el celler de can roca

can sunyer, 48
Girona SPAIN
www.cellercanroca.com

loved

the lighting! seriously good lamps
the ambiance overall
the presentation – the caramelized olives hanging in a bonsai olive tree were especially beautiful
the internal courtyard with beautiful deciduous trees and slate tiles – very japanese – a lovely reminder of the season
the different menu options
ability to have wine matched with each course

didn’t love

massive serving sizes given the number of courses – enough food in one meal to last a normal person a whole week
an oloroso sherry matched with the steak tartare. don’t get me worng, I love my sherry in all its guises but the dish was screaming out for a big RED.

ate

SNACKS
campari bonbon – ball of what tasted like wax that melted away to give a campari explosion
anchovy prawn chips – crunchy melt-in-the-mouth anchovy heaven
caramelised olive – brilliant presentation – olives in a caramel crust – sweet & salty but weird
black sesame cracker* – served on a white stone – light crispy black sesame delish
chestnut soup with truffle* – rich and wintery and lovely
foie gras nougat* – heavenly goose liver in the shape of a little chocolate. could live on this
boletus edulis brioche – mushroomy bready goodness

MENU
sea urchin with soup – not so great
charcoal grilled king prawn with king prawn sand – loved the texture of the ’sand’ but slightly sweet flavour was a little unexpected with the prawn overtones
smoked herring caviar and potato omelette* – divine texture melt in the mouth oozy omelette
artichoke with duck liver, eel and orange** – brilliant dish with the artichoke and orange giving a lovely contrast to the richness of the eel and the liver.
sole with 5 flavours** – fennel, bergamot, orange, pinenut, green olive. seriously delicious fish and really playful dish. sole served as a long filled with each of the flavours a sauce along the length. we were told to start at one and and eat from bottom to top. brilliant how the fish changed completely with each accompaniment. lovely lovely
cod pot-au-feu, potato gnocchi, cabbage and brandade terrine** – another triumph. cod beautifully seasoned without being overly salty. loved the gnocchi
lamb with tomato rubbed bread – disappointly mild flavoured lamb. super tender but zero flavour. tomato bread the best thing on the plate
steak tartare with souffle potatoes and 5 flavours* – spiced tomato, caper compote, picklet & lemon, hazelnut praline, meat bernaise sauce, oloroso sherry raisins. As per the sole start at one end and enjoy each flavour sensation. loved the potatoes – like the best ever potato crisps. presentation was a little not so great – more like cepaviche than fine dining. still one of the most amazing steak tartates I’ve ever enjoyed
goose a la royale with peach compote & foie gras** – more melt in the mouth super richness. simply divine.
“sweet escalibada”* vanilla caramel, liquorice, dried caramelised black olives tierh Tahitian vanilla condensed icecream – best vanilla icecream ever
fragrance adapted ‘terre’ by hermes* – chocolate cream, jasmin milk, patchouli icecream and distillate sand – I called it chocolate dirt with little bursts of goodness. Served with the fragrance on a piece of filter paper.
chocolates – only 4 – classic delicious praline, vanilla orange, earl grey and the omnipresent yuzu.
** Favourites marked with an asterix

drank

albert I noia cava el celler D.O. cava
ekam ‘08 D.O. priorat
finica viladellops 07 D.O. penedes
navazos niepoort 08 D.O. jerez
auslese 90 dr burkling wolf pfalz
frank grux 06 A.O.C. bourgogne
el rocalls 03 D.O. penedes
nelin 07 D.O.Ca priorat
torroja 07 D.O.C.a priorat
oloroso sibarita D.O, jerez
gneis 03 masia serra D.O.Ca priorat
Ino masia serra D.O. emporda
olvares 06 D.O. jumilla
taylors 20 years port

value

reasonable for the 5th best restaurant in the world and 3 michelin stars
126 euro per person for the food (+ wine matched with each course 60 euro)

reservations

essential but not impossible – I emailed about 3 weeks ahead with no issues for a wednesday lunch

perfect for

A world class dining experience, particularly if you can’t get a table at elBulli