As Fall is upon us here is my homage to Summer
and the incredible menu we had in July at Moments in the Mandarin Oriental -with two michelin stars. Not
my first time at Moments and the experience is always a waltz for the taste
buds: the perfect blend of the local ingredients and traditional dishes
fusioning with the international cuisine.
Carme Ruscalleda with seven Michelin stars & her son Raül Balam , who is the executive
chef at Moments, have designed the menu
and are behind the elegant restaurant located in the Mandarin Oriental hotel.
The menu was adapted for us, offering a
vegetarian option of each dish.
Each course is devoted to a movie and it comes
with colors and flavors while the waiter explications take you right in the
movie scene.
Raül always comes at the end of the meal to
converse with you. The menu is well designed and is an homage to the Seventh art, our
young chef other big passion.
·
Opening credit with Pop Corns of course!
·
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s”: We immersed ourselves in the
legendary opening scene of the movie when Audrey Hepburn is eating a croissant
& having coffee from a brown paper bag in front of Tiffany’s. We got
the same bag but a gourmet version: Mahon cheese brioche & Dashi broth. And
don’t forget that the Tiffany’s store in Barcelona is actually at the Mandarin
Oriental entry.
·
“Women on the verge of a
Nervous breakdown-1988”: the Spanish black comedy drama written & directed
by Pedro Almodovar. The gastronomic version was a Gaspacho, Manchego cheese (a
wink to Almodovar's birth place) a black garlic
& ajo blanco (almond soup).
·
“The Godfather-1972”.
Aubergine, courgettes and orange served in an artistic rose: a good combination
of fruit and vegetables. It is a reference to the rose in the pocket of the Godfather.
·
“Titanic – 1997”. Seaweed,
melon and Chantilly cream: another example of the perfect match of ingredients.
·
·Like Water for Chocolate-
1992” : “Como Agua Para Chocolate”, a Mexican movie in the style of magical
realism. The dish was a vegetarian taco with guacamole and rose petals:
explosion of flavors!
·
“Forrest Gump- 1994”. The
Coca, a typical Catalan pastry served sweet or savory” with Asian & Maresme
Flavors. Maresme is a county located along the Mediterranean Catalan coast.
Carme Ruscalleda , 3 michelin star's restaurant is in the Maresme: restaurant
San Pau in San Pol de Mar.
·
“007 in Octupussy 1983”. We
didn't’ get octopus which is the original version of the dish, instead we got a
courgette caneloni with potatoes & paprika.
·
“ The Wizard of Oz -1939”. A
festival of asparagus served with Aji sauce. The sauce served to design the
famous yellow brick road in the movie.
“ The Silence of the Lambs - 1991”. It is supposed to
be a lamb dish but we got seitan instead with borsht. This was a visual
surprise while the borsht (a beetroot ukranian soup) created the blood effect.
·
“Ratatouille – 2007”. A
perfect selected cheese platter very well blended with a sweet ratatouille jam.
And now the desserts!
·
“Finding Nemo- 2003”. A
mousse of almonds and seawater with a chocolate coral.
·
“Pulp Fiction – 1994”. The
famous 5$ milkshake recreated in a lighter version after the full tasting menu.
·
“ Charlie & the Chocolate
Factory – 2005” In Catalunya we get this chocolate served on a toast with salt
and olive oil. This is the more sophisticated version à la Raul : chocolate
with matcha tea and olive oil served as painting!
The Epilogue:
·
The Catalan version of Oscar:
Premios Gaudi . Valhrona Chocolate statue.
