Disfrutar Ranked
A ranking of all 29 courses from the Disfrutar classic tasting menu, from best to worst. Mainly for me to remember. Names are direct translations from Spanish menu pictured in previous post.
1. Mushroom leaf with boletus butter – 2021
The one I couldn't stop thinking about. Just the richest, deepest mushroom flavor.
2. Hake suquet (Catalan seafood stew) – 2016
I couldn't stop referring to the fish itself as "perfect." I think it's probably the single best piece of fish I've ever had. The side stuff, the sauces and potatoes and "capuccino" were all really delicious as well, but it was honestly just the perfect fish that is the reason this dish is so high on my list.
3. Puff pastry without flour with summer truffle and burrata – 2022
This came super early, and started us off on a good foot. It was a more familiar flavor profile, with a powerful burrata starring, but it was damn good. The truffle vodka was also killer, dark with truffle sediment obvious in the liquid. I let it sit on my tongue and breathe before swallowing and it shocked me with the depth of flavor profile.
4. Crispy egg yolk with hot mushroom jelly – 2014
The second star of the three course mushroom phase. We bit open the ball, inside which was an egg yolk. We then poured the egg yolk into the warm mushroom soup inside the false egg shell below, and then mixed it. It reminded me of a miso soup, crazy flavorful.
5. Pancake / filled with caviar and sour cream – 2016
This was like comfort food. Reminded me of bunyuelos de bacalao (cod fritters). The fried dough was almost sweet, and the salty caviar and cream combined into just a delicious treat. Apparently this is one of their star dishes.
6. Multi-spherical tatin of corn and foie – 2016
This was one of the gimmicky dishes, with a two-sided mirror and LED light involved in the presentation. The bite itself was amazing. It wasn't actual corn on top, but some sort of corn concentration that made the corn flavor profile stronger than it would otherwise be. That was a common theme, a replication and enhancement of flavors, put back into familiar forms.
7. Multi-spherical pesto with smoked eel and pistachios – 2017
I think this was similar to the corn technique where the pesto balls were these contained concentrates of powerful pesto flavor. The eel was perfect, the pancetta was incredible, and the parmesan sauce was rich and tasty. Another dish with more familiar tastes.
8. Beetroot that comes out of the earth – 2014
This one surprised a bit. It was a weird texture, like a spongy, styrofoam sort of texture. But the flavor was sweet and delicious, and grew as you ate.
9. Tomato polvorón (crumbly biscuit) and olive oil caviaroli – 2014
Polvoron is a typical Spanish Christmas cookie, almost like a softer shortbread. This one somehow had a fried tomato taste, like the perfect tomato sauce but in powdered cookie form. We were told to save the olive oil balls for the last bite, and it really elevated the taste. The cucumber/tomato liquid salad was a refreshing treat.
10. The "Gilda" of Disfrutar with marinated mackerel – 2017
I've been on a serious anchovy kick lately so I was really excited about this one. While the anchovy was delicious, unfortunately the mackerel was the star of this dish. It was tasty, just not what I was excited about. The hero in the end was the "olive," another example of a concentrated flavor put back in a familiar form. Explosion of concentrated olive juice in our mouths.
11. The hen of the golden eggs: fried egg of crustaceans – 2021
This dish felt very thai. Once we split the "egg" it was a spicy red sauce that fit well with the shrimp and egg. Super different from many of the other dishes because it was the only spicy dish.
12. Black apple with noisette butter ice cream and flourless puff pastry – 2022
I was fading a bit with sickness by the time desert rolled around, otherwise I assume the first desert would appear higher than twelfth. This apple had undergone a 60 day sealing and aging process to the the point of caramelization. The vanilla and ice cream flavors were delicious as well.
13. Our macaroni carbonara – 2014
Another one with more familiar flavor profiles. Delicious nonetheless, but a fairly typical carbonara.
14. Black sesame cone with strawberries – 2017
Tasty little cone with a strawberry halfway down and then a transition to a rich, intense yogurt.
15. Solid smoked butter bubbles with caviar – 2020
This is one that I don't think I loved in the moment, but everytime I think back on it I feel like maybe it should be higher on the list. The last bite in particular, with caviar and butter and the crunchy bread beneath, should probably elevate it a few spots higher.
16. Pigeon aged in amasake with kombu seaweed spaghetti, almond, and grape – 2022
The only "meat" dish of the night. It was impressive in a way how little they relied on meat, but I was expecting that when the meat finally came it would hit harder than it did. It was cooked perfectly and tasty, but I think I was expecting more based on the way they had elevated lesser ingredients.
17. Hoisin cucumber – 2018
Probably the weirdest combo of flavors in a single plate the whole night. It was a cucumber ice cream with vanilla and hoisin sauce! It sounds so weird and it was weird but honestly it worked. Should probably be a bit higher in the list honestly.
18. Commitment rings – 2023
Symbolizing their commitment to satisfying every diner. Simple, but tasty. We each got to choose one, I chose a cinnamon chocolate one with a caramel on top.
19. Homemade cider smoked on the spot – 2016
Very tasty but too similar to apple juice to be any higher. Nice presentation with pouring it over liquid nitrogen to create a smoking effect.
20. Gazpacho sandwich with aromatic vinegar garnish – 2016
The temperature and consistency of this one I didn't love, though the flavor was that of a classic gazpacho. The aromatic vinegar garnish was cool - they asked us to sniff it regularly throughout our bites, and it was wild how I could feel it opening my nostrils each time I did.
21. Walnut heart with Idiazábal cheese and ratafia (Catalan walnut liqueur) – 2018
Only problem here is I don't love walnuts. The cheese itself was amazing, and the bites with ratafia and caramel were incredible. Minus points for walnut alone.
22. Rose water – 2023
They poured rose water (straight from roses) on our hands so they smelled good before desert. It was fun I guess.
23. Reflection of the walnut – 2018
As we cracked the walnut we were asked to reflect on different uses of the walnut shell. Tied into the next walnut course. Inside was a walnut and a cube of cheese. The cheese was good, but again, I'm not a walnut guy.
24. Pickled mushrooms, homemade preserves of saffron milk cap and oyster – 2022
Probably my most controversial low placing. I loved the other two mushroom dishes, but this one didn't hit for me. The others both felt like a warm hug, so rich and comforting. The mushrooms in these dishes were cold and had a different, cleaner flavor profile. I'm also not a big oyster fan.
25. Petit fours
Tasty, but the sickness was hitting hardest as this was the very last course. I few nice treats to finish up.
26. Frozen passionfruit tongue with rum – 2016
Very first course. Tasty as well, but the temperature was off-putting. It was frozen and you had to go teeth first, so it was immediate brain freeze. Seemed kinda poorly designed, maybe I approached it wrong.
27. Lychee and roses with gin – 2014
We used the rose petals and spoons to consume the gin and imitation lychee. Biggest problem here was the gin just tasted like gin and felt too strong to appreciate.