My fourth former No. 1 of the World and the first time I’m a bit disappointed: Restaurant El Celler de Can Roca (26. March 2022)
Three years after having booked a table at the El Celler de Can Roca, it was finally time to take that reservation and go for dinner here. The El Celler de Can Roca is run by the Roca Brothers and used to be a Number 1 of the world on “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants”. So, you can imagine how excited I was to finally dine here. You have to book your table 11 months in advance, and it’s literally booked out for the whole month within 30 seconds.
When you enter, it looks quite nice and appealing as you walk up that small way …
… to the garden.
Once seated, they are taking care of things quite quickly, and you wonder why you have a huge piece of stone on your table in front of you, but this will be revealed later.
Since it’s one of these ‘once in a lifetime experiences’, we decided to go for the “Feast Menu” (EUR 250.00) with “matching wines selected by Josep Roca” (EUR 130.00).
The journey begun, and it was a long journey – kind of like when you’re a kid, and you’re in the car on the back seat and at some point you’re just “mum, are we there yet?”. But you’re still not. But step by step.
The evening started with “Escudella in clay oven, vegetable aspic and pickles (2021)” and “Bruna cow’s fresh milk cream from Fromatgeria la Xiquella with veal and truffle consommé” (2021) which was a quite tasty start.
Personally, I liked the third part of the first course most, the “truffle brioche filled with truffle mayonnaise (2009)” was absolutely delicious.
Next in line were five small bites which would describe the evolvement of the “El Celler de Can Roca” over time. Starting with the “Poularde cannellone (2001)”, followed by “pork trotters carpaccio with tomatoes and pine nuts (1989)”, “Caesar’s mushroom tartelette with pine nuts (2013)”, “truffle cream, egg yolk and bacon” and finally “Blue crab fritter”. The bites were great. So far, I was absolutely into it and enjoyed the evening a lot.
What I realised at the third amuse bouche was that the speed of the dishes coming one after another was immense. There was barely time to breath between one course and the next. The third amuse bouche was “A whole red prawn, prawn marinated with rice vinegar, head juice, crispy prawn legs, seaweed velouté (2012)”, “Olivada: aloreña, cordobesa, cornicabra, Kalamata, and Verdial with piparra (2018)” and “Spring pickles with walnut ‘romesco’ sauce from the Girona environment (2018)”. I must admit that they were delicious bites. Nothing to complain here.
The fourth amuse bouche was “kale cabbage with veal sauce, truffle, anchovy and Brussel’s sprouts” and it was absolutely fine. Not as good as the ones before, but still good.
The fifth course were “razor clams with calçot (sweet onions) (2022)” which was a bit surprising since the whole table got it served, although we had made it clear that one of the party was allergic to shellfish. Luckily, I realised early enough, so nothing happened. But still, not something I would expect at this level of cuisine.
The sixth amuse bouche, the “Crustacean velouté with caviar and tomato (2001)” was quite nice actually since the caviar wasn’t so overwhelming like it is so often the case.
Usually, I’m not such a big fan of oyster but the “oyster with game, Palo Cortado and truffle (2012)” was actually quite delicious – probably because it didn’t really taste like oyster.
Finally, it was time for the eighth amuse bouche – a “foie nouget, hazelnuts and cocoa and a reduction of Pedro Jímenez (2005)” which was a delicious ending – to the amuse bouches!
At this point, more than an hour had passed, and we still hadn’t started the menu. I was definitely intrigued to eat and to eat a lot, but it started feeling like man, it’s too much, and we hadn’t even started the actual menu. To make sure we were not going to starve, we got some “classical cottage bread, red wine bread and raisins, olive brioche with olives” and I absolutely loved the brioche.
The first actual course of the menu was “vegetable surf and turf (seaweeds, herbs, and flowers)” which was absolutely nice – not only look-wise but also taste-wise.
