Osteria Francescana, Modena

Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy, 9/22/15, 175 Euro (incl. table charges & VAT)

Since I have been to two of the top three restaurants in San Pellegrino list (namely El Celler de can Roca & Noma), I decided to make a detour to Modena from my trip to Northern Italy for a fine dining occasion at Osteria Francescana. I had high expectation for this meal.

Owner/Chef Massimo Bottura is renowned for his creativeness on Italian culinary traditions. He loves contemporary arts which are displayed in the restaurant. His love for contemporary arts is reflected in the style and naming of Francescana’s dishes (“Memories of a Mortadella Sandwich”, “An Eel Swimming Up the Po River”)

The restaurant has two dining rooms with a maximum capacity of 30 guests. It is situated at the corner of via Stella and via delle Rose near the edge of the old town and occupies both northeast and northwest buildings at the corner along via Stella. The entrance to the dining room and main kitchen are at the northwest corner building. Cross the street of via Rose, it has back office operation, staff recreation room and preparation room for the kitchen. 

 
There are three types of menus – a la carte, Tradition in Evolution tasting menu and Sensation tasting menu. While Tradition in Evolution tasting menu is mainly comprised of its signature dishes, Sensation tasting menu is comprised of new inventions in progress. I, therefore, chose the Tradition in Evolution.

It was a surprise that bread and virgin olive oil were served before any appetizer was brought to the table.

1^st Course – Memory of A Mortadella Sandwich Borlengo

This course was comprised of three items:

1).Gnocchi bread and an artistically squeezed mortadella cream ornament. It also had some cream of sweet garlic, pistachio and sweet garlic on the side. The mortadella cream tasted a bit like bologna, gnocchi bread is fluffy and fresh.

2). At the bottom was a thin layer of waffle made of Parmigiano cheese and flour. Waffle was topped with flakes made from Parmigiano cheese protein. Parmigiano cheese protein was derived from boiling cheese in water, let the protein settle at the bottom, drying the protein chunk and grating them into flakes. On top of the Parmigiano cheese flake was coarsely chopped truffles. Parmigiano cheese flakes had a lighter texture and milder taste than cheese itself.

3). Rabbit macaroon – stewed rabbit was sandwiched in between macaroons. Rabbit was cooked with bell pepper and ground pepper, and was not spicy.

More varieties of bread were served  - grissini, zoccolette, and Panini made from flour and rice flour.

2^nd Course – “Foie Gras Ice Cream Bar with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar from Modena

Aged Balsamic Vinegar was filled inside a rectangular shaped foie gras lollipop. Then, foie gras was coated with toasted and chopped almond and hazelnuts. This is my favorite item in this meal, it was a true masterpiece with well-balanced taste.

 

3^rd Course – An Eel Swimming Up the Po River

Eel was from the local Po River. It was cooked sous-vide in low temperature, that is then finished in the oven, and finally lacquered (broiled until sauce thickened) with Saba sauce (aged Balsamic vinegar.) Lastly, lacquered eel was sprinkled with black onion powder (grounded slow roasted onion). Eel was served with green apple jelly sauce on one side and polenta on the other side. This is a delightful Japanese-Italian fusion dish with a beautiful balance between freshness and richness. I am very fond of food cooked sous-vide because slow cooking makes for a more tender texture.

 

4^th Course – Caesar Salad in Emilia

It was a baby Romano lettuce heart inserted with 22 ingredients in between the layers of lettuce leaves, including bacon, crispy Parmigiano, anchovies, 10 aromatic herbs, garlic sauce, egg sauce, balsamic vinegar, mustard seeds, egg yolk cream and yogurt. The lettuce itself and the inserts were sweet, fresh and tasty. It was a good salad, but was not stunning. I wondered this course was served as a palate cleanser for the following course.

5^th Course -  Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in Different Temperatures and Textures

1). Parmigiano crisp, at room temperature, was made from 40-month cheese;

2). Parmigiano mousse that had a curd-like texture, at cold temperature, was made from 36-month old cheese;

3). Parmigiano cream, at cold temperature, was made from 24-month cheese;

4). Parmigiano demi-soufflé, coldest temperature in this course, was made from 30-month old cheese. Demi-soufflé is less airy, less fluffy and creamier than soufflé.

5). Parmigiano air (lighter than foam), cold temperature, was made from 50-month old cheese.

This was another masterpiece and was my 2^nd favorite.

