1MB On Film: Movie Review: El Bulli: Cooking in Progress

Official movie synopsis:  For six months of the year, renowned Spanish chef Ferran Adrià closes his restaurant El Bulli — repeatedly voted the world's best — and works with his culinary team to prepare the menu for the next season. An elegant, detailed study of food as avant-garde art, EL BULLI: COOKING IN PROGRESS is a rare inside look at some of the world's most innovative and exciting cooking; as Adrià himself puts it, "the more bewilderment, the better!"

Ceci n'est pas un pomme ("this is not an apple") - says a famous painting of an apple by surrealist artist René Magritte.  It was part of a fantastic collection that challenged perceptions of reality, images, words and meaning (it wasn't an apple, it was a painting of one...you can look but cannot taste - but wait, what is our definition of apple anyway?). 

The same could be said of El Bulli: Cooking in Progress, a documentary whose ostensible purpose was to provide a rare look at the work (food as avant-garde art) of founding father of molecular gastronomy, Chef Ferran Adrià, for the world renowned three-Michelin-starred restaurant perched in a remote seaside villa outside Barcelona.  It purports to be about the extraordinary food and creative process, but of course/alas, it cannot provide a fulfilling re-creation / satisfying simulation of it.  Unlike the ingenious subject of its study (Ferran Adrià), the "this is not a food porn" movie was, to most people in the audience at our screening, frustratingly underwhelming - and not for the expected reason that the movie was showing us fantastic food that is unattainable to most.

For years El Bulli mesmerized media and food lovers alike with its 30-course meals full of spectacular surprises, with dishes the culinary world had never seen, and fielded two million reservations requests per year, until it closed its doors this past summer.  I wanted to see the movie to torture myself with a glimpse of live vicariously through it, the infamous (€250 / ~$350 per person) El Bulli dinner, with the inventive, provocative and artistic creations of Chef Adrià, that I probably could have never afforded and now will definitely never get to experience.

ink. - Making Its Mark on Melrose / LA Dining Scene

The day was finally here.  When Top Chef Season 6 winner, Michael Voltaggio, opened the arguably most highly anticipated restaurant in LA.  And by some miracle, I managed to score a reservation, on that first weekend (thanks, Urbanspoon and high-speed internet!!!)

In interviews, Chef Voltaggio (most recently at the helm of Dining Room at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena) has mentioned that the name of his first restaurant - "ink." - comes from part of his company name, MVink. (a play on incorporated) and is supposed to evoke thoughts of permanence (a la artwork on his arms).  And it's certainly already making its mark on the LA culinary canvas, judging by the palpable excitement across the city.

Joining me for dinner on opening weekend was my friend "Teach".  We had been counting down all week to the meal, and kicked it off with a cocktail from masterful mixologist Devon Espinosa (of Marcel's Quantum Kitchen fame!) - Rum ($10) made with lime, house falernum.  To be honest, at first glance the cocktail list looked uninspired - with drink names that simply referenced types of liquor (i.e. "gin", "tequila") followed by a listing of 2-4 simple sounding ingredients.  I'm all for farm fresh and am anti-gimmick when it comes to cocktails - but the drink list just didn't do Devon's creations justice.  I asked him for a recommendation, and on hearing that "Rum" uses his own housemade falernum involving cardamom, clove, ginger and allspice, I had to try it.

The drink was amazing, light and nuanced in flavor - with lovely layers that all tasted market fresh.  Loved this and we could have drunk it all night if only we didn't have to drive!

We took in the decor in the restaurant - simultaneously sophisticated and laid back, with a blue & black color scheme - a triangular bar by the entrance, Japanese inspired omakase bar counter against one wall, intimate and relaxed dining room with tables and seats of dark wood - topped off by carved out counter space leading into an open kitchen.  The latter was the best part, as we got seated right in front of it, and could watch Chef Voltaggio at work in the kitchen preparing our meal!  Loved that he was actually on the line, making sure the food was great - versus trying to 'work the room' as a celebrity chef might.

The menu at launch is focused - with 15 savory dishes and 4 desserts - designed to be shared tapas style, each dish to feed two. Though I was tempted to order everything, "Teach" wisely suggested with just the two of us, to get a few key dishes, enough to fill up without killing ourselves (fine, spontaneous combustion is not a great way to end the evening). 

