Carrer de Sepúlveda, 38, 40, L'Eixample, 08015 Barcelona, Spain
+34 932 20 19 74
www.enigmaconcept.es
Mon 10/21/2024, 07:00p-11:05p
On my final day in Barcelona, I finally made my way over to Enigma, no doubt one of the poster children of avant garde Spanish cookery. And why wouldn't it be? The place is the invention of none other than Albert Adrià, of elBulli fame, and represents the closest that we'll likely ever get to a contemporary interpretation of that legendary restaurant in Roses. This was definitely a high priority visit for me.
About the Chef: Albert Adrià Acosta was born in October 1969 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, the son of parents Ginés and Josefa. Inspired by his older brother Ferran Adrià, he decided to pursue a career in food in 1985, and began apprenticing at El Bulli, where Ferran was already working. After two years, he committed himself to heading up the pastry department at the restaurant, and during winter closures, he furthered his training at the likes of Pastisseria Turull in Terrassa, Pastisseria Escribà in Barcelona, and Pastelería Totel in Elda, under Francisco Torreblanca. He even staged at Guy Savoy for six weeks, following completion of his military service in 1988. In 1990, El Bulli regained two Michelin stars, which it lost in 1985 following the departure of Jean-Paul Vinay, who initially secured the honor in '83. Three stars arrived in 1997, but it was also during this time when Adrià left the restaurant to write his first book: Los Postres de elBulli, published in October 1998.
Following, he rejoined El Bulli in late '98, this time in the creativity workshop (taller), teaming up with Oriol Castro and eventually taking over the operation altogether. In 2002, El Bulli topped the World's 50 Best Restaurants list for the first time, a feat repeated consecutively from 2006 to 2009. Throughout these years, Adrià also expanded his knowledge by working stints at Bras, The Fat Duck, Mugaritz, Martín Berasategui, and even Charlie Trotter's. In March 2006, he teamed up with childhood friend Juan Martínez to launch the tapas-focused Inopia Classic Bar in Barcelona, and actually ended up leaving El Bulli in 2008. However, the Chef sold his stake in Inopia in July 2010, and it would eventually turn into Lolita Tapería.
Adrià instead decided to link up with the Iglesias brothers (Juan Carlos, Borja, and Pedro, of Rías de Galicia) as well as Ferran to start a series of restaurants in the Sant Antoni neighborhood under the elBarri banner. First up were 41º and Tickets, which dropped in early 2011. The former was a cocktail bar that eventually turned into a tasting menu place referred to as the 41º Experience, while the latter was a thoroughly reimagined tapas joint. They were followed in 2013 by Patka, a Peruvian-Japanese fusion eatery. In September that year, vermouth bar Bodega 1900 opened, while in November, both Tickets and 41º were Michelin-starred. 2014 saw the dual debuts of taco spot Niño Viejo and the higher-end Mexican eatery Hoja Santa, in collaboration with Paco Méndez, though Niño Viejo would close in 2019 to make way for the expansion of Hoja Santa (which got Michelin-starred in November '15).
Meanwhile, 41 Degrees shuttered in August 2014, its space taken over by Tickets, and in November, Patka received its own Michelin star. In February 2015, Adrià and his brother teamed up with Cirque du Soleil's Guy Laliberté for Heart Ibiza, with the goal of merging together the worlds of gastronomy and art, though the venue shut down during the pandemic. The Chef started his residency at the Hotel Café Royal in London in February 2016, which was followed by the opening of Cakes & Bubbles pastry shop at the hotel in 2018. Enigma launched in January 2017 as an evolution of 41º, and received a star from Michelin in November that year. In March 2019, Mercado Little Spain food hall opened in New York; this was a project spearheaded by José Andrés, with the Adriàs serving as consultants. In June 2019, Enigma made it on to The World's 50 Best Restaurants ranking at #82 (up from #95 the previous year), while Tickets was #20.