One of my favourites of this evening were the “Xarel-lo steamed peas (pistachio pesto, citrus gel, Montseny wasabi sprouts, pea sprouts, Montseny wasabi oil)”. I just love these peas – they are so damn aromatic and flavourful, so damn enjoyable, so damn luscious.
The “Jerusalem artichoke, Jerusalem artichoke purée, pickled petals, sunflower seed purée, pumpkin seed oil, tangerine purée, orange reduction, pistachio” was also great – nothing bad to say about it. An interesting combination of textures and flavours.
The “Swiss chard with Iberian ham fat emulsion, Swiss chard stem pickled with Amontillado, candied garlic and l’Escala anchovy sauce” was a spread across taste. While I absolutely loved the chard with the anchovy sauce (maybe also because I love anchovies), I was not so into the Iberian ham fat emulsion as it was too smooth for my taste buds after already 13 courses (and don’t know how many flavours).
The “Grifola frondosa with chestnut, onion and clove consommé, yuzu purée, pine vinegar gel, orange, grapefruit and lime wedges, grilled chestnut, soy sauce and mushrooms” was something which seemed great since I’m a big fan of these reductions, but it was somewhat semi-exciting when eating it.
The “celeriac and pear, smoked celeriac purée, caramelized cream, roasted celeriac broth, crunchy celeriac sprouts, tarragon, coffee, pickled celery, pickled rhubarb, candied anise, Sherry vinegar” on the other hand was an interesting combination due to the basic flavour of the celeriac and the sweetness of the pear.
After having had a beet root tartare at the Piazza Duomo in Alba twice (2020 when it was No. 29 of the world | 2021 when it was No. 18 of the world), I was absolutely happy to get the “beetroot tartare, walnut milk, beetroot stalk tartare, smoked beetroot” since it was actually another highlight of the evening for me.
Next in line were the “candied artichoke heart, artichoke vermouth sauce, mustard sauce, beurre noisette sauce, oloroso emulsion, artichoke petals” which were lovely mainly due to the mustard sauce which really added something to the dish.
The “pickled sea urchin, sea urchin, potato and ‘tari’ purée, pickled aubergine seeds, charcoal-grilled sweet potato, bottarga, Ibarra chilli pepper seeds, coriander purée, saffron ‘aioli’, red seaweed, sea grape seaweed, vinegar jelly, lemon zest, nasturtium flowers” was interesting but didn’t really blow my mind.
The “langoustine with sagebrush, vanilla oil and toasted butter” was a smooth and nice combination of light flavours which go well together, but I was missing the ‘exciting’ part of the dish somehow.
Unfortunately, the next course, the “charcoal-grilled turbot fins with a pilpil of oxalis flower, turbot carpaccio with grapefruit and black olive tartare, turbot supreme confit with garlic oil” was something I really didn’t enjoy that much. It was somewhat bland.
The next course, however, was exquisite. The “suckling lamb stew with couscous of celery, basil and cardamom. Suckling lamb sweetbreads with capers in sherry vinegar and couscous of celeriac, mint and liquorice. Pickled suckling lamb trotters and brains with couscous of cauliflower and aniseed. Suckling lamb belly in its juice with couscous of apple, tarragon and cinnamon. Suckling lamb loin in its juice and couscous of cucumber, fennel and pink pepper” was basically an assortment of all pieces of a suckling lamb combined with a vegetable. And man, it was delicious! Like really delicious! And surprising!
So, I was hyped for the next course, which seemed to be somewhat special and exciting. The “Poularde Pithivier, with truffle and fresh herbs sauce” was shown at the table before it was prepared …
… and it looked pretty when served. But it was a true disappointment. The dish was just nothing. Very unluckily, one of the Roca brothers came to our table that very moment and asked how it was. And, well, I was honest and said it was fine so far, but this course really doesn’t do it for us. And his reaction was “thanks for coming” which I found somewhat weird as a reply.