So we started at our server's recommendation, with the Octopus ($16) buttered popcorn (in mashed form) piquillo pepper (shaped into something that looks like a fruit-rollup, hole-punched all over) and spinach.  The presentation was artistic, which made us all the more psyched to taste it.  Unfortunately, we found the octopus a bit chewy (when we wanted it to be a bit crunchy) - and though we never expect to complain about girth, the 'logs' of tentacles were a bit too thick for a comfortable chew.  The mashed buttered popcorn and piquillo pepper ribbon were fantastically creative in concept, but really didn't add too much in terms of flavor to the dish.  What we loved:  The creative risk-taking.  And the juicy, savory/sweet roasted peppers underneath the mash.

Perhaps our server was strategic in the progression of dishes - dipping our expectations only to send them shooting through the roof starting with the very next dish: Blue Prawns ($12) - from the description alone, we thought this might be a fairly traditional Thai-inspired dish.  What came out was a sort of re-interpreted sushi with the freshest blue prawns (whose sweet, natural flavors were allowed to shine) wrapped in and enhanced by thin, refreshing, crisp ribbons of green papaya, flavored with finger lime, counterbalanced with crunchiness of crushed peanuts, and creamy dollops of coconut on the side with the consistency of burrata.  This was hands-down our favorite dish of the evening and a pretty good deal at $12.

Next up was Quail ($19) with charred orange and onion, sorrel cream - loved the lush flavors and succulent pieces of gamey meat.  It's not often that we encounter quail outside of ethnic enclaves in LA, so we jumped on this one right away when we saw it on the menu.  We devoured these and sucked every fiber off the bone.

The next dish we'd vote as Least Photogenic - but the Black Cod ($18) with red pepper dashi, shishito peppers, and kelp pasta was delicious, and another best-of-meal (I think we were adding almost everything to that list at this point).  Perhaps intending for the Japanese inspired dish to look like a large piece of seaweed in bowl of broth - it initially just looked like a black amorphous blob.  But presentation aside, one bite and we were sold - the cod was perfectly cooked, tender and beautifully flaky, and went well with the kelp-flavored pasta sheet - roasted shishito peppers added subtle heat, and the flavorful dashi brough all elements together into a cohesive whole. 

I love eating with Teach as she is as unabashedly trigger-happy with her camera as me - however, this coupled with our uber-chattiness became a cause for concern for our servers.  They took back the Veal Cheek ($17), after noticing we had not gotten around to it after about 7-10 minutes of fawning over other dishes, snapping pics and being completely engrossed in conversation.  We felt super guilty committing that cardinal sin of bloggers, but appreciated the attentiveness and quality control - they wanted to ensure we enjoyed the dish at the correct temperature.  We made sure to dig into it second time round as soon as it arrived.

Even with all the efforts though, this wasn't among our favorites.  The veal cheek was so tender it pretty much melted in our mouths on contact, but the flavors and textures of the dish didn't come together for us - red curry, nante carrots baked in salt and fried sticky rice (which translated into toy-jacks-like clusters of fried puffed rice) seemed to be disparate elements that didn't all work together.

Our last 'main' dish was Beef Short Rib ($25) - another favorite for the night.  The pieces of short rib were so perfectly cooked, juicy and tender, the robust texture reminded me more of filet mignon than short rib - these were served with an incredible mix of sweet and sour mushrooms, topped by thin crisp, deliciously salty panels of mushroom chicarron, and punctuated by black garlic.  It was the most expensive dish on the menu, but well worth it.  I don't think I've ever had any short rib quite like it - and would go so far as to say that it's one of the things I would put on my shortlist of things I'd consider if I could choose my last bite on earth.

At the last minute, our server had recommended Seaweed Mashed Potatoes ($8) with sea grass, sea beans as a side. It didn't arrive until we already finished all of our savory dishes - but with its lush, creamy texture and extremely subtle seaweed flavor, it ended up being a good bridge to dessert.  

Where we exercised restraint with savories - we threw out convention / decorum with dessert, and ordered all four on the menu.  We again left progression to our server - and again the first one seemed to be a throwaway: Goat Cheese ($10) with ash, concord grape, arugula. The presentation was inventive and completely unexpected - but here is where we wished our server would have been a little more knowledgeable and passionate about the ingredients and thought processes that went into what goes on the plate! 

