Rias de Galicia was billed as an “old school” seafood spot where a respected chef told me that I could expect to eat “reference” items (i.e., seafood that I would compare all others to.) After an earlier disaster that week at Combarro in Madrid (largely described similarly by others), I was apprehensive. But it was the last day of the trip and a bad seafood meal in Spain might be better than a good one here in the US.

Barnacles (Percebes)
Who would expect barnacles would be so tasty and so much fun to eat? Twist the claw-looking thing from the teflon-like tube enclosing the meat and try not to squirt barnacle juice everywhere. The meat has an excellent iodine inflection while being satisfyingly chewy. They are usually the most expensive item on the menus, aside from maybe langostine, but completely worth the price. Very Good.

Cockles
Very fresh, a taste somewhere in between mussels and clams. The clam taste is muted with more of the iodine of a mussel. Very Good.

Grilled Baby Octopus (Pulpitas)
Not as refined as Etxebarri in San Sebastian but a delicious plate of grilled baby octopus. Good.

Octopus Galician Style
Stupendous – I’ve never had octopus this fresh. It was barely cooked, still oozing with slime, the pepper possibly a little heavy-handed but satisfyingly spicy. This will forever remain a reference item and, combined with Jaminisimo’s ham, a reason in itself to book a ticket to Barcelona. Excellent.

Prawn
A tasty prawn that was marred by being overcooked. You can’t win them all. Ok.

It looks so deceptively simple but this meal was very good. If I lived in Barcelona, and my bank account held out, it would be a weekly affair. This meal wasn’t cheap – it ran 150 euros/person before wine (thank the percebes.) If you were to go in baby eel season, or order other fancy items like langostines, that bill could easily double. Regardless, it’s worth every penny for that octopus.

- chuck

Espai Sucre, the movement, appears to be a school for exploring the culinary terrain of desserts and their roles in meals. They purport to respect the raw ingredients and tradition with an eye toward the future of technique. Pastry chefs can apply for stages at the restaurant, or school, through the web site.

This was the five course tasting menu:

“Marialuisa” cold soup with green apple and spicy yogurt ice cream

The green apple had a focused acidity, tempered somewhat by the delicious yogurt. There were hints of Indian spices throughout, particularly cumin. The honey melon gelee had a tinge of sweetness but the dish maintained little sweetness throughout. The foam seemed a bit lazy, barely able to stand on its own. A pretty good start.

Flowered flavour: raspberry, hibiscus, rose, tomato, vanilla and red wine

A study in texture and sensation. The various flavors, red wine soup, tomato ice, vanilla ice cream, and raspberry cream/foam, melded together nicely with the rose taking the lead. Again, this dessert wasn’t terribly sweet as it might sound. The textural differences of the ingredients provided some counterpoint among the elements. Very Good.

Quince cream with yogurt, spices and passion fruit

This was an overly foamy affair where the cream was more of an overbearing foam. The supposed lightness of the cream/foam served no discernible purpose and felt repetitive after the last two desserts. The flavors here were also a bit too chemical ala WD-50 on a bad day. Not Good.

Extra virgin olive oil cake, white peach, green olive and “San Simón”

The olive oil cake was given top billing but played a minor role in the dish. From what I remember, the white peach gelee, perched atop the miniscule olive oil cake, drowned out most of the olive oil flavor and, more importantly, the texture. The luscious mouth-feel of the cake should have been the star. Ok.

Chicory Ice Cream and Beer Float

What a concept! The beer foam, I’ll excuse it in light of its success, had a great hoppy taste that really captured the essence of beer. It wasn’t strong enough to interfere with the sweetness of the ice cream. The roll on the side, whose texture I can’t recall, had earthy and nutty overtones that blended quite well with the float. Excellent.

Petits-fours

Overall, it was an interesting collection of desserts that proved more successful than others like New York’s Room 4 Dessert or the new P*ONG. Ironically, the lack of sweetness, contrary to the mascot ant’s attraction to such tastes, was welcomed. Texture seemed to be important in each dish but the similar characteristics and components of each dish got monotonous. They could switch up the styles and elements for a strong and compelling line-up of dishes. Nevertheless, an interesting diversion in the heart of the Old City.

