Art and Culture, Articles, Service Design

PART 1 of 4

Since dining at El bulli on July 2nd of this year many people have wondered how I actually got a reservation and have curiously inquired about every last detail of the meal and experience. This is the 1st of a four part series on my adventure dining at El Bulli. It proved to be much more than a classical gastronomic event but rather a journey into the depths of culinary performance art, taste memory, pallet laughter, expectation and the human brain and spectacular service surprise. It was easily one of the greatest multi-sensory experiences I have ever encountered. It was symphonic in its structure and rhythm, while completely personal and emotional. It was both humbling, mind numbing and enduring.

How does it start? I sent an email in october along with 2 million other people. I waited and waited some more and finally got a reservation in December. I waited another six months, flew to Barcelona, rented a car (BMW 1 series – quite fun), drove 3 hours to the town of Roses (near the town of Cadaques where Salvador Dali lived) on the Costa Brava 45 minutes south of the French border, drove an additional 30 minutes into a nature reserve on winding roads all the way to the end where a small restaurant seating approximately 50 people, sits 30 feet from the ocean.

It is here where the staff of over 60 take service design to a whole new level.

COCKTAILS

Most fine meals start with a standard cocktail or a house aperitif. At El bulli, cocktails (yes there are two) start with unique ingredients, the deconstruction of the key components and a strong dose of humor.

THE MOJITO REBORN – SUGAR 3 WAYS

In an honor to the legacy of the Bacardi Family and their roots in the Cuban rum industry the first cocktail starts with fresh sugar cane sticks soaked in rum with little slats inserted with finely julienned mint. The sticks are then sprinkled with lime juice and a little sugar and served in a big pile of shaved ice. The waiter asks you to chew and suck at the same time creating a cold sweet acidic rush of flavours that quickly combine in your mouth to create mini pools of Mojito. The combination of raw sugar cane, rock sugar and fermented sugar/Molasses (Rum) creates a triumvirate of sugar history and a cocktail that is almost more real than the original.

EDIBLE PINE SROUTS, YOHGURT, GIN & PINE ESSENCE

The waiter then arrives with a bowl of baby pine sprouts (shoots) sprinkled with a tiny amount of sugar and rock salt. He asks you to eat the shoot (who knew this could be edible!), which is very soft and tastes exactly as you would expect pine to taste, before sipping the cocktail alongside it: yogurt, pine essence and gin => light on the gin, very refreshing and not too sweet. The pine brings out the aromatic elements in the gin and the yogurt pulls it together. The presentation is incredibly elegant and designed so that the diner self-activates the palate with the pine sprout and then relaxes into the smooth cocktail. Is it designed to coat the stomach and prepare it for the 30+ courses to follow? Who knows, but it certainly felt right.

MELTING PEANUTS, EXPLODING OLIVES & CRISPY RABBIT EARS:

Peanuts: it looks like a peanut, but when you put it in your mouth, this creamy explosion of peanut mousse oozes all over your mouth. The outer form is a thin layer of icing sugar which holds the form with a texture that replicates the look of a real peanut. SOFT & SMOOTH.

Olives: They look like green olives, but pick it up and this powerful green olive liquid explodes in your mouth, with only a micro thin skin holding its shape. When it explodes, there is no sense of structure in the mouth. The liquid is a mix of the olive juice + pureed olive. Very intense and slightly warm. This is the soft ice cream of olives – certainly better than the original! INTENSE & IMPLODING

Rabbit Ears: it look like crispy wonton. Crispy thin on the end with a little pocket of filling on the other. It tastes like crispy pigskin or chicken skin or in that genre. Very light, non-greasy. Leather meets crispy delight. Shatteringly crispy on the end and the pocket part is almost chewy/creamy. A pure textural chewing experience. CRUNCHY & CHEWY

GAZPACHO SPOONS

A small way to enjoy the freshest of summer tomatoes and herbs in a classical Spanish way. A small message to the diner: You are still in Spain! You are still rooted in our terroir. Don’t just think about the gastronomic fireworks but about the thoughtful combination of ingredients. Take note of the industrial design that goes into creating custom plates, implements and tools that are designed for each specific course.

COLLAPSING SESAME HALVA ROUNDS & MEXICAN CEREAL POPPERS

A hyper smooth “sesame paste” Halva like cracker that falls apart into a thin powder the instant it hits your tongue and melts in the mouth –  dissolving into a powerful sesame taste. It was decorated with dots of icing made with what tasted like tamari soy sauce – refined and elegant design. This was a little snack that my kids would have loved; cute, fun to eat, constantly changing states as you consume it.

A different morphing bite, this time with Mexican cereal like crispy quinoa kernels! Served on a piece of paper because it completely shatters when you put it in your mouth. Nutty and at once, earthy, this was like a play on a micro granular granola bar shaped into a tiny square. It got me thinking, why are Kraft, Nestle and the Unilever’s of the world not creating hyper fun crackers and cookies that surprise kids and adults alike with magical changes in consistency and texture. These two bites may have made me smile and laugh more than any other food in memory. Though within an hour this was eclipsed multiple times.

TRANSPARENT VANILLA BEAN CHIPS & UMBOSHI MARINATED STRAWBERRIES

Why would anyone marinate strawberries in the preserved sour/salty vinegared liquid of Japanese umboshi plums? I am still trying to figure it out – likely a play on the classic Italian combination of strawberries and aged balsamic vinegar. Definitely an alarm clock for the palate. Unlike regular strawberries, these are a little softer from the marinating but your palette is surprised by both the salty intensity of the umboshi flavour integrated with the sweeter strawberry and the textured softness that yields and awakens the mouth. These magical strawberries (topped with dried shiso leaves) are eaten and then interspersed with vanilla chips; ultra thin and transparent made from a mass of vanilla seeds (fresh from the bean) mixed with some water, a tad of sugar and gelatin and then dried in a food dehydrator. The pure essence of vanilla takes your palette on a 180 degree turn away from the strawberry. Back and forth we go; strawberry, chip, strawberry, chip. Sort of like a culinary spinning class, as though the trainer is getting you ready for the Tour de France.

BLACK SESAME BRIOCHE & WHITE MISO

Reminiscent simultaneously of both Shanghai style steamed sweet black sesame dumplings and fresh sponge cake – super moist – one hour out of the oven. The cake is super airy with the outer crust removed – not too sweet with a small dollop of salty miso on top.

This course reminds me of when I was a kid and I removed the crust from a piece of cake and ate out the inside. This is pure, plain yummy but also surprising. Cake at this early stage in the meal? It occurs to me later that this is the dessert to the multi course series of snacks that we have just consumed. An end to the first chapter of the meal.

As I finish this course it hits me: So far, most of the snack courses have combined only 2-3 ingredients. This is not about fusion confusion or a kitchen sink approach to creating culinary fireworks. It is about restraint, control, respect, precision and pure clean flavours. This is counter intuitive to many gastro temples where many elements are combined to stimulate the mind (i.e. ratatouille deconstructed with 15 different vegetables cooked separately and composed on the plate in a neat row)

Curious to see where the rest of the meal will go…TO BE CONTINUED