03-02-2017
Enigma is the fifth restaurant Albert Adrià has opened in 5 years. It’s the most awaited opening this winter in Barcelona. Rather than a classic restaurant, it’s a mystery unveiled in 7 steps. Reservations available only online, by paying 100 euros per person in advance (you must state any allergies). The address: Carrer de Sepúlveda, 38-40
The following article was published in Spanish website Gastroactitud. The author is Julia Pérez, who manages the website and has been collaborating with the Guida ai Ristoranti di Identità Golose since the early days. Enigma is the fifth restaurant Albert Adrià opened in 5 years. It’s the natural evolution of 41 Grados but most of all it is a unique, original and coherent offer. A circular – and round – concept, in which the term experiencia is perfectly justified. A representation at the service of a personal gastronomy in which nothing dissipates the attention from what is truly important; on the contrary, it gets to the point. Everything was created in relation to the dinner and the way you eat. It’s more than a restaurant, in its current meaning: it’s a place for experiments. What can you eat? How can you eat? With whom? Why? Questions follow one another. The enigma at Enigma is not unveiled by counting the dishes or showing the pictures. Everyone must meet their revelation so that everything can acquire its meaning. This happens over the course of two and a half hours, an initiation journey through the icy crystal setting, designed by architectural firm RCR (the same behind the interior design at restaurant Les cols). Seven different moments, seven enigmas. Seven unique culinary offers, seven ways of dealing with the comida, seven separate ways of approaching the guest. And only one cuisine, that of Albert Adrià: vibrating, brilliant, touching, inspiring...
Albert Adrià, 46: "He’s not just Ferran’s brother”, says Julia Pérez, "and he’s more than El Bulli’s pastry chef: he’s one of the greatest chefs in the world"
Cooking without a net. At this point the guest has already realised the iciness of the setting is in fact a mask. Under the ice the magma of creativity is bubbling, the powerful energy feeding this Enigma: we’re not interested in finding the solution because we want the journey to continue. In this moment, in the middle of the journey, we find Plantxa, the fourth enigma: it looks like the kitchen looses importance in a way. At the back, Albert Adrià observes, directs, has fun and smiles. He’s enjoying the same satisfaction as the guest.
The artichokes at Dinner, the fifth "enigma". The restaurant currently doesn’t offer a vegetarian menu
Oliver Peña, executive at Enigma: he cooks in front of the guest
Reviews, recommendations and trends from the four corners of the planet, signed by all the authors of Identità Golose
by
Spanish food reporter for El Mundo and Gastroactitud. Her book, "100 Culinary experiences not to be missed", insipired a TV series on Tve