A bit bummed out, it was time for dessert. Now, let me mention here that there was never really a break between the courses. I had to pre-announce a departure to the loo two courses in advance to make sure it wouldn’t be at the table when I get back. I get it – it’s approximately 25 courses with the 8 amuse bouches, but it’s just too speedy. There is no time to relax, to talk, to enjoy. You’re constantly eating. Like, non-stop!
In any case, time for dessert and the first one was “rainforest (black trumpet ice cream with pine honey. Black trumpet dust and pine dust. Crunchy leaves of cocoa and pine dust. Dust distillate.” which looked a bit weird …
… but it wasn’t finished yet since there was another element to be added …
… a bit of foam which would then, like in a rainforest, hence the name, cumulate in a little droplet which would fall onto your dessert – just like in the rainforest. It was really a visual experience, something I have never seen in a restaurant.
I loved the next course – because it was somewhat unexpected. The “ball pool. Cream of roses, lychee, caramel sphere with caramelized apple and balls of mint, basil, fennel, passion fruit, raspberry, coconut, blueberries, apricot, guava, lime and blackberry” looked like a perfect Christmas ball. But you had to smash it …
… and it would reveal its inner beauty. And not only its inner beauty but also its taste. And it was absolutely tasty.
The next course was somewhat my typo of dessert and somewhat not. The “vanilla cream with creamy walnut praline, tobacco gelée, green orange, caramelized walnuts with spices and spiced sponge cake. Toasted butter ice cream and rehydrated” was interesting but it had a few elements which were too intense for me like the tobacco gelée.
The “Milk dessert. Milk caramel, sheep’s milk ice cream, sheep’s milk curd-cheese foam, sheep’s milk yoghurt and milk cloud” was much more down my alley. It was light, sweet, and not chocolatey at all.
Last but not least, there was a selection of friandises served which was nice. But at this point in time it was 1am and you just felt like you’re too full for anything. Like you cannot move, like you don’t want to eat ever again.
To sum it up, from a food experience. Do I regret that I’ve been? No. Would I want to go again? Also no. It was interesting but it wasn’t remotely as mind-blowing as I had expected – maybe with the exception of the number of courses.
And while I like the interior a lot, I also want to lose a word about the service. Generally, they are doing a good job. For sure. However, it feels incredibly non-personal and incredibly stressed they way things are served. The sommelier explained the wine more in a rush than anything else, didn’t take the time but really just ran through the mandatory explanation of everything. Sure, you can do it like that but don’t expect me to come back.
The service was generally friendly, i.e., they did a good job, were respectful and friendly. What I didn’t like was the speed and they way they were not able to read the room. I mean, if someone gets up to wash his/her hands, you should somehow check with the kitchen that things are paused a bit. Which wasn’t the case – the next course was brought out, served, explained, and only when that person would get back from the loo, there would be a second round of explaning for the person coming back from the loo.
I mean, really? That’s how you do it? I don’t quite get it to be honest – it is somewhat surprising to me that a restaurant at that level isn’t able to orchestrate things in a way that you would be able to steer your plates and dishes so that they are only served once everyone is seated again. The same applies to some courses where the plates of some people at the table were already taken while others were still eating. I’m sorry, but I don’t get it!
Admittedly though, the place is great – lovely in terms of interior design and the little forrest (okay, the few trees) which are literally in the middle of the restaurant are great. They create an atmosphere of comfort.
And even outside it’s nice – nothing to complain here.
To sum it up, I am happy I was at the “El Celler de Can Roca” as another former No. 1 of the world. But compared to other former No. 1’s of the world like “noma“, “Eleven Madison Park” or the “Osteria Franchescana“, I don’t entirely follow why the El Celler de Can Roca made it to No. 1. To be fair, maybe they were a No. 1 at some point, personally, I don’t think they are anymore.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant El Celler de Can Roca
Carrer de Can Sunyer 48
17007 Girona (E)
Tel.: +34 972 22 21 57
E-Mail: info@cellercanroca.com
Homepage: http://www.cellercanroca.com
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