6^th Course – The Crunchy Part of the Lasagna

Three different kinds of flavored lasagna (tomato, spinach and original) were cooked, made into paste, dried and fried. They looked very different from their ordinary texture and form as a result of experimenting with molecular gastronomy. It was a true transformation. In the process, they can be made into different shapes and displayed any way you desired vs. the plain old lasagna appearance. These chips were served with Ragu sauce made of veal, pork and bone marrow. It involved a lot of work to transform lasagna into this fancy and artfully looking appearance. But, was the taste incrementally enhanced commensurate with the incrementally enhanced appearance?

 

 

7^th Course – Spin-painted Veal, not Flame Grilled

It was slow-cooked veal tenderloin surrounded by ashes (which looked grilled). It was served with beet, polenta, yellow pepper sauce, orange pepper sauce, balsamic vinegar and colorfield (in green). The small pile of white flakes were grated fresh horse radish. This dish was inspired by Damien Hirst’s painting at the entrance. This course is a true artful work. It had both the visual as well as palatial pleasure.

8th Course – La Torta di Riso

This is a dish of rice similar to the Five Aged Parmigiano. But, this dish did not offer much pleasure to the taste bud. It comprised of rice cream, licorice/rice granité, toasted rick cake slice (beautifully standing in the middle of the bowl) with anise jello in the cream. The little square piece at the bottom of the bowl was bergamot.

9^th Course – Oops! I dropped the Lemon Tart

                    Vignola
The course was comprised of two deserts:

1). Lemon Tart – This is one of Osteria Francescana's signature dishes, made to look like someone dropped the lemon tart, served on a specially designed plate. Lemon sabayon cream at the bottom and topped with cream and then butter tart. Served on the side with green mint, bergamot, lemon pulp, caper, oregano, chili pepper. A well-thoughtfully constructed dish with a well-balanced sweet and citrus flavor.

2). Crispy chocolate cake (with a texture like cookie) at the bottom, topped with a chocolate filled with cherry liquor and cherry sauce inside.

Petit Four – from left to right, mini lemon meringue cake, chocolate with almond, chocolate with hazelnut and passion fruit with coffee. My favorite was passion fruit with coffee. I later met the pastry chef in its kitchen, she informed me this item was a new invention.

After the meal, I had the opportunity to visit its kitchen and met its head chef Takahiko Kondo who is a Japanese. Its kitchen is divided by section and has about 24 staff members.

It was a unique and nice experience to dine at Francescana. Its cuisine was creative, with a lot of focus on the transformation of form and artistic presentation. It delivered Emilia Romania region’s produce and traditions in an ultra-contemporary approach. Two years ago, I dined at the #1 restaurant El Celler de can Roca and have thought of revisiting it ever since. To compare, the current price of tasting menu at Roca is 195 Euro (for 14-courses & multi-course of Amuse Bouche, and more lavish ingredients) and at Francescana is 175 Euro (7-courses and no Amuse Bouche.) I dearly miss Roca.

El Celler de Can Roca, Girona

El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, 4-3-14, 190 Euro/14 courses, French-Catalan
(and Can Roca, Girona 4-8-14)

As soon as I finalized my travel arrangement 7 months in advance of the departure date, I contacted El Celler de Can Roca, a Michelin 3-star and #1 rated restaurant in S. Pellegrino’s top 10 lists, for an appointment. Unfortunately, they were fully committed already. I requested to be on the waiting list and was truly by luck that I got a slot within the time period of 8 days that I planned to stay in Girona. Being a foodie, I was thrilled for the opportunity.

I took the bus there and arrived a bit earlier than the appointment time. Since I was a bit earlier, the receptionist was kind enough to show me its kitchen. I got seated nearby one of the supply counter and was in a spot offering a nice view of all the activities. I was offered a glass of complimentary Cava to start with.

Amuse Bouche
I)the World:
1)Mexico: “burrito” with mole poblano and guacamole
2)Peru: ceviche broth, liquid inside
3)China: pickled vegetables (carrot, scallion, radish and cucumber) with pureed plum cream
4)Morocco: almond, rose, honey, saffron, ras el hanout, goat yogurt
5)Korea: panko fried bread, bacon with soja sauce, snow peas, kimchi and sesame oil

II)2 items:
1)Caramelized Olive: Caramelized olives with stuffed anchovies inside and coated with chocolate outside
2)Crispy Shrimp: thin shrimp wafer

III)2 items:
1)Carpano bombon with grapefruit, black sesame and Vermouth inside
2)Caviar Omelette: Herring caviar in cream sauce covered by thin layer of omelette

VI)truffle treats:

1)Truffled bombon: truffle mousse covered with powdered truffle

2)Truffled brioche: Brioche filled with truffled cream and topped by a slice of freshly shaved truffle

El Celler de Can Roca baked varieties of gourmet breads. I did not request every kind, afraid they would fill my stomach. I selected olive brioche, tomato brioche, read wine with raisins, and apricot with walnuts.

