-Asturian ones as well.

[Bux]

In the Asturian dialect (yes, there is one), . . .

←

Is it a dialect, or a language of its own? In any event I'll get to that when we get to Asturias. In the meantime I'm busy enough getting a working knowledge of Catalan. Fortunately between Esilda's command of Spanish and our familiarity with French, Catalan is often comprehensible and I'd always expect a Spanish menu. I trust that expectation is not unfounded, but I have been running into web pages that are Catalan only.

[pedro]

In the Asturian dialect (yes, there is one), . . .

←

Is it a dialect, or a language of its own?

. . . . .

←

It's called bable, but probably we'd be better off leaving the debate regarding its status as a language or dialect out of a thread devoted to elBulli 2005 dining.

[Revallo]

Revallo

How did you manage to secure a stage at El Bulli then?

Where were you workin before?

Is there any one from the UK in the Kitchens?

Regards

Paul

←

I came to work here for a few days last year. There is not anyone from the UK yet... more stagiers will arrive in July when we are open seven days a week.

[nathanm]

Here is a silly question - is there a dress code at El Bulli ? I am eating there this week. Does one need a jacket and tie?

[Silly Disciple]

and a silly answer from a silly, uninformed disciple. For what I've read in this forum and elsewhere, and a few images I've seen from elBulli, no, there's no dress code. jeans and shirt are fine. jacket is optional. tie is definitely unnecessary.

SD

Here is a silly question - is there a dress code at El Bulli ?  I am eating there this week.  Does one need a jacket and tie?

←

[pedro]

Nathan, definitely not. You don't need either jacket or tie.

[tan319]

Here is a silly question - is there a dress code at El Bulli ?  I am eating there this week.  Does one need a jacket and tie?

←

Can't wait to read your report, nathan!!!

Hope you have a GREAT time!

[chapeaulong]

when i worked there last year one of the things that amazed me was the fact that it is a really casual place, for the guests at least. come as you are seems to be the policy. i saw diners arrive in shorts with sandals, athletic jerseys, you name it. dress how ever you feel comfortable, youre at the beach.

[nathanm]

I ate at ElBulli two days ago, at the kitchen table. It was unbelievably good - an amazing combination of flavors with enormous creativity and flair. It was my first time, and I didn't know what to think about some of the criticisms one hears so often - that the food is strange, off-putting, hard to eat and so forth.

While it is true that many of the courses do not look like food in a conventional way, it is clear convention is not what this place is about.

There wasn't a single dish (out of 42 courses) that wasn't just stunning.

I would write more, and post photos, but I am still in spain, with a flaky WiFi connection and I have to fly out to parts further afield tonight.

You were all correct about no dress code. Indeed at Can Roca the day after ElBulli, there was a guy in jeans and a harley davidson t-shirt

[daemon]

nathanm

How did you manage to book the kitchen table ? and to get served 42 dishes ???

do you have sort of "connections" ?

[FoodMan]

nathanm

How did you manage to book the kitchen table ? and to get served 42 dishes ???

do you have sort of "connections" ?

←

It is my understanding --but I could be very wrong-- that all first timers are considered VIPs and offered some extra dishes. That maybe accounts for the 42 dishes? Hopefully nathan will chime in and let us know when he gives more details about his great meal.

As far as a kitchen table, well, I guess you have to be connected , since I did not even know they had one.

Elie

[daemon]

nathanm

How did you manage to book the kitchen table ? and to get served 42 dishes ???

do you have sort of "connections" ?

←

It is my understanding --but I could be very wrong-- that all first timers are considered VIPs and offered some extra dishes. That maybe accounts for the 42 dishes? Hopefully nathan will chime in and let us know when he gives more details about his great meal.

As far as a kitchen table, well, I guess you have to be connected , since I did not even know they had one.

Elie

←

Well, I ate their last may and was served no more( which is great anyaway) than 25 dishes, so was my father last week.

Going back next week, I might ask.

[tan319]

Could nathanm be counting the various petit fours that i understand come with the meal?

I think they call them "follies"?

[Silly Disciple]

After talking this week with Bux and Jordi Artal about the fact that I seem to be the only one in this forum who was NOT lucky/connected/illuminated enough to get a reservation for this year, and Bux mentioning that they originally had a reservation for four which they then changed, I will plead/pray and on my knees say the following:

If you have a reservation bigger than your current party, and if you don't mind either one or two local foodies (yes, if there's only one I'll go alone, my wife will have to get over it ), please let me know and I will be more than please to join you at your 2005 elBulli experience. I live in Barcelona and can make it to Roses on a day's notice.

pretty please? with sugar on top?