- chuck

Official Site: http://www.espaisucre.com/

http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/Article.aspx?TabID=2&MenuID=7&ArticleID=627

Jamonisimo is a retail store specializing in Montanera (free-range) bellato (only acorn-fed, highest quality) Iberian ham. They have a tasting room in the back where you can try various selections of ham (textures or regions), a few cheese selections, and various other cuts (including, but not limited to, chorizio & lomo.)

This will always be my lunch, no matter where I am within the city or how long I happen to be visiting. Exquisite stuff. I neglected to get producer/farm information but the store is dedicated to procuring the best artisanal hams in Spain – I’m a believer. For those that haven’t had grand ham, a decent analogy is this is to average ham what toro is to tuna.

The hams are presented below from lesser to most intense flavor (and fat.) Each has its own subtle characteristics that need to be tried. These are 1/2 portions, 12.50 euros each. On my 2nd lunch, I just got a big plate (25 euros) of the Salamanca.

Andalucia
From their literature (paraphrased):
“Altitude of these regions is 500 meters… set in salt for 14 days with a greater portion of fat trimmed to speed the curing time…”

Extramadura
From their literature (paraphrased):
Altitudes range from 700 to 1100 meters… kept in salt for 9-14 days… more fat trimmed so the salt penetrates quicker and thus cures faster…”

Salamanca
The toro of ham, nearly melts in your mouth, intense flavor, the sweetest of the three. From their literature (paraphrased):
“.. receives invigorating & constant flow of fresh, cool winds from the surrounding mountains… its altitude of 1000 feet and cold winds, fragrances of fallen branches and leaves can penetrate the aging hams. This, together with less trimming of the fat (of which there is more of) and less time in salt, produces a sweetier & juicer ham.”

Chorizio & Lomo

My friends can now add “Ham Snob” to my current “Sushi Snob” and “Restaurant Snob” designations.

- chuck

Official Site: http://www.jamonisimo.com/

Other Resources:

• Buy the first Jamon Iberica Bellota when it hits the US shores for $1200
• Foodite’s incredible pictures
• In Praise of Sardines has a quick tutorial on Spanish Iberico pork products
• A story of Spring Break and ham tasting at Jaminisimo

Richart’s story can be found in other places but the short version is that Michel took the business over (from his father) and updated it using contemporary art as one of his primary influences. Indeed, design is the immediate distinguishing feature – bold bright colors that look too intricate and impossible to place on chocolates. The chocolates below, while striking in their simplicity, don’t show the detail and color of other designs. Designs are “printed” using cocoa butter.

Permanent flavor families are offered as well as special editions throughout the year. The permanent families include Balsamic, Roasted, Fruity, Citrus, Herbal, Floral, & Spiced. Special offerings include themes based on seasons, children’s themes, and even a yearly contest that features a lucky kid’s design.

The chocolate used is 70% minimum of the Criollo bean from Venezuala. From there, they claim to grind it finer than other chocolate makers – from 20 to 12 microns – to ensure an “ultra-smooth palate experience.” The chocolates come with a variety of fillings – ganache, praline, and coulis. The ganache is made with cream from Normandy or Bresse and the coulis contains actual fruit pulp.

The flavors are as vibrant as the design – crisp, bold, bright, and clean. Some flavors, particularly the orange, taste like an entire piece of fruit has been concentrated into the small chocolate somehow. It’s amazing how such small squares have such impact.

From Left to Right, Back to Front:

Grapefruit Praline – bitter grapefruit upfront yields to a sweet hazelnut finish.

Mandarin / Green Orange Ganache – very orange, nearly concentrated in impact, vibrant.

Kumquat Coulis – crisp kumquat flavor with some bitterness from its pulp in the coulis, fairly long finish.

Bergamot Ganache – the chocolate remains strong with bergamot inflections, the ganache quite creamy and very smooth.

Citrus Essence Coulis – orange, lemon, and bergamot flavors dance around, none dominating, but maintaining the citrus essence throughout.

