Tasting Ferran Adria

In the world of cutting edge, avante grade cuisine, there is no name held in higher esteem than Ferran Adria. The man credited for elevating Spain to its pinnacle in the world of fine dining, turning molecular gastronomy into a buzzword, creating culinary foam, and for making El Bulli the #1 restaurant in the planet for foodies. Recently, Ferran announced his intention to close El Bulli so he can spend his time on other things; however, he will continue to cater to his fans through two small, casual but upscale places in Barcelona. Tickets is Ferran Adria's take on a tapas bar which is located beside 41 Degrees, his spin on a chic cocktail bar that serves several of his El Bulli classics. As you can imagine these are currently the most happening dining spots in town!


You enter 41 Degrees through Tickets and past a curtain in the bar. Tickets itself is designed like one of those old world theaters - a host in top hat out front, bright neon lights, the works. The bar is named for the latitude on which Barcelona lies and is designed to look like the intimate backstage hangout to Ticket's spotlit center stage.

The low slung chairs, the bull skulls on the walls, and the restaurant logo projected on the dark walls all contribute to the atmosphere here. The extensive cocktail menu has a selection of Ferran Adria's speciality creations. I cannot remember the names of the cocktail I tried, but they were beautiful.


We ordered a variety of food including the famous liquid olives, oyster with lychee nectar and horseradish iceberg, oysters with miso and black garlic, and the oysters with spicy chicken consume and kimchi. The liquid olives were as delightful as we expected, bursting in our mouth with flavorful olive oil. The oysters were very creative and we loved the flavors we tasted.


The Pistachios in Tart Yogurt was a work of art. Pistachios wrapped in a delicate lattice of dried sweet yogurt that was served in something that looked like a dead tree trunk in the miniature.



The fried fish reminded me of the prawn wafers you get in Asian restaurants. The fish seem to have been powdered and re-created in a wafer form. Then there was a rendition of a deconstructed sushi. As expected, every dish had an unexpected twist - with the taste and texture very different from what you would expect by looking at it.

Finally, we brought the dinner to an end with yummy macarons and melt-in-the-mouth profiteroles flavored with black currant and anise.


For those of you who wish to try 41 degrees, remember that the only way to get a seat is through their website. Having only been open for the last few months, both this restaurant continues to be hottest ticket in town.

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