español fiesta - segunda parte

Twelve whole hours after our mega feast at Tickets, we hopped on a train and headed one and a half hours north of Barcelona, to a town called Girona. This small town in the Catalonian region housed our next meal in our three day español fiesta.

El Celler de can Roca was started up back in 1986 by three brothers - Joan, Josep and Jordi. Today, it is recognised as the second best restaurant in the world - second only to the famed Noma in Copenhagen.

To say that the meal was a gastronomical fanfare would have been a gross understatement. My friends and I have dined at many Michelin starred and Michelin quality restaurants during our time and we all agreed that El Celler is amongst the best that we've had. That saying, we have yet to dined at Noma nor the previous world's number one - El Bulli (now closed).

We opted for a tasting lunch instead of dinner - mainly because we knew the experience would probably last us in the vicinity of some 4 hours and trying to make our way back to our hotel after a 4 hour dinner would no doubt prove challenging when intoxicated.

The restaurant itself is set in a nondescript residential area of Girona, flanked by ordinary looking apartment buildings. One may question its location - why would a world number two restaurant and a three Michelin starred restaurant be located in such a place? But we must remember that El Celler was not always a Michelin starred restaurant (it gained its third star in 2009) and began its humble beginnings many moons before it gained its super star status.
Nonetheless, the food was phenomenal. I've been complaining lately to my husband that we have sampled our fair share of Michelin starred/molecular gastronomy in the last four years and the more we eat, the more discerning we have become. To the point where some of these so called Michelin starred restaurants of late no longer create the sensation they once did when we first started our quest for brilliant cooking. So to dine at El Celler and be blown away by the tastes and sights of the food, has somewhat renewed my interest for food on a whole other level.

our olive tree

caramelised olive

It was a sunny day when we turned up so we opted to have the amuse bouche in the garden fronting the restaurant. Shortly after we settled comfortably into our loungers, an olive tree was presented to us. On closer inspection, it was no ordinary olive tree but rather edible treats made to appear like real olives, suspended on hooks and attached to the branches of the tree.

We ate an obscene amount of food that day. It was along the lines of 8 amuse bouches, some 11 'mini' mains and 3 desserts followed by 3 sets of petit fours. 

I could probably go on for several pages about the food, but instead, I always prefer to let the pictures do the talking.

campari bombón

foie gras & figs

foie gras & figs [up close]

anchovy bones

anchovy bones [up close]

mushroom (truffle) bombón

mushroom (truffle) bombón [up close]

ring calamar adaptation

zucchini omelette

truffled brioche

green salad: avocado, lime, melon, cucumber, chartreuse, 

sorrel, green shiso, tarragon, rocket, oxalis, eucalyptus, 

olive sorbet & olive oil

oyster with Palo Cortado - white & black garlic

cherry soup with muscovado-smoked eel, bitter almonds
and ginger ice-cream

charcoal-grilled king prawn, king prawn sand, ink rocks,
fried legs, head juice & king prawn essence

charcoal-grilled sole meuniére, milk skin,
black butter, lemon & capers

sole skin with flowers & citrus peel

braised salt-cod tripe, salt cod foam, olive oil soup,
shallots, honey, thyme, & chilli pepper. vegetable contrast

iberian suckling pig with riesling - mango & summer truffle
terrine, beet, garlic, orange concentrate & saffron pistil

red mullet, stuffed with red mullet pâté & aniseed flavoured
herb, orange & saffron gnocchi

steak tartare with mustard ice-cream - 5
segments comprised of 1) spiced tomato,
caper & lemon compote; 2) hazelnut praline;
3) béarnaise sauce; 4) oloroso-sherry raisin,
chive butter; 5) sichuan pepper, pimenton de
la vera (D.O), smoked paprika & curry. Served
with small scoops of mustard ice-cream,
mustard leaves, baby onions with vinegar

lamb with charcoal-grilled sweet pepper & tomato

wood pigeon liver with onion, caramelised hazelnuts with
curry, juniper berries, orange skin & herbs

lemon cloud

milk caramel, sheep's milk ice-cream, sheep's milk curd
cheese foam, sheep's milk yoghurt & milk cloud

vanilla, liquorice, caramel & black olive

vanilla, liquorice, caramel & black olive

petit fours: assortment of fresh fruit

petit fours: assortment of marshmallows & jellies

petit fours: assortment of hand made chocolates

We spent in the vicinity of  €180 per person that afternoon which comprised of food, wine and service. It was not a cheap lunch, however I have previously paid more for a less than stellar experience elsewhere and would happily spend that money again at El Celler. This time I'll make sure to take the hubby along, who unfortunately, was stuck at work while my friends and I gorged our way through Spain.


el celler de can roca
can sunyer 48, girona, 17007
tel: +34 972 222 157
http://www.cellercanroca.com/PORTADA/intro.htm