Going into this dining experience, we knew that it was going to be, at the very least, an interesting and fun gastronomic experience. Coming in at one of the more expensive 1-star dining experiences at 240€ per person, the expectations were quite high going in.
Food (8/10)
This was our second foray (having experienced Disfrutar the night before) into ‘avant garde’ dining where molecular gastronomy had its place in each dish. Given the length of the menu (around 24 dishes), it was expected that some dishes would be hits and others would fall short. We felt that while molecular gastronomy and technique were at the forefront of each dish, for the most part, taste and texture wasn’t sacrificed. We also enjoyed the fun element of when the food comes to the table and the dish is described, we weren’t fully sure of what to expect given some unique flavour combinations and preparations we’ve never seen before. That being said, some dishes well exceeded our expectations (green coconut, ‘Japanese’ tomato, avocado and eel, and sea cucumber) while a few others tasted good but felt the display of technique was focus. One negative of the food was the presentation – it felt a bit plain with a lot of white and brown, which made it feel dated in our opinion. We were expecting more whimsical presentation given the whimsical nature of the food. While presentation is not everything and we certainly value taste/texture over aesthetics, we are of the opinion that ‘you eat with your eyes first’, and some of the dishes could have used some extra garnishes.
I didn’t include photos for every dish, but the full menu and dish descriptions can be found here: https://catalogo.elbullifoundation.com/menu/enigma-menu-42/
Drinks (N/A):
We just had water, so not much to report here.
Service (8/10):
As many others have reported, the service staff are fairly young and while that’s not exactly a downside, we felt there was some room for improvement. While the service was attentive and professional, we felt that the dishes could have benefited from some additional explanation. Maybe it was just because we ate at Disfrutar the night before, but we appreciated the way that at Disfrutar they would go into more depth about the techniques and story behind each dish. We felt that this was something Enigma could have done so we would have felt more immersed in Enigma’s world. Interestingly, in the menus they gifted us at the end of the meal, there was a QR code to a website with detailed descriptions of each dish which was exactly what we were looking to get throughout the service. We felt that with more storytelling and discussion of the dish, it would have made us more excited and more appreciative of each dish.
Some dishes had a table-side preparation component which we felt was fun and well executed.
Atmosphere (10/10):
The tone was set as prior to being shown to our table, the entirety of the kitchen staff (probably like 20 people), including Albert Adrià himself, were standing in a group at the kitchen to greet us. This was a nice touch, and made us feel that they appreciated us dining with them.
The entrance to the restaurant and the dining room decor did an excellent job at setting the tone for the thought-provoking nature of the meal. With walls of glass and ceilings decor of ‘mesh’ clouds, it certainly created a whimsical environment. A very unique interior, fitting for Enigma.
Overall (8.5/10): Upon making the reservation, we knew Enigma was going to be an experience, and while it didn’t completely blow our minds, it was very memorable and throughly enjoyable. The whimsical atmosphere aided in our enjoyment of the food as each dish presented unique and exciting flavours and techniques. We appreciated that the team at Enigma weren’t afraid to explore new flavour combinations and techniques. Of course, with this being the case, a few dishes we felt were more ‘interesting’ than ‘wow that was amazing’, but it did allow for some strong standout dishes. Presentation of the dishes could be improved. While there were no missteps in the service, it felt about right for the 1 star level, but felt there was room for improvement given the complex nature of the food. Perhaps with some refinement of the food and service, Enigma could earn itself a second star. Despite the 2 star price, we felt the value was there given the uniqueness of the experience. There’s likely very few, if any other restaurants around the world that are doing what Enigma is doing.
by gonehalohunting