El Celler de Can Roca; Movin' on Up Pt. II

This is the continuation of our two-part feature on El Celler De Can Roca. 

We were so pleased with the amuse bouche and the appetizers, that we could only expect better dishes from here on.

Red Sea Bream with Endive, Gentian, and Citrus: In addition to its elaborate presentation, this dish features a very tender and savory red sea bream garnished with a caper on top of an endive. The sauce was tangy and sweet, prepared from extracts of mandarin and oranges. 

Salt-Cod Brandade: This dish was made of braised salt cod, salt cod foam, olive oil soup, shallots and honey, thyme and chili pepper. The fish was tender and the sauce was a creamy and delicious emulsion of salt cod and olive oil. 

Iberian Suckling Pig Blanquette with Riesling: One of the prettiest dishes of the night came in a platter featuring small cuts of pork belly cooked to perfection as well as the restaurant’s recreation of Riesling wine. The jellied dots and cubes were made of various purees and a concentrate of mango terrine, melon, beetroot, black garlic, and orange made to resemble the taste of Riesling wine. The acidity from the jellies and the clear sauce harmonizes with the hint of sweetness from the pork. We saved the oregano flower at the end to freshen our taste buds. Everything about this dish was divine.

Red Mullet: Cooked sous vide style, the fish was very soft and exquisite. It was served on a light and tasty broth together with sweet and zesty-tasting gnocchis made of orange, fennel and saffron.

Charcoal-grilled lamb breast fillet and sweetbreads with eggplant, coffee, and liquorice. As our server opened the bell-shape jar covering our dishes, a smoky aroma of barbeque started to slip away. On our plate were tender portions of lamb breast with crispy skin and morsels of sweetbreads. Everything was scrumptious and gone in a matter of minutes!

Wood-pigeon liver with onion, curry-caramelized walnuts, juniper, orange peel and herbs: The liver itself had a robust metallic taste. The sauce was thick and tangy but also had a strong taste of onions. 

That concluded our main courses at just the right timing. We didn't want to get too full before the desserts. So after what seemed an eternity waiting in anticipation, our first dessert platter came.

Maple Syrup Cream with Pear, Walnut and Cardamom: The maple syrup cream with the pear ice cream worked well together. Each bite was gooey, seeping with heavenly goodness. Somewhere in the dish, there was orange and cardamom that gave a zesty and minty taste complementing the sweetness from both the maple and the pear.

Girona’s Fair Caramelized Apple: The apple that came with this dish was bright red, shiny and sinful! It was served on top of cotton candy and jellied cubes of what we thought were real apple and pomegranate. The whole dish was so delicious; not too sweet.

Mocha Mille-Feuille: An interesting version of a mille-feuille. The top layer was sweet and crispy and the ice cream inside had a mixed taste of mocha and anise. If mixed with the syrup that came with it, the mocha taste blended perfectly with that of coffee.

We ended our meal at around 1 a.m. The server asked us if we wanted to stay for coffee and tea but at this point my husband and I were both battling sleepiness as well as the effects of the wine, so we declined.

Our server then packed us some petit fours to go. It was such a sweet gesture! The little box she packed for us consisted of (from left to right) mini chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cookies with cream filling, dark chocolates with crunchy bits, madeleines, milk chocolates, ferrero-rocher type chocolates, and macaroons.

Here are the wines that we were served. There were fifteen bottles in total. They said that the wine we were poured was approximate to at least half a bottle of wine. For us, non-wine drinkers, that was a lot!

Overall, we loved the food and the experience! And to top it off, our bill wasn’t as expensive as we thought it would be. Its number two spot on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is well-deserved. We look forward to being back and trying out their menu in a different season.

EL CELLER DE CAN ROCA

Can Sunyer, 48. 17007 Girona

Telephone number: (+34) 972 222 157

You can make your reservations at restaurant@cellercanroca.com.