Sadly, the pandemic marked the end of the El Barri group, as every restaurant in the company ended up shutting down except for Enigma, which apparently was under a different ownership structure. Adrià did remain active during COVID-19 though, and in November 2021, he participated in the ADMO project, a pop-up led by Alain Ducasse located at Les Ombres in Paris, adjacent to the Eiffel Tower. June 2022 saw the birth of Enigma 2.0, a reinvention of the restaurant that did away with much of the fanciness behind the place. In fact, the team even started off with à la carte ordering, though they did eventually switch back to a tasting menu, albeit with a pared down overall experience. Enigma regained its Michelin star in November that year, and in June 2023, landed on The World's 50 Best list at #82 (again), which improved to #59 in June 2024. Most recently, in July, Adrià, in concert with Alfredo Machado, opened Gelato Collection in Barcelona, which aims to apply the rigor of Enigma to an ice cream parlor.
Upon entering, it's quickly evident that this isn't an ordinary restaurant.
The entry hallway leads to a waiting area.
Here we see the RCR Arquitectes-penned dining room, easily one of the most striking I've ever encountered. Of particular note are the cloud-inspired ceilings and translucent walls, which result in a dreamy sort of feel that make this place absolutely one-of-a-kind.
Given that I was a solo diner (which was allowed by special request), I was seated by myself at the bar.
I was soon presented with the night's menu, a roughly 30-course affair priced at a reasonable 240€ ($260.90) a head. The Spanish Tour wine pairing tacks on an additional 100€ ($108.71), while the Old World Wines pairing is 165€ ($179.37). There's also a very respectable wine list, which boasts a particular strength in the area of Champagne. Click for larger versions.
1: Mezcal | Pomegranate tepache and mezcal
Dinner commenced with a tepache that incorporated pomegranate instead of the usual pineapple, and also included what I believe was a pechuga-style mezcal. Smoky, tart, and vegetal, this certainly awakened the palate.
2: Mezcal | Lime porex
I was instructed to taste back-and-forth between the tepache above and this impossibly light, airy, tart-yet-savory "porex" composed of inulin lime cream, lime zest, and young espadín mezcal.
3: Mezcal | Mezcalita frozen cloud
Next up was a whipped and frozen "cloud" made with mezcal, lime, and lime zest. It went in a similar direction as the previous bite, but was even more bracing and refreshing and invigorating, with a stark temperature contrast to boot.
This last welcome snack was a bonus, and consisted of a super shattery, sweet, lingeringly savory roselle (hibiscus) chip with Iranian green pistachio.
To pair with my dinner, I went with the Jacques Selosse "Brut Rosé" Brut, NV [420€ ($456.58)] (disgorged May 6th, 2021). Throughout this trip, I've been drinking almost exclusively local wine, but felt compelled to order the Selosse given its very appealing pricing, as a bottle of this usually retails for around $800 in the US. The vibrantly orange-hued Champagne was definitely not like your typical rosé, but instead acted more along the lines of a substantial white wine. The nose was super oxidized, with a palpably nutty, funky, yeasty quality, while the palate leaned dry and savory, with more of that oxidative character. As the juice warmed, things became even nuttier, even more dark-toned. However, further time brought a much fruitier bouquet, with a deep, concentrated dosing of apricot preserves; this was joined by a softer flavor profile, with loads of orchard fruits cut by a pert acidity, the nuttiness still present, but more in the background. At the conclusion of the night, the bubbly was super rich and dense in terms of aroma, with its tertiary-style qualities on full display, while the palate got noticeably thicker, and exhibited this soft spiciness. The evolution of the sparkling wine over the course of a few hours was pretty remarkable, and I'm super glad that I got to try this at such a good price!
4: Coconut | Green coconut jelly water with Caluga caviar
5: Coconut | Slide of green coconut with ham fat
Green coconut arrived in two ways. I was asked to first consume half the contents of the glass, which comprised a sweet, clean coconut water jelly that was a fantastic counterpoint to the subdued-but-potent brine of Kaluga caviar. Next, I ate the slippery slice of green coconut brushed with ibérico ham fat before going back to the jelly. This was a more intriguing bite, with the saltiness of the jamón working wonders when set over the tropical notes of coco verde. It turns out that ham and coconut is a winning combination--who knew?