SD

[FoodMan]

elBulli dinner menu:

Margaritas 2005

Olivas Sfericas

Marshmallow de Parmigiano

Oreo de Oliva Negra con Crema Agria

Palomita de Queso

Arlette Iberico

Piel de lenguado planchada al ajo y perejil

Caramelo de aciete de calabaza

Ninfa de algodon

Salicornia en tempura

Ravioli de mantequilla

Passion por le aceituna

Pan de queso

Tierra 2005

Mejillones de roca con “gargillou” de algas

Macaroni gigante con yema de huevo

Albondigas de habitas con jugo y flor de haba

Verdures a la oriental con leche fermentada

Esparragos blancos al aciete de oliva

Ventresca de caballa en aciete

Cigala con quinoa

Sesos de cordero con erizo y algas

Sopa de hierbas y especias con tofu thai

Liquid de melocoton

Migas heladas con polvo helado

Morphings…

This was our first time at elBulli, or any 3 Michelin start restaurant for that matter. It truly was a wonderful experience and a little overwhelming. I needed some time before writing anything up about it.

We started our evening with cava and first few courses on one of the terrace tables, a few minutes after sitting down we were moved to a table with a much better view of the calm bay because it is our anniversary dinner and it is our first time at elBulli, nice touch. The whole evening continued like that, the servers conducted their business flawlessly. They were friendly, talkative, professional and seemed to have fun at what they do. I really loved the whole feel of the place, very comfortable, kind of cozy, modest and definitely not stuffy or luxurious.

The meal was certainly like nothing I’ve experienced before, I am really not going to go into details of every dish for two reasons. First, it’s been done already several times, second, I know I will not remember the details of every item. What I will do is comment on a few of them.

Let me start by the one negative to get it out of the way, the one dish that I really do not care to ever eat again. That is the “Salicornia en tempura”, Salicornia for those who have no idea what it is (like I was until a few weeks ago) is a type of sea weed. It sort of looks like small thin asparagus spears. The Salicornia is coated with a thin tempura crust, sprinkled with saffron and is served with a small dish of oyster juice meant as a dipping sauce. Each bite tasted like a spoonful of salty seawater flavored with saffron.

Ok, enough with the negative, on to the good stuff which almost everything else was, but these are the ones that really stood out (I hope I got the courses names matched with the correct description, please correct me if I am wrong):

-Olivas Sfericas: Wonderful little olive shaped spheres made from –what else- olives. They are served in a jar of olive oil and as soon as you bite the “olive” it pops releasing the olive flavor.

-Marshmallow de Parmigiano: Parmeggiano marshmallows, what more can I say. They taste exactly like they sound and are excellent, we were sure glad that we got more than two each

-Oreo de Oliva Negra con Crema Agria: Looks like an Oreo cookie made with black olives with a filling of thick crème fraiche.

- Caramelo de aciete de calabaza: These were served at the end of the first courses on the terrace. A caramel candy bulb filled with pumpkin oil, it was both surprising and delicious.

- Ninfa de algodon: Cotton candy wrapped around a filling of Thai flavors (cucumbers, cilantro,…). The flavors in this one were perfectly matched. I was worried the cotton candy might have been too sweet, but it was not.

- Albondigas de habitas con jugo y flor de haba: Bean “meatballs”, with fava bean flowers and juice. I am not sure why I loved this dish so much, maybe because I used to eat a ton of fava as a kid in Lebanon. It looked beautiful and exotic, yet tasted like the essence of fava beans.

- Esparragos blancos al aciete de oliva: We both agreed that this dish was unforgettable, perfectly done. Tender white asparagus spears and “ravioli” shaped like a large pill filled with excellent olive oil. This is one of the best dishes of the evening.

- Sesos de cordero con erizo y algas: Another childhood delicacy that I do not eat much, well never actually in the US, is lamb brain. The Maitre d’ kindly explained before we begin our dinner that we have lamb brain on the menu, and inquired if we care to switch it for anything else. We both decided to keep it. The lamb brain was excellent with a soft silky texture, served with sea urchin roe and lamb brain “sauce”. My wife had never had this before but wanted to give it a try, unfortunately the texture/taste was not something she enjoyed, so I happily finished her dish as well.

-We also enjoyed a very good Spanish Mackerel dish, but for the life of me I cannot tell which one it was (the “Ventresca de caballa en aciete” maybe).

One of the memorable “morphings” was a Guanbana (soursop) frozen cream with caviar. The waiter actually prepares this tableside. He pipes some of the cream on to a metal box that has been filled with liquid Nitrogen. The box has “smoke” coming out of it and is very, very cold. The waiter says he is now “grilling” the cream on both sides. Then he puts the bite size grill-frozen cream on a spoon, tops it with some coffee caviar and serves it. The flavors/temperature of this last bite awakens any tired taste buds at the end of a five hour meal (BTW, I already have plans of imitating this one using homemade Guanabana ice cream and coffee-infused tiny tapioca pearls )

Looking back I actually wish I had taken pictures of the dishes. At the time I just wanted to enjoy the meal, but some pictures would have been a very nice souvenir until we can hopefully go back again in a few years. We did take some outside of the restaurant including this one of the kitchen.