Orange Zest Coulis – intense orange flavor with a fair amount of bitterness that slowly decays and cedes to the underlying chocolate notes.

Lemon Ganache – intensely strong lemon flavor, almost a concentrated lemon confit taste, big and very bright.

The coulis citrus chocolates are the best – the fruit flavors are boldest and cleanest, presumably from the inclusion of actual pulp. All are intense and pack more flavor than most chocolates from any other producer. The chocolate shells are not always the freshest, unlike Paul Young (London) or Kee’s Chocolate (NYC), but the explosive flavors make up for deficiencies in the shell. If you could get them fresh from Lyon (Richart’s home base), they could oust Paul Young from my top ranking.

- chuck

Official Site: http://www.richart.com/

Why the excitement? Ferran Adria is considered the father of “molecular gastronomy” – cooking that takes its nod from science (and some would say theater too.) Some of his techniques have become ubiquitous in today’s kitchens (can you say foam?) but Adria takes 6 months off each year to retreat to his lab in Barcelona and create new dishes. Some decry it the demise of great food because it relies on chemistry (some would say trickery) instead of great execution and grand ingredients. Nonetheless, El Bulli has spawned a renaissance in Spanish cooking where the Michelin stars are piling up quickly. In America, Alinea (Chicago), Moto (Chicago), WD-50 (NY), and Minibar (DC) take El Bulli as their influence (either directly or in spirit) and try to push the cuisine in explosive new directions.

El Bulli is located a few yards from the ocean in a small bay. The restaurant itself is in an old Spanish building that has been given a bulldog motif. Bulldogs are everywhere – paintings, pictures, sketches, and photographs. It has a charm, decidely Spanish, and the surroundings definitely bely what transpires in the kitchen.

1. Gin & Tonic Cocktail

Lemon w/ skin on ice, gin was syringed into the lemon table-side. Very refreshing way to begin the meal, not too acidic, and the carbonation (maybe it came w/ the gin?) takes off the sting of the acid. Very Good.

2. Green Olive

Olive gelee filled w/ olive oil. Take a bite, olive oil burst inside your mouth and coated it, and the oil slowly drains. What a fantastic sensation (mostly, the draining) as you keep re-living the taste for a good 2-3 minutes. A contender for best dish of the night. Awesome.

3a. Fruit Crisps

Passion fruit and passion fruit w/ parmesan cheese. Good.

3b. Pineapple Meringue

Ephemeral. Very Good.

3c. Seaweed Wafer

Crunchy, salty, and seaweed. Very Good.

3d. The Animals

All sorts of tastes, none of them magical, but I still like the whimsy of this dish. If anything, it’s symbolic of the chef and his restaurant. Great Fun.

4. Tangerine Flower Concentrate

Intense. Very Good.

5. Frozen Cookies

Kumquat & blood orange; good flavor, pasty texture. Good.

6. Avocado Tempura 3 Ways

All were a touch too greasy. Avocado w/ coriander; avocado & mint w/ hints of wasabi had a very long cool finish; caipirinha (lime and aloe?) was a gooey mess. Good.

7. Mozzerella Brioche w/ Rose Foam

Is Michel Bras’s aligot cheese or potato? Is this bread or cheese? A very satisfying gooey bread. The rose foam was intensely fragrant. Very Good.

8. Parmesan Cheese Wonton w/ Apple Foam

Extremely light, one nearly tossed it across the room as you picked it up, an essence of a dish if there ever was one. Slight bite of parmesan foam inside; cut it with the apple foam accompaniment. A contender for best dish of the night. Ephemeral in the truest sense. Awesome.

9. Parmesan Cheese Bread

Served in a silly box, we were instructed to add the muesli slowly to get the right balance. The “bread” captured the essence of parmesan but it was a bit aloof, stuck in limbo. The muesli gave it some character, a point of reference, some dimension, and it improved immensely. The only complaint was the size of the portion – it’s huge – cut it down by 2/3. Very Good.

10. Different Textures of Almond w/ Tomato

Almond powder and different almond foams. Whatever this dish may have been was marred by the substandard tomatoes. A restaurant of this caliber should refrain from such bad ingredients. Not Good.

