Let's talk about restaurants:
Souvenir of "El Bulli"
In my years as a Wine Buyer and Manager for PJWine.com in
New York, I had the chance, every year, to organize and participate in the owner
wine buying tour in France and Spain. A trip of 15 to 18 days, usually occurring
at the end of March and beginning of April, focused mainly on Bordeaux Futures.
It gave me tremendous opportunities to taste almost all
of the most well-known and sought-after wines of Bordeaux, “En Primeur”, at the barrel, with the
wineries and Chateaux owners and winemakers. It was terrific to be able to
taste all these world-renowned wines, evaluate their potential, and choose which
ones we would buy for the store to offer to our customers. The lunches and
dinners at the Chateaux and the famous restaurants, sharing succulent meals and
trying excellent wines with the Chateaux owners, the negociants and all sorts
of other people from the trade. It
was immensely fun.
However, talking about food, although these trips were
focused on wines, and not only from Bordeaux because we were also taking the
time to visit other regions in France (Rhone, Champagne, Provence, Languedoc
and Roussillon, amongst others) and Spain (every year going back to Rioja and
Ribera del Duero, but also Priorat); the trips were also focused on Food, with a big
“F”. My boss being a notorious gourmet, he loved eating in the best restaurants
in town everywhere we went.
This is how, at the time, Peter Yi, owner of PJWine.com, Justin Berlin, a Spanish wine aficionado extraordinaire and myself ended up eating in some of the best restaurants the southwest of France and the northern part of Spain have to offer.
Here is a short list of some of these restaurants that we have been to, just to name a few of the ones that really impressed me,
even if most are really established and renowned, in case you happen to pass
by and decide to experience a true culinary feast for your taste buds:
France
- Cordeillan Bages restaurant, Pauillac (Bordeaux, France) www.cordeillanbages.com
- Le Saint-Julien restaurant, Saint-Julien (Bordeaux, France) www.le-saint-julien.fr
- La Tupina, Bordeaux center (Bordeaux, France) www.latupina.com
- Le Saint-James, Bouliac (Bordeaux, France) www.saintjames-bouliac.com
- L'Hostellerie de Plaisance, Saint-Emilion (Bordeaux, France) www.hostellerie-plaisance.com
- Le Jardin des Senses, Montpellier (Languedoc, France) www.jardindessens.com
- Le Café des Baux, les Baux de Provence, (Provence, France) www.cafedesbaux.com
- La Ferme aux Grives, Eugenie-les-Bains (Southwest of France) www.michelguerard.com
Spain
- Arzak, San Sebastian, (Basque Country, Spain) www.arzak.es
- Kaia Kaipe, Getaria, (Basque Country, Spain) especially for the wine list www.kaia-kaipe.com
- Akelare, San Sebastian, (Basque Country, Spain) www.akelarre.net
- El Nazareno, Asador Nazareno or Salones Nazareno, Roa (Ribera del Duero, Spain) (no website but the most incredible Lechazo (the best slowly roasted baby lamb I ever ate)
- Irreducibles, Gratallops (Priorat, Spain) www.irreductibles.org
- Restaurante Marqués de Riscal, Elciego (Rioja, Spain) www.restaurantemarquesderiscal.com
And last but not least:
- El Bulli restaurant, Roses (Catalonia, Spain) www.elbulli.com
Yes, El Bulli. Shame that
it is now closed. However, I just realized that over the last 4 years of this
blog, I never wrote anything about my experience in this incredible restaurant.
I was just cleaning my photo albums on my computer when I retrieved with pleasure the pictures of that night of 15th of April 2006.
Don't ask me how we got first-class services and last-minute reservations at both El Bulli and Marques de Riscal's restaurants and spent the night in some of the best suites of Frank O. Gehry-designed Marques de Riscal hotel. It will be too long to explain.
Especially when you know that the waiting list for both places is so long that the waiting time to get a table can vary between 6 months to more than a year. Yet, we managed to do it from one day to the next. All I can tell you is that I felt very privileged and lucky to be able to experience both.
