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Friday, 22 April 2016

El Celler De Can Roca, Girona

First off, we just want to apologise for the lack of blog posts this year! It’s been a crazy few months coupled with a hint of laziness as its easier to upload food pictures to Instagram. To make up for the lack of activity the post to kick start the blog is non other than the San Pellogrino number 1 restaurant in the world..... El Celler de Can Roca, from the picturesque town Girona and holder of 3 Michelin stars.

Having come all this way we chose the longer feast menu over the short classics menu along with a wine pairing to share. We had done our research before hand and noted the build up of glasses on other reviews where people couldn't keep up with the wine pairings!
The world
Thailand - chicken, coriander, coconut, curry and lime
Japan - miso cream and nyinyonyaki
China - pickled vegetables with plum cream
Peru - Causa limena
Korea - panco fried bread, bacon with soya sauce, kimchi and sesame oil
Memories of a bar in the suburbs of Girona - breaded squid, kidneys with sherry, escabeche mussels, salt cod with spinach and pinenuts, Campari bonbon
Green olive ice cream and calcot lyo
Coral - ying yang oyster and sea bream ceviche
 Truffled bon bon and St George mushroom brioche
Pumpkin consommé with green tea - hazelnut tofu, parsnip, liquefied pumpkin, liquefied spinach, passion fruit, pumpkin seed, turnip and charcoal grilled chestnut
Red mullet with kimbu - prickly pear foam, sea anemone, salicomia and Katsuobushi vinegar, charcoal grilled red pine mushroom
Langoustine with cocoa bean sauce - black mole with mantis shrimp cream with cocoa and boletus edulis
Partridge and fermented cabbage salad - smoked broth and tarragon foam
Pigeon with fermented rice - rice skin sauce, koji sauce, rice bread and pigeon parfait
Prawn marinated with rice vinegar - prawn's head sauce, crispy prawn legs, seaweed veloute and phytoplankton
Sole with olive oil, fennel, bergamot, orange, pine nuts and green olives. The restaurant changed this course to the signature sole dish for Mrs Nom as she is not a fan of skate which is what was listed on the taster menu. I'm glad she did and its no wonder this is on the classics menu and I would go as far as to class the sole as the dish of the meal. Each flavour complimented the fish perfectly and took it to new heights when eaten in sequence as advised by the staff. I did note that the pieces Mrs Nom gave me were very small as she wanted it all to herself!
Confit skate with mustard oil, beurre noisette, honey, chardonnay vinegar, bergamot, aromatic mustard and smoked hazelnuts
Blackspot sea bream with samfaina
Iberian suckling pig with salad of green papaya, thai grapefruit, apple, coriander, chili pepper, lime and cashew
Lamb with eggplant and chickpea puree, lamb's trotters and spicy tomato
Veal oyster blade and marrow, tendons and avocado
Suspiro limeno - milk, lime, coriander, milk caramel, pisco
Turkish perfume - rose, peach, saffron, cumin, cinnamon and pistachio
 Orange colourology
 
Stuffed to the brim we ordered peppermint tea to end the marathon four hour meal and to call it a night. A trolley full of delectable petit fours accompanied the tea and we ordered a selection of the servers favourites to share.

The visit has been a long time coming and it certainly lived up to our expectations and then some. All three Roca brothers were in attendance on the night of our visit and the signed menus and quick snap with Joan and Jordi Roca was the icing on the cake.
Signed menu in full with wine pairings
The total cost was 500 Euro for a very long tasting menu and one wine pairing. The wine pairing was the most exceptional we have tried anywhere thus far, well recommended.