Manresa – 1 year before closure

Manresa was 1 of my favorite fine dining experiences ever, and although I know some people will disagree, I thought it was 1 of the better ones in California.

Pictures:
1. Petit Fours: Red Bell Pepper Pate
De Fruits
Black Olive Madeleines.
This was supposed to be a savory take on the Mignardises that come at the end of the meal, and in fact they had an identical set of sweet counterparts that closed the meal (not pictured). I felt like these were a really creative way to open the meal.

2. Oyster w/ Radish. This was admittedly just a really good oyster with a creative presentation. Nothing special about it but it was nice and went nicely with the little piece of truffle on top.

3. Bonito, Veal Consommé. This was one of the standout dishes of the night. The tuna was silky and the leaves underneath were super crunchy. Both were excellent with this rich consommé that was poured on top.

4. Into the vegetable garden. Probably the best dish of the entire meal, this was as fun to eat as it was delightful to look at. A mix of fresh greens and fruits were combined with this buttery dressing that just coated everything and made each bite a joy to eat.

5. Spaghettini with caviar. Supplemental course that we added on. It was a very good caviar dish but when stacked up against other dishes like oysters and pearls, this one falls a little bit short just due to its simplicity. Still great though!

6. Spot Prawn with Kohlrabi & Sugar Snap Peas. I’ll admit I was scared of this dish when it first came to the table. I’m not the biggest fan of peas and the sauce had quite a strong aroma. It ended up being pretty delicious though.

7. Duck with Perigord Black Truffle, Farro Verde, & Beet. Another excellent but also quite intense dish.

8. Kagoshima A5 Wagyu, Grilled Escarole, & Onion. Coming off the last 2 dishes, this 1 was a bit of a shock. Not nearly as intense in flavor but super rich and buttery wagyu. I thought it closed out the savory courses pretty well.

9. Pomelo & Vanilla Sorbets. Another one of the best dishes of the night. This one had some bitterness from the pomelo as well as tartness and sweetness. Probably the best palette cleanser I’ve ever had.

10. Chocolate, Malt, & Coffee. Another standout from the dessert team. This 1 focused on sweet/salty combination and was delightful.

11. Birthday cake

12-13. Some of the Mignardises.

Overall I really enjoyed it and the pastry team absolutely killed it. Such a shame that they’re closed now though (atleast as Manresa)

by UnderstandingHot9999