11. White Asparagus 4 Ways w/ Frozen Egg Pellets

The egg pellets melted as time passed. Virgin asparagus slightly overcooked; peanut butter version very good; lemon confit pretty good; and I can’t discern the last version.

12. Mussels w/ Potato Soup

Our photographer was not feeling well and this dish didn’t make it into the camera. Mussels cooked inside their own gelee; a variation on the olive dish. As the waiter said at the beginning of the meal, “You must like mussels to order this dish.” Good.

12 Alternate. Zucchini Risotto

No rice, just tiny little specs of zucchini. The fluorescent bits were dried peas. Bright flavor, amazing texture, a table favorite, a contender for dish of the night. Awesome.

13. Albahaca (Jamiacan Fruit)

Notes are not very good. Not Good.

14. Mushroom Carpaccio w/ Quail Egg + Pineapple Meringue

Great mushrooms, great egg, and sea salt. Nothing too crazy here. Very Good.

15. Salmon Belly w/ Pickles

I am picky about my fish, and we were highly discouraged by the fish quality on our European adventure, but this was perfect fish. Skip the pickles, give me more fish. Excellent.

16. Seafood Salad

A circle of seaweed that got progressively saltier as you made your way around. The sea foam was the essence of sea, and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone had run down to the beach minutes earlier. The seaweed at the end was *very* salty; the watermelon, hiding under the foam, was a very welcome treat by the end. Very Good.

17. Oyster w/ Oyster Sauce + Flower

We were instructed to eat the flower between oysters, presumably as a palette cleanser of some sort. My notes didn’t record the purpose; they only say “very oyster like.” The oysters themselves were large, warm, and cooked – yuck. Not Good.

18. Bone Marrow w/ Wine “Burst”

The marrow was crispy on the outside and way too rich this far into the meal. The wine “burst” (my own words) employed the same technique as the olive earlier in the meal; eat it in one bite, close your mouth, and pop. It didn’t have the impact of the olive since olive oil was not coating your mouth. Good.

18 Alternate. Ham w/ Potato Foam

I didn’t have much of this; notes say “salty but good.”

19. Chicken Feet w/ Seaweed + Tea Foam

The chicken feet were very crispy; I’ve never had them but the table was amazed he could achieve such a texture. One table eater, the “alternate” eater who would never think of eating a chicken foot, loved them. The foam had the essence of tea. I’m not sure how everything was supposed to go together; neither here nor there. Good.

20. Sheep Cheese w/ Cherry Gelee

Tangy, grassy

21. Red Pepper Gelee w/ Yogurt Tarragon

A simple but great dessert – sweet and savory. The sweetness of the gelee was balanced perfectly w/ the tang of the yogurt and the subtle cool of the tarragon. Awesome.

22. Chocolate Textures

23. Raspberry Cookies w/ Strawberry Filling

24. Sugar Brioche

25. Hollow Chocolate Balloon

A big hollow chocolate ball

Overall, it was an excellent meal; albeit, one that was not as experimental as I expected. I expected more fireworks, greater taste contrasts, more unusual ingredients, and a cuisine more focused on theater and tricks than execution. Instead, I got a chef that used excellent ingredients, cooked w/ precision, and happened to do a few different things. I also didn’t expect such an asian influence on the meal.

Was this the best restaurant on our trip? No, that honor would belong to Gagnaire or Bras.

Was is the most experimental meal on our trip? Again, no, that honor would belong to Mugaritz. As mentioned earlier, many of El Bulli’s innovations are now commonplace in haute (and not) restaurants across the world.

Would I go back again? Absolutely. This meal fell squarely in the middle of the excellent second tier of meals (Can Roca, Fat Duck, L’Arpege, and L’Astrance.) Given that Adria works in his lab for 6 months, it’s impossible to know what next year will bring.