When asking what the various elements were, hoping for details and insights into the inspiration for the dish - what we got was a vague murmur about the 'noodle' patty being an 'almond cake' and that the green cake-like pieces were 'not arugula, but something...else'.  And a recommendation that amounted to 'don't worry about what these are - just eat and enjoy it'.  Which, in a regular restaurant, I would accept.  But when serving a dish from Chef Voltaggio's kitchen, where his inventiveness is a key selling point for fans - it's a shame the server would detract from the sense of respectful wonder - the way an art lover would admire a painting and think about the artists' intent and the nature of their own connection to it - by suggesting essentially that we stop and just shovel it in. Granted, it's launch week and 'polish' - including service - is expected to be a work in progress, especially as the new servers familiarize themselves with the dishes.

Regardless, though we both loved the concept and visual artistry, the flavors and textures just didn't come together for us on this first dessert.

Dessert #2: Grapefruit Curd ($8) avocado, cilantro sorbet, charred maple-lime.  The consistency reminded me of panna cotta, but the true breakout star was the cilantro sorbet - herbaceous where your mind expects sweet, light and refreshing and an intriguing pairing to the citrus infused curd. 

Dessert #3 was possibly my favorite of the four in terms of flavor, though it looked like a pile of rubble: Chocolate ($10) was accompanied by a minimalist ingredient description of "coffee, spice".  I loved the classic combination of coffee and chocolate, with the variety of textures from creamy to crunchy pie-crust crumbs to pop-corn like puffs.  It took a minute for my mind to process the textures and flavors - as there was an interesting spice woven through the dish that we couldn't quite place - the server told us it was "coffee spice" - which means we may never know what was in it.  The mountain of rubble was punctuated by globules of an unnamed fruit for bursts of juiciness.  Whatever the ingredients were, I thought the dish was fantastic.

The final dessert was Teach's favorite, simply named: Apple ($8) but with the mysterious description of creme caramel, burnt wood sabayon, walnut - again not sure how much stock to put in what the server told us, but according to him they had burned wood in the parking lot out back, then soaked it in milk for days, then made a sabayon out of that milk.  Interesting for sure, but don't know that it really sounded appetizing, and I couldn't really taste smokiness in the sabayon.  The giant sphere of sabayon sat on what I thought was like a disc of cheesecake, but was really creme caramel, surrounded by candied walnut clusters with small apple orbs for crunch / juice with sweet & tart flavors. The dish overall felt sort of like a deconstructed hybrid apple pie and cheesecake.  Creative, and overall delicious.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our 3-hour meal - whether certain dishes worked better than others, whether the server gave us accurate information or not - ink. injects excitement and creativity to LA dining, and for our part Teach and I are rooting for them - and hope that as Chef Voltaggio intended - it will claim a permanent imprint on the city's culinary culture. 

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 5.5 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 5 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks most mains)
Probability of return visit - 100%

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ink. 
8360 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90069 
Ph: 323.651.5866

Website: mvink.com
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The Bazaar by José Andrés - Fantasy Fine Dining at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills

In a town where creativity is a commodity of often fluctuating value, The Bazaar by José Andrés is that rare breakout blockbuster that manages to marry artistic vision with commercial success. The brainchild of James Beard Award winning chef and owner José Andrés, The Bazaar at the chic SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills is truly unique in all aspects: from the innovative concept, to the beautifully designed food and drinks - many showcasing molecular gastronomy - to the breathtaking decor by Phillippe Starck, which pits modern with traditional.

The concept is about a fluid 'fantasy'-like dining experience, allowing guests to move through uniquely designed spaces that are true visual treats, while tasting traditional and ultra-modern, innovative tapas (small plates allow for a wider range of samplings!) coupled with cocktails that can be theatrical productions in themselves, with dramatic use of liquid nitrogen and other molecular gastronomy wizardry from a cart wheeled tableside - and desserts again both traditional and those with interpretations all their own.  And for those so inclined, add the ability to peruse the eclectic retail displays curated by Moss, integrated into the mix.

The Bazaar recently extended their dineLA Restaurant Week to this past Friday (October 29th), and when my friend tipped us off to this - we made reservations immediately for a party of four and left work on time (for once) to meet up there on a weeknight.  The $44 dineLA offer featured your choice of one starter and three entrees from the extensive menu of over 40 different tapas, modern and traditional) plus one dessert.

Starting out in the "Blanca" or modern side of the dining room, on cream colored sofa style seats around a wooden table - we instantly dove into the task at hand - to narrow down our selections from the extensive (even for dineLA) menu of tapas on offer.  Luckily, with a table of four, we were able to get a much broader sampling by taking bites of each other's selections.