[zeitoun]

Thanks for the nice report Elie, as you were dining at El Bulli I was actually dining not too far away from you in San Sebastian. I hope to write about it soon.

Funny little anecdote about lamb brain: to (unknowingly of course) ask a lebanese person if lamb brain is "okay" on the menu is like to ask a japanese person if sea cucumber is acceptable .

Funny you got to tried Adria's preparation of a classical lebanese ingredient.

Welcome back!

[Louisa Chu]

Luis told me that anyone can ask for the kitchen table - seats eight - nine max. Its available based upon availability - which includes whether or not Ferran wants it to work from during service. It sits right below the the window through which FoodMan shot the photo - and it's the same table at which Tony Bourdain sat in his elusive epic "Decoding Ferran Adria."

[little ms foodie]

This was our first time at elBulli, or any 3 Michelin start restaurant for that matter.

FoodMan, You have spoiled yourself for the other 3 star restaurants for sure! Thank you for your report. I'm wondering if I would have been as brave as your wife to try the lamb brains, I'd like to think yes but........

[Bux]

Everything at elBulli is so transformed that the ordinary becomes quite extraordinary and the more exotic becomes just another dish. It's hard to imagine coming to elBulli with any preconceptions. On the other hand, they will cater to your food needs. We've been there three times with the same companion who has an allergy to all things from the sea. There's always been a separate menu for him. We alert the restaurant in advance however. Oddly enough our menu this year contained very little seafood. In other years it's seemed predominantly seafood. For what it's worth, our menu was very similar to Elie's. Perhaps exactly the same. I'll scan it soon and post it. We also have photos. I haven't had time to look at them full size. If they're clear, I'll post them too.

Elie used the phrase "tasted like the essence" somewhere in his description of a dish. If anything distinguished this meal from the two others we've had, it was the focus on flavor. In fact, we noted a relative absence of texture, but a series of almost essential tastes through the course of the meal.

Reviews of the kind designed to help others decide to go or not have long become meaningless. Adrià stands apart from all other chefs in a class by himself. In a way it's not the ideal first three star restaurant and in another way, it doesn't matter if you have any experience or not. It's just not like any other restaurant. As the shock value wears off and the unexpected becomes expected however, it becomes easier to pay attention to the service and realize the staff could easily work in any three star restaurant. The degree of grace and polish is at the highest level. In fact, it's at that level where service is so natural and smooth that one stops noticing the service. On one level it's a performance or even a circus. At the same time, it's the model of a top level restaurant.

Subjectively, Adrià is probably not my favorite chef and elBulli is not likely my favorite restaurant. It's success however may be measured by how great my anticipation was for yet a third meal and how much I am on the edge of my seat anticipating each course when I'm dining there. Creativity, when it is as successful as it is at elBulli, can be addictive, and Adrià is unquestionably successful in my mind. Recently I read an article written a few years ago, which said that you will either love the meal or want to go running off to the most traditional restaurants. Each time I've eaten there, I'm thrilled by the meal and yet appreciate the next restaurant all the more. It's obvious to me that it's not the case of needing an antidote, but of leaving with a heightened appreciation for eating. I find dinner at elBulli to be a tonic, a restorative and wake up call for the taste buds.

[Bux]

Luis told me that anyone can ask for the kitchen table - seats eight - nine max. Its available based upon availability - which includes whether or not Ferran wants it to work from during service. It sits right below the the window through which FoodMan shot the photo - and it's the same table at which Tony Bourdain sat in his elusive epic "Decoding Ferran Adria."

←

I think I would feel odd and perhaps guilty if we moved to the kitchen table. We've dined as a group of six, four and this time as a table of five. Each time we've sat at the same table. As we were escorted from the terrace to our table, Mrs. B noted that it was the same table at which we've sat twice before. Luis Garcia said they knew where we've sat and what we've eaten. I don't know if there are bad tables at elBulli, but this one is a wonderful table in it's own alcove surrounded by windows behind and over the banquette on three sides of the table.

[pedro]

. . . . .

One of the memorable “morphings” was a Guanbana (soursop) frozen cream with caviar. The waiter actually prepares this tableside. He pipes some of the cream on to a metal box that has been filled with liquid Nitrogen. The box has “smoke” coming out of it and is very, very cold. The waiter says he is now “grilling” the cream on both sides. Then he puts the bite size grill-frozen cream on a spoon, tops it with some coffee caviar and serves it. The flavors/temperature of this last bite awakens any tired taste buds at the end of a five hour meal (BTW, I already have plans of imitating this one using homemade Guanabana ice cream and coffee-infused tiny tapioca pearls )

. . . . .

←

It looks like the teppannitro was perfected.

I've tried not to read too much about the menus of this year at elBulli. I hope that by Monday I'll no longer have to carry that burden.