This maybe as close as I get to El Bulli's level of cooking. You see, Chef Paco Roncero is one of…read moreFerran Adria's closest disciples and was tasked with running his Madrid outpost of progressive cooking and the associated division of El Bulli catering. Being the first gastronomic heavy hitter of all the restaurants we'd hit in Spain, it was definitely an interesting journey. My friend was deathly ill the night before and we'd have to trek across the streets of Madrid which not only rain but hail in our suits.
We'd arrived at the building which is actually a members only casino, which was founded back in 1836. It is also an art/architecture gallery, a place of gastronomy since Ferran Adria took over the food vision in 1998. As a historical structure alone, this is worth seeing but we were here for the food and we were going big with the menu degustacion. It's broken up into many parts in a playful manner:
*Cocktail
Caipirinha nitro
*Snacks
Sweet potato chips
Alga Lollipop
Saffron Styled Macadamian Nuts
Tempura Petal Rose
Philo Pizza
Sandwish with Spiced Sausage
Syrup with Roes of Trout
*Tapas
Liquid fritter 2006's version
Razor clam with lemon, juniper and coconut foam
Kellogs paella
Marrow with caviar
*Main courses
Ceps with onion and bacon and Port wine sauce
"Fettuccini Carbonara"
Red mullets served in consomme
Lamb with little onions and mushroom
*Desserts
Our Catalonian cream
Liquorice cake with ice cream apple, lime pudding and creamy chocolate
*Petitfours
Crunchy raspberry snack
Peta colas
False "polvorón" cake made with pine seeds
Bread with chocolate
Tonka Toffee with Redcurrent
As at El Bulli, there are a ton of courses and all very theatrical but at the same time, and more importantly, tasty. For after dinner coffee and tea, I don't know if I've seen a larger selection. Their in house infusion selection alone rivals any dozen restaurants put together. The service was very formal and we found that some of our servers were easier to break down than others, but in the end it turned out friendly even though it started out stuffy. If you don't end up making it to El Bulli, as they're closing by end of summer 2011, take a detour to Madrid and let Terraza del Casino treat you in similar fashion.