The Life of A Spanish Vintner

Once Upon a Time a Chef…

Last year, I was lucky to get a table at the very prized Spanish restaurant, El Bulli in Gerona, owned and led by Chef Ferran Adria. El Bulli has been awarded, several times, the title of the “Best Restaurant in the world” by The Restaurant Magazine. After my visit, I really understood why. Ferran Adria is not only a Chef, but an alchemist!!

The entire visit to the restaurant was an amazing experience and a festival for my senses. The waiters served the food with amazing coordination, they seemed to dance a perfectly silent, rehearsed choreography. I also fell in love with the passion the sommelier displayed as he showed the guests the nearly 6,000 incredible wines they have on the wine list.

By the time dinner was served, I was already charmed and thinking it could only get better. Unimaginable presentations of food in all forms and shapes play with the sight, making one think the food is an optical illusion, like fire, or cotton candy.

My dinner consisted of 24 different courses, some of them were just small bites, that made me really test my taste. Some of the tastes reminded me of very traditional Spanish flavours, but with a completely different texture that surprised my mouth. How the flavours explode and become more intense in the mouth is so awesome!!

Here is a video of Chef Adria making spheric olives (they are so good!), with food writer Mark Bittman and Chef Jose Andrés, a disciple of Adria who has successufully opened several restaurants in USA. It’s a pity Adria doesn´t speak English, but you can still understand Jose Andrés’ translation.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKWgmx0kc1A]

I have the menu of the food we ate that night somewhere. I´ll post it once I find it so you can see how amazing it was!!

Hasta pronto!

Rocio