For our four starters, we chose: #1: "Philly Cheesesteak" - airbread, cheddar, Wagyu beef ($8 on regular menu).  I had liked the taste of this one from a previous visit - it's every bit as amazing as it sounds, with slices of buttery beef carpaccio layered on top of steaming, fluffy cheese-filled bread.

Starter #2: "Japanese Taco" - grilled eel, shiso, wasabi, and chicharron stuffed in thinly sliced cucumber wrappers ($10 on regular menu).  A creative dish that I would not so rashly label 'fusion', but rather, a Japanese inspired reimagining of a Mexican staple - that I truly enjoyed for its perfectly balanced mix of textures(flaky/crunchy/creamy/crispy) and flavors (savory/sweet eel with clean, subtle refreshing cucumber woken up with a small jolt of heat from the wasabi).

Starter #3: Papas Canarias - salty wrinkled potatoes with mojo verde ($8 on regular menu).  This one got mixed reviews - the potatoes themselves looked adorable - like chocolate nuggets rolled in powdered sugar - and tasted AMAZING, served at just the right temperature to bring out its natural flavor, with a perfectly crisped outer layer embellished with a kick of salt.  The unfortunate part was the mojo verde dip, which was much too salty for all four of us.  We would have loved to report layers of flavor unfolding with the heat of the potato, but we couldn't taste much beyond the salt.

Starter #4: (One that we actually ended up using an entree selection as well, as we all wanted a lot of this one) was West Coast Oysters with lemon and black pepper served in a tin can - in celebration of Spain's great canning tradition ($12 on regular menu).  A lovely dish with smooth oysters whose briny-ness was brought out all the more with lemon and black pepper.  I am usually a purist with oysters - love the taste of deep ocean in a freshly shucked oyster with nothing on it (especially if they are giant ones from any of the restaurants on the Bay in Monterey!) - but if I were to go for oysters served up with other accompaniments, this was a great choice and gets two cocktail forks up from me.

As one of our entrees was taken up by a second helping of West Coast Oysters - the  Brussel Sprouts with lemon puree, apricots, grapes, lemon air ($8 on regular menu) would be our second entree.  This probably ranks among the top of my favorite dishes for the night - with its original combination of slightly bitter and crisp brussel sprout leaves with the sweet / citrus fruit elements, topped by a dramatic burst of 'lemon air' (foam).  I've never really liked brussel sprouts - no, not a relic of childhood trauma, as my parents never served this veggie to us - but I have as an adult found it too bitter, and typical preparations (steamed whole) too dull.  But this dish made me a convert - proving that brussel sprouts can be delicious, and exciting to serve!

Other entrees which were good, but did not make as dramatic an impression, were: Wild Mushroom Rice with Idiazahal cheese ($10 on regular menu), Croquetas de Pollo - chicken and bechamel fritters ($9 on regular menu), and "Butifarra Senator Moynihan" -Catalan pork sausage, white beans and mushrooms ($12 on regular menu).  The chicken filling in the croquetas for some reason tasted like tuna, in consistency and flavor, which was not a bad thing - just, interesting.


As the only one at the table who had been to The Bazaar previously, I had to have all the ladies try the piece de resistance - Cotton Candy Foie Gras - even if it was off the dineLA menu and had to be added to the tab (not too bad at $5 per person).  You simply can't visit The Bazaar without trying this, just for the experience.  In taste, you can definitely have much better foie in their Foie Gras quince and toasted brioche sandwiches (plate of 3 sliders) - but it's the concept and presentation that is an experiment not to miss.  Essentially a block of foie gras is served on a stick, with a cloud of cotton candy wound around it.  It's supposed to be consumed like an amuse bouche - all in one bite.  A little difficult at first to see how the whole cloud would fit, but the candy of course shrinks down on contact.  Definitely a conversation piece - and again the taste is not really for foie connoisseurs, but it is fun and interesting to experience the blend of the creamy, dense, savory block of foie with airy, sugary strands of cotton candy.

Back to the mains - we also tried the Jamón Serrano Fermin (not pictured, $16 on regular menu), which was served on two plates with the slices of ham on one, and toasts with a tomato spread on the other.  This one was good, but again overshadowed by its more groundbreaking, drama-filled counterparts.