Gastroville has done a great analysis of an El Bulli meal. Their meal in 2004 was different than mine but the same themes resonate. They also wrote another fascinating article where they compare El Bulli to Can Roca. Opinionated About has also written a nice post that captures the essence of El Bulli and raises the necessary questions of how to rate the meal.
- chuck

Official Site: http://www.elbulli.com/

1. Amuses – We were served a plate of 3 amuses:

a – Crustacian Cream w/ Caviar & Fennel – the essence of seawater, if not a bit too salty; no wow, but solid. Good.

b – Melon-stuffed Foie Gras – the foie was of excellent quality & taste with the melon “lightening” the dish up. Very Good.

c – Cherry Soup w/ Ginger Ice Cream – the soup had the right tartness & sweetness, the ginger ice cream was refreshingly mellow. Excellent.

2. Oyster w/ “Earth” Distalletes sauce
This dish was remarkable. The earth distallates sauce tasted like the earth; granted, this sounds strange on paper but it’s a deep taste that could be used in countless other dishes (think a stronger coffee type taste.) The oyster was of much higher quality than the previous night. The taste profile was very interesting – the sea from the oyster engulfing your mouth followed abruptly by a taste of earth with a long finish. Excellent.

3. Appled-wrapped Foie Gras w/ Vanilla Oil & Apple/Vanilla sauce
The foie was a tad veiny but the flavor combination was serene – the richness of the foie followed by a mellow vanilla that lasted for a bit on the tongue. Can Roca is a master of the lingering taste. Very Good.

4. Asparagus Mousse
The essence of asparagus with its taste slowly fading. Very Good.

5. Prawns w/ Seaweed & Garlic sauce
The prawns were of high quality and cooked well, the seaweed a touch too salty, but it’s unclear if everything went well together. If nothing else, it was missing the smoothness of the previous dishes. Good.

6. Calamari w/ Potato/Onion
Notes say extremely aromatic, food ok, but again, unclear how the flavors were supposed to integrate. Good.

7. Royale Mushroom w/ Peanuts & Licorice
Similar dish to the previous night – an initial peanut burst that quickly fades to the ephemeral mushroom royale, and then, slowly, the licorice taste builds in your mouth for 30-45 seconds. Excellent.

8. Red Mullet w/ “Risotto” & Cream of Bone
The fish was perfect – crispy skin & cooked perfectly though-out. The rice was very rich with hints of orange confit. Very Good.

9. Baby Lamb w/ Morels, Lamb Trotters, & Sweetbreads
Last dish, we thought, they’re trying to fill us up. However, the dish was serene – the flavors blended effortlessly together. The morels and sweetbreads were of decent quality but the lamb was some of the best of our trip (though not quite to level of the Paulliac lamb at Lameloise.) Nonetheless, the story of this dish was just how perfectly the flavors blended together – effortless. Very Good.

10. Foie Gras w/ Bourbon, Corn, & Coconut
The foie was overcooked and i didn’t quite understand the whole corn/coconut business. Not Good.

11. Poison Perfume
Again, another dessert that tasted like the perfume smells. This one tasted more like the perfume than last night’s Gucci envy; however, it probably wasn’t quite as enjoyable a dessert. Good.

12. Trip to Havana
No trip to Can Roca is complete without a Trip to Havana. Excellent.

13. Orange Compote
Carrots, oranges, and egg yolk ice cream – extremely rich but the “bright” carrot cuts right through it. The effect was similar to any variation of French Laundry’s “Peas and Carrots” where the carrot is used as a counterbalance to the natural sweetness of lobster. Very Good.

Overall, this was a superior meal to the previous night. If you read both reviews, it sounds puzzling since there are just as many good and bad dishes in each meal. And if pressed, I would probably remember 2-3 dishes from the first meal as “defining Can Roca” for me; alas, sometimes these things can’t be explained. Regardless, I am now a big fan of the “visiting a restaurant two times in a row” approach as a way to better understand the cuisine and convincing the staff you mean business.

Can Roca is a must-visit restaurant for those in the Barcelona area.

Gastroville has written an excellent comparison of Can Roca vs El Bulli and how two experimental restaurants can diverge in their results. (Note: Nearly a year later, despite my earlier comments in this post, this Can Roca meal reigns supreme as my memorable Spanish meal.)
- chuck

Edit: You can view some amazing pictures from a 2007 Can Roca meal at Foodite.