El Bulli 26+ courses menu (as on the table docket and menu)
- Caipirinha-nitro con concentrado de estragon
- Aceitunas verdes sfericas-I
- Marshmallow de pinones
- Oreo de aceituna negra con crema doble
- Lazos de remolacha con polvo de vinagre
- Palomita con Reypenaer a la nuez moscada
- Tempura de piel de limon al regaliz
- Huevo de oro
- Bocadillo iberico 2003
- Nube de palomita
- Caviar sferico de melon
- Brioche al vapor de mozzarella al perfume de rosas
- Aire helado de parmesano con muesli
- Migas de almendra, tomate raff, sauco y gele de aimen
- Nueces tiernas' , te ahumado y wasabi
- Won-ton campestre
- Esparragos verdes napados de mantequilla
- guisantes al jamon con ravioli cremoso a la menta fresc
- "Gargillou" marina
- Ventresca de caballa en escabeche de pollo con cebolla
- Colmenillas a la crema
- Caracolines en caldo corto con necora en escabeche y
- Ventresca de cabrito al estilo marroqui con aire de leche
- Tatin de pimiento del piquillo y platano
- Liquid de melocoton
- La roca
- M. Framb.
- Gallets
- Hojas
29 courses... amazing, isn't it?
Anyway,
enough talking, if think that the pictures will speak for themselves, revealing
food-meet-science type of dishes. My pictures are far from being as inspiring and mouthwatering as they are in the various books on "EL Bulli" (e.g. "A Day at El Bulli", "El Bulli 2005-2011", etc...). Still, they will give you an idea of what you've missed and what could have been one of your most memorable culinary experiences.
The following pictures, taken on April 15th 2006, at night, represent the 29 dishes that we had.
There are only a few pictures of Barcelona (at the beginning below) as we just passed by (that year) and were staying in Priorat, not in Barcelona itself. As for the pictures of the dishes, note that each little thing brought to the table was a single dish and that the portions were small.
The menu is considered a "tasting menu", focusing on presentation, creativity, aromas and flavours and promoting the use of advanced "cooking-meet-science" molecular techniques, presented as "experimental bites" rather than traditional recipes. These recomposed dishes have been the pride and the daily achieved goals of Ferran Adria since day one up until the day it closed on July 29th, 2011.
I'm glad and grateful that I had the chance to eat and experience "El Bulli" at least once in my life. Too bad I won't be able to do it again, as it was a truly unique life experience.
Dom
Now, let's have a look at the pictures I took.
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| Barcelona - Plaza Catalunya - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| Barcelona - Plaza Catalunya - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| Barcelona - Plaza Catalunya - LeDomduVin 03 |
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| Barcelona - Plaza Catalunya - LeDomduVin 04 |
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| Columbus Statue Barcelona - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| Columbus Statue Barcelona - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| Barcelona - LeDomduVin |
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| Barcelona street art - LeDomduVin |
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| On the road to Roses Catalonia - with a funny road sign: beware of planes .... LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli Sign and me 2006 - LeDomduVin |
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| The stones in the little park in front of El Bulli - LeDomduVin |
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| The little park in front of El Bulli - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| The stairs to the beach in front of El Bulli - LeDomduVin |
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| The Bay and the beach in front of El Bulli - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli entrance sign - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli Sign - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli sign 02 - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli Kitchen from the front window - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli famous chef: Ferran Adrià, with a PJWine.com catalogue 2006 - LeDomduVin |
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| Peter Yi, owner of PJwine.com, Ferran Adrià El Bulli famous chef and myself, LeDomduVin (much bigger than now) in El Bulli kitchen 2006 - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli kitchen 01 - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli kitchen 02 - LeDomduVin |
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| Ferran Adrià in his kitchen at El Bulli - LeDomduVin |
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| Ferran Adrià in his kitchen at El Bulli 02 - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli interior mixed furniture - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli aperitif - dish 01 - Caipirinha-nitro con concentrado de estragon - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli aperitif - dish 01 - Caipirinha-nitro con concentrado de estragon - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli aperitif - dish 01 - Caipirinha-nitro con concentrado de estragon - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 01 - concentrado de estragon - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli aperitif - dish 01 - Caipirinha-nitro con concentrado de estragon - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 02 - Aceitunas verdes sfericas - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 02 - Aceitunas verdes sfericas - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - Champagne and rose in a vase - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - Palomita con Reypenaer a la Nuez Moscada - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - clockwise Palomita con Reypenaer a la Nuez Moscada (6), Marshmallow de Pinones (3), Oreo de Aceituna Negra con Crema Doble (4), Tempura de Piel de Limo (7) and Lazos de Remolacha con Polvo di Vinagre (5) |