We also tried the Sea Scallops with Romesco Sauce ($14 on regular menu) - the scallops were huge, with a great crispy crust bookending juicy and tender meat inside. 

Our last main was the Beef Hanger Steak with piquillo pepper confit and natural jus  ($12 on regular menu) - though we had a tendency to be more impressed by the creative twists in the modern tapas dishes, it's worth noting that the traditional tapas also exhibited a high level of skill and definitely provided a haute cuisine experience as well.  The hanger steak in particular was super tender and juicy, and I loved its simple but lovely plating as well.

As we finished with the last of our entrees, our fabulous waitress arranged for a table in The Patisserie space, where we were to move to enjoy our desserts (for those who want to stay in the same space, you are offered the option too, but then you would miss out on the whole concept of the place, and the opportunity to experience the awesome, whimsical space).

The Patisserie area features an 'open kitchen' done completely in pink, with an almost Alice in Wonderland / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tone and feel - the double-decker counter is stacked with ornate glass 'bell jars' of candies and cookies, interspersed with lollipops made of wispy chocolate emblems and tiny, exquisite fine china tea cups and beads.  There are hidden gems like a small loveseat whose design looks like a modern take on Marie Antoinette style, built into a glass pillar between The Patisserie and Bar Centro areas, that is a truly romantic and unique space - perfect for a date if you can book this seat.

It was too dark for any photos, so you'll just have to experience this space for yourselves! 

So onto dessert - yes, of course I chose the Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta with apricots and muscat gelatin ($12 on regular menu)!  Each layer was a revelation, with apricot puree (sprinkled with crushed pistachios) sitting atop the creamy panna cotta, which sat on top of jello cubes made with moscato wine.  Amazing.

The other three in our party all ordered the Traditional Spanish Flan with vanilla ice cream and fruit ($12 on regular menu) - which was also incredible.

After our meal, it was fun to walk through the designated retail area to the side of The Patisserie, which showcased an eclectic array of goods from the food and travel related, to jewelry and other accessories. 

The only thing to note for other budget foodies, is that valet parking at the hotel will run you $12 minimum before tip.  If you are very lucky, you might be able to find street parking - but it's simply easier, given the location, to just valet park it.

Although this season's dineLA is over, the good news is that all of the dishes above are still available (though at higher prices from the regular menu), with many, many other exciting options on offer.

If you are looking for a place that will provide a sensory experience like no other in LA - head to The Bazaar.  It's perfect for almost every occasion - from a date to girls' night out or happy hour with coworkers (Bar Centro is actually pretty lively, though in a sophisticated way) - to foodies who simply want to celebrate and support culinary creativity, which José Andrés has done an amazing job in demonstrating, is very much alive and well in LA. 

I for one can't wait to go back, for any occasion at all (and due to budget constraints, I normally don't repeat visits unless the place is amazing)!  It is expensive - but SO worth it.

Updates from subsequent visits:

 Tuna ceviche and avocado roll ($15) - amazing interpretation of classic sushi roll.  No rice or nori, just the freshest tuna tartare wrapped in incredible, paper-thin slices of avocado!

Sea Urchin sandwich with avocado and steamed bun (3 for $12) - LOVE this dish with the briny, nutty flavored sea urchin paired with creamy yet structured slices of avocado and placed in tiny, pillowy little bao!  Presentation, in a steamer, is awesome as well.

Not your everyday Caprésé with cherry tomatoes, liquid mozzarella ($12) - inventive reconstructed version of the classic Italian insalata. Very good, but not as mind blowing as other dishes at The Bazaar.

Foie gras cotton candy ($5 each) - like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Santa Monica beach and Third Street Promenade, these cubes of foie gras wrapped in cotton candy and served on a stick are like a tourist trap - something you have to bring 'out of towners', like my brother and his wife, to experience on their first visit.

There is always one liquid nitrogen drink on the menu - they wheel a bar cart tableside, then 'freeze' your alcoholic beverage with liquid nitrogen.  Deliciously theatrical and entertaining!

I forget what the name of the drink was now, but they always rotate the drinks anyway.  So cool to have to 'spoon' your cocktail - like having an uber upscale slurpy / saved ice that also gives you a nice buzz.





On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6.5 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 7 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$$ (3 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100%

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The Bazaar by José Andrés
465 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
Ph: 310.246.5555
Website: thebazaar.com
Twitter: twitter.com/chefjoseandres
OpenTable: Look for reservations
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