What follows is a recount of the first meal; the second meal will be published shortly. It’s very interesting how much of a disparity a meal at the same restaurant can have from one night to the next. There are, of course, many variables including but not limited to: the chef’s mood, the cooks’ moods, the ingredients, the other diners, familiarity with the cuisine, and, on the second trip, familiarity with us. The difference was surprising – this meal was a low 2 star whereas we had a solid 3 star meal the next night.

We chose the Surprise Tasting Menu and asked for an additional dessert – the infamous Trip to Havana.

1. Amuses – Wasabi taco; parmesan cracker; and peanut butter/caramel – all were a bit lifeless.

2. Sardine w/ Green Apple sauce – uneventful

3. Champagne Oyster w/ Green Apple Bits – Oyster was huge and tasted a bit too much like the sea – none of the sweetness found in smaller oysters. The champagne was too acidic. Not Good.

4. Fava Beans w/ Mint Gelee & Chicken Broth – Fava beans were cooked right and the mint gelee was, again, subtle but rounded out nicely by the slightly salty broth. This dish lingered in your mouth for a few seconds. Very Good.

5. Scallops w/ Japanese Tea & Peas – The scallop was slightly overcooked and not that sweet. The tea ‘gelee’ acted as the carmelization flavor for the scallop – interesting technique. Good.

6. Mushroom Royale w/ Licorice Gelee
The non-licorice lovers loved it but they made a mistake – they didn’t let the taste rest in their mouth. The royale would coat your mouth and, if left untouched, the licorice finish continued to build in your mouth for well over a minute. The licorice finish perfectly complementing the earthy mushroom. Excellent.

7. Tuna w/ Mango & Beet Sauce Smoked in Ginger Steam – This dish was presented covered and then the lid was lifted – holy aroma. It smelled more like a smoky wood, not ginger, but it was intoxicating. You would get these puffs of smell whenever another table had their lids lifted. The tuna was good quality and the dish had a similar quality as the last – the smoke flavor would sit in your mouth and build for over 20-30 seconds. Very Good.

8. Smoked Sea Perch w/ Asparagus – The fish was overcooked but the perch had an redeeming intense seawater taste. If it was cooked correctly, this would have been very good. Good.

9. Pigeon w/ Taro Root, Roses, & Strawberries – Pigeon was tasty & cooked right with the acidity of the strawberries cutting its richness. The whole dish was a tad too sweet for my liking but still very good. Very Good.

10. 12-Hour Pork w/ Garlic & Quince Terrine – Everyone liked it but me – meat was somewhat tasteless to me. Not Good.

11. “Envy” by Gucci – The re-interpretation of the famous perfume – great idea, it tasted good, but it was hit or miss if it tasted like the perfume smelled. If you got the right combination of ingredients & proportion, it worked. Very Good.

12. Egg Yolk Ice Cream + “Coconut” – Very rich & very delicious – super fresh eggs. The “coconut” were ice cream dots that failed to mimick the texture of real coconut. Regardless, the dish tasted great. Very Good.

13. Trip to Havana – While it looks and tastes like a cigar, the amazing thing was the way the flavor hung in your mouth like cigar smoke. This is similar to the other dishes (fava beans, mushroom royale, tuna) and it’s a device I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere else used with as much consistency. This is an absolute must-try when eating at Can Roca. Excellent.

14. Petite Fours – Nothing to write home about

Reading my notes, the meal sounds fine on paper but there was a refinement missing to the meal. Unlike most places, the desserts held their own against the regular meal; in fact, this might have been the greatest collection of desserts I’ve eaten (with only WD-50 in NY possibly contending.)

It has been mentioned that Can Roca’s cuisine has no discernable thread tying it all together. This meal was certainly an exploration into creating subtle, yet “complex” flavors (to use wine parlance.) Many of the dishes had taste profiles that carried a dimension of time – long finishes developed in the mouth (like a good wine.) This is something that most cuisine I’ve eaten doesn’t address and could be a reason why many people consider wine to be more complex than food. This meal had a character all its own, completely different the other French, Spanish, and English restaurants on the trip.

- chuck