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| one type of El Bulli many plates - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 8 - Huevo de Oro - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 9 - Bocadillo iberico 2003 - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - 1st white wine after the champagne - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 10 - Nube de Palomita - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 11 - Caviar Sferico de Melon - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 11 - Caviar Sferico de Melon - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - 3rd wine - Hospices de Beaune Corton Vergennes Grand Cru Cuvee Paul Chanson - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - 3rd wine in the Chardonnay glass - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 12 - Brioche al Vapor de Mozzarella al Perfume de Rosas - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - decor interieur - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 13 - Aire Helado de Parmesano con Muesli - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 13 - Aire Helado de Parmesano con Muesli - LeDomduVin 03 |
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| El Bulli - dish 13 - Aire Helado de Parmesano con Muesli - LeDomduVin 04 |
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| El Bulli - dish 14 - Migas de Almendra, Tomate Raff, Sauco y Gele de Aimen - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 14 - Migas de Almendra, Tomate Raff, Sauco y Gele de Aimen - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 15 - Nueces Tiernas, te Ahumado y Wasabi - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 15 - Nueces Tiernas, te Ahumado y Wasabi - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 16 - Won-ton Campestre - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 16 - Won-ton Campestre - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 16 - Won-ton Campestre - LeDomduVin 03 |
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| El Bulli - dish 16 - Won-ton Campestre - LeDomduVin 04 |
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| El Bulli - dish 16 - Won-ton Campestre - LeDomduVin 05 |
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| El Bulli - dish 17 - Esparragos Verdes Napados de Mantequilla - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - 4th wine - 1989 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 18 - Guisantes al jamon con ravioli cremoso a la menta fresc - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 19 - Gargillou Marina - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 19 - Gargillou Marina - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - terrace outside - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - terrace outside - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - terrace outside - LeDomduVin 03 |
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| El Bulli - terrace outside - LeDomduVin 04 |
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| El Bulli - sepia colour picture - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli iconic Maitre D' Juli Soler and myself on the terrace in between dishes 19 and 20 (definitely bigger than I'm now...) - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - 4th wine in a glass - La Rioja Alta 1989 Gran Reserva "890"- LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 20 - Ventresca de Caballa en Escabeche de Pollo con Cebolla - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 20 - Ventresca de Caballa en Escabeche de Pollo con Cebolla - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 21 - Colmenillas a la Crema - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 21 - Colmenillas a la Crema - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 22 - Caracolines en Caldo Corto con Necora en Escabeche y - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 22 - Caracolines en Caldo Corto con Necora en Escabeche y - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 22 - Caracolines en Caldo Corto con Necora en Escabeche y - LeDomduVin 03 |
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| El Bulli - dish 23 - Ventresca de Cabrito al Estilo Marroqui con Aire de Leche - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 23 - Ventresca de Cabrito al Estilo Marroqui con Aire de Leche - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 24 - tatin de pimiento del piquillo y platano - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 24 - tatin de pimiento del piquillo y platano - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 25 - Liquid de Melocoton - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 25 - Liquid de Melocoton - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - Table docket with every dish for the night (table booked under Justin Berlin's name) - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 26 - la roca??? Not sure (pistachio? chocolate) LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 26 - la roca??? Not sure (pistachio? chocolate) LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 27 - some sort of fruit salad that came instead of M. framb. - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 27 - some sort of fruit salad that came instead of M. framb. - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli Various Menu covers - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 28 - Gallets biscuits - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli Menu (a bit blurry and not focused but after 4 wines....😁👍🍷) - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - dish 29 - Hojas - LeDomduVin 01 |
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| El Bulli - dish 29 - Hojas - Chocolate leaf - LeDomduVin 02 |
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| El Bulli - dish 29 - Hojas - LeDomduVin 03 |
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| El Bulli Menu cover - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - Brandy for the digestion - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - shortcut map on the bag - LeDomduVin |
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| El Bulli - Bathtub of rose petals on the terrace - LeDomduVin |
The End!
Then we took a taxi to go back to our hotel via the little curvy road following the shore cliff to Roses and further...
Thank you, Peter, for allowing Justin and me to experience El Bulli (shame we did not take a picture of the table with the 3 of us for memory's sake...).
Enjoy!
LeDomduVin (aka Dominique Noel, aka Dom)
For more details about each dish, I invite you to read the comments on a post about El Bulli from another blogger: http://chezchristine.typepad.com/chez_christine/2006/04/el_bulli.html ;. However, I don't necessarily agree with everything she said. She has an interesting point of view. I just realized that we ate there, at El Bulli, on the same night, 15th April 2006, and (weirdly enough) her menu was slightly different than mine, especially on the last few dessert dishes. Strange, but maybe Ferran Adria made slightly different dishes for us. 😁👍🍷