6: Sea Urchin | Green mandarin risotto, pumpkin and sea urchin
A tart, refreshing mandarin "risotto" led to the sugariness of oroshigane-grated kabocha and the long-lasting brine of sea urchin, making for a bit of an odd combo, but one that worked out surprisingly well.
7: Sea Urchin | Crunchy fried egg with sea urchin
Next, freeze-dried egg dotted with creamed yolk showcased a toast-like crunch and mouthwatering savor, and really did a great job setting the stage for those soft, sweet, oceany tongues of uni.
8: Cheese | Buffalo Mozzarella Soufflé
This monochromatic course was apparently inspired by the Chef's experience eating fresh mozzarella di bufala in whey, and I think it did a commendable job conveying that sensation. What we had was mozzarella water made into a steamed soufflé, one with an unbelievable lightness and a plethora of sweet, lactic flavors, all leading to a salty finish. This was essentially just cheese, but presented in a multifaceted manner, and represents Adrià's current obsession with utilizing a sole ingredient in sundry ways in one coherent dish.
Leading into the meal's tomato sequence was another bonus bite: a segment of savory-sweet freeze-dried Amela tomato set against a zesty kumquat sorbet.
9: Tomato | Almond soup and tomato soup
Here was a juxtaposition of tomato soup, almond soup, frozen tomato, and frozen almond, punctuated by the saltiness of bottarga. I first tried everything separately, then mixed it all together into a cohesive package. The end result was a perfect marriage of the two main ingredients, rendered in disparate textures and temperatures--a triumph.
10: Anchovy | Cured foie gras in anchovy salt
Salt used in the three-month preservation process of anchovy is typically discarded, but was employed tonight for a seven-minute cure of duck foie gras. The procedure effectively imbued the liver with the saline qualities of the anchoa, providing a fantastic contrast to the offal's rich, luscious nature, and somehow, I even detected this tomato-esque tang in there. It also resulted in a softer, much creamier consistency that I reveled in. This was easily one of the best preparations of foie I've had, and I loved the kitchen's audacity to serve it so brazenly unadorned like this--no distractions, no hiding behind anything.
11: Anchovy | Milk skin and anchovy canapé
In this second elaboration of the fish, a "toast" was made with yuba, on top of which was placed fresh cow's milk skin, a mince of parsley and ginger stems, and finally a filet of Cantabrian anchovy. I was smitten by this blissful marriage of unabashedly salty fish and creamy nata, moderated by the greenery and even more so by that crunchy chip. A contender for the best anchovy dish I've had.
12: Mushrooms | Mushrooms and avocado
The mushroom sequence started with a mind-bending course of avocado interspersed with parsley oil-soaked mushrooms, which were remarkably similar to each other. The freshness of the avocado and faux avocado was perked up by pinpricks of spice, while smoked Idiazabal worked wonders for contrast.
13: Mushrooms | Funghi porcini duxelle
Porcini duxelles were set in an aspic made from the same duxelles, then dressed in a sauce made once again with porcini. This was another course that was based almost entirely on one ingredient, and really did convey the nutty, woodsy character of porcini in a clever manner.
14: Mushrooms | Funghi porcini layer
The course above arrived with an ultra-light, sweet-ish crisp made from porcini and layers of obulato, which served as a textural juxtaposition to the duxelles.
15: Mussels | Mussels aspic with frozen onion thai soup
Mussels were given new life thanks to their encasement in mussel aspic, which made for a wonderful mouthfeel, while the brine of the bouchot bivalves was moderated beautifully by the soup's subtle Thai flavors. Very cool.
At this point, bread arrived at the table, an amazingly airy, shattery example imbued with a touch of char from being finished in a smoker.
16: Shrimp | Shrimp from Palamós
In easily one of the most memorable dishes of the night, gamba roja was prepared four ways:
