Why 1000 + KM is not to far for dinner at El Celler con Roca

The decadence of travelling 1000+ km for dinner proved irresistible when Ryanair really did offer some exceptional bargain fares to Girona. I’d long harboured a desire to visit Ell Celler Con Roca having heard the three brothers Roca Joan (head chef), Jordi (desserts) and Josep (wine) talk inspirationally and poetically at both Madrid Fusion and Identita Golose (see separate “what happens at culinary conferences” posts for reports from this year’s vanguard conferences shortly) about their food that is inspired by emotions, childhood memories, scents and the Catalan landscape . It’s the quintessential expression of techno-emotional cuisine, now the preferred term among avant garde chefs in place of the much maligned molecular gastronomy.

The restaurant itself is breathtakingly beautiful despite being in the suburbs of Girona – low-slung, ultra contemporary, elegant with black slate floors, oak slatted ceiling and huge glass walls to an internal courtyard of young maples. It has beautiful light, plenty of space between tables and the serene feel of a Japanese pavilion.

The sense of a real culinary adventure is apparent from the first “snacks” exquisitely and surprisingly presented: including sensational black sesame crisps, a divine, intense, glossy pigeon and (amusingly) Bristol Cream Sherry savoury “bon bon” made with nuts, truffle, cocoa, a sferification of clam and exceptionally tasty sweet-sour caramelised olives.

It seemed crazy not to indulge in the full sensorial Feast experience of multi-course “tapa” with matching wines after travelling so far. It’s rare for me to be so impressed, but almost every dish was sensational. Highlights from the 12 dishes are hard to pick at such a flawless level of culinary excellence. However, among my most enjoyable dishes were:

cauliflower with sea-urchin and orange with an incredible, subtle yet powerful evocation of the ocean (Im Sonnenchein 05 Pfalz) ;
razor clams within tiny macaroni, intriguing, clever, with a most delicate pesto (Herrenberg 98 Mosel-Saar-Ruwar);
“virtual” chablis a mesmerising dish created to reflect the terroir of the wine with oysters, apples, and “capsules” of a distillation of “earth” and chablis with an exquisite warm soup of fennel and oysters (Grand Regnard 06 A. O.C. Bourgogna);
the extreme indulgence of what is called a “caviar omelette” but is more like a crepe but somehow sealed with an ephemeral creamy, eggy filling and masses of caviar (Sadi Malot Blanc de Blancs A.O.C. Champagne);
- When I returned the next day to interview Josep Roca, teasingly, he refused to be drawn on details of what is one of their latest techniques. Though, he proudly showed me the kitchen and all the equipment they’ve invented including the Roner water-bath for sous-vide cooking, an outrageous contraption for spun sugar rather like a candy floss (essential for caramelised olives and many of the most creative desserts) and distillation equipment for extracting aromas.

Back to the menu

King prawns fleetingly cooked in a traditional charcoal oven with king prawn earth aromas: an almost chalky powder made from an extraction of confit of prawn heads mixed with malodextrin to “texturise” and resemble a “sand” (Vina Tondonia Blanc 73 D.O.C. Ca Rioja);
Winter truffle souffle : sublime made with a distilled essence of truffle and egg white taking souffles, which I adore, to a whole new level of ethereal taste (Nelin 05 D.O.Qa Priorat);
A more traditional Catalan dish, albeit prepared sous-vide, though importantly with the requisite crispy crackling: Sierra Mayor Iberian suckling pig, baby onions, orange and clove (Ino Masia Serra D.O. Emporda).

Desserts didn’t quite wow to same extent though I couldn’t fault the foie gras nougat or the all white vanilla dish creatively served with Oremus Tokaji. However, I’m longing to return to try the mojito and cigar dessert on the a la carte menu. Despite not ordering coffee, a full box of impeccable mignardaise arrived, testament to impeccable, attentive service throughout.

When I returned the next day to talk to Josep Roca the whole restaurant was bathed in extraordinary sunlight and looked even more beautiful. What’s more I was treated to a personal tour of the awesome wine cellar. Josep has devised a sensory journey to bring the terroirs alive from Champagne to Bourgogne: each has images of the area, its own evocative music from Mozart’s Minuet to S Saens Carnival of tbe Animal : and something tactile to evoke the area: in the Riesling (Josep is passionate about German wines) there’s lime green silk in a granite bowl, whilst in the local Catalan Priorat grape area there is a chunk of limestone to bash against aromatic maquis within a huge wooden bowl.

In all, dining at El Celler con Roca was a sublime dining experience: highly technical and innovative, complex, but not at the expense of deliciousness.
Memorably worth travelling 1000+ miles for.

www.elcellerconroca.es