1st Course - Vegetable stock, pumpkin puree, parsnip, quince jam, turnip, potato, carrot, violet potato, comté cheese, porcini gnocchi, hazelnut tofu

This vegetable consommé was served with Capuccin flower, truffle, artichoke, pomegranate and tofu.

2nd Course – White asparagus and truffle viennetta

According to my server, this is one of Roca’s signature dishes. White asparagus and cheese was made into ice cream and served with powdered truffle viennetta. To keep the slice of ice cream in adequately cold temperature, it was placed on a pre-frozen slab. This was a truly amazing dish.

3rd Course – Calçot Lyo, aioli, dried cherry pepper, charcoal-grilled calçot purée, calçot oil, calçot and chervil oil, ca yenne oil, distilled sand, solid cava, calçot dust, calçot consommé

Calçot is a local seasonal plant in Northeastern Spain available around this time of the year. It is almost like a hybrid of scallion and leek, two-three times bigger than scallion. In this course, there was a roasted stem standing straight, there were cooked and dried crumbled calçot, and fume produced by burning calçot covered by a piece of pyramid shaped white cardboard paper.

4th Course – Mackerel with pickles and mullet roe, mackerel sauce with white wine, lemon, capers and chillies in vinegar, fried tomato, mullet roe, mackerel marinated in sugar and salt. Mackerel infusion.

Ordinarily, I am not a big fan of mackerel. However, it was an exception this time. Mackerel was super fresh and even the decoration resembled mackerel’s skin. It was served with white sauce and cream, tomato purée and green olive purée, Caviar, olive, anchovy.

5th Course – Salad of sea anemone, razor-clam, royal cucumber and seaweed in escabèche

I had “escabèche” sauce served with fried fish at Pakta on 4/1/14. This sauce was ideal to accompany seafood. Although I have had sea cucumber many times, it was the 1st time that I tasted the fresh sea cucumber. Fresh sea cucumber is in white color, usually sliced thin for cooking. Catalonian region is famous for producing quality fresh sea cucumber. Every item in this course was fresh and delicious.

6th Course – Baby octopus with fermented black onion and caramelized onion

7th Course – A whole prawn: Charcoal-grilled king prawn, head juice with seaweeds, seawater and sponge cake of plankton

This is Roca’s 2nd signature dish. Prawn was from a special place in Costa Brava region which produced the best quality of shrimp. Prawn was served with seaweeds, crystalized shrimp feet, plankton cake and seaweed foam. Served almost raw, you can taste the sweetness of prawn’s meat. Two days after I had dinner at Roca, I visited the Costa Brava region of Spain where the ocean was so unpolluted and blue that you can see the bottom. No wonder, seafood produced from Costa Brava yield the best quality.

8th Course – Palo Cortado-steamed Langoustine, bisque velouté and Jerez caramel

Langoustine was flambéed in Palo Cortado (dry Sherry). Bisque was also enhanced with sherry. The condensed sherry was placed in a spoon to take as the last bite. Langoustine was semi-raw, bisque was delicious and condensed sherry was so potent.

9th Course – Grilled sole with black and white garlic, parsley juice and lemon

Fillet of sole was slowed cooked with a very tender texture. Black garlic juice and puréed parsley make a beautiful pattern of geometrical display.

10th Course – Spicy mandala of artichoke flower, milk-fed lamb belly, lamb sweetbreads, curry yogurt, beetroot, spinach, turnip, lemon, tangerine, sweet potato, leaves and flowers

Lamb belly was made into bite size of bacon. They were visually enjoyable as well as palatially satisfied.

11th Course – Pigeon trilogy: Heart of pigeon and the cloud of rice. Stock of pigeon. “Botifarro” and Tatje pigeon breast

Heart of pigeon was covered by jelly of pigeon sauce. Sauce for this course was made with truffle, cocoa, kumquat, mandarin orange, ginger and fennel. Botifarro means pigeon + truffle + rice.

12th Course – Lemon cloud: Bergamot cream, lemon compote, lemon distilled-water granite, muffin ice cream, lemon sugar

Lemon compote served with bergamot cream. It was served as a dessert and palate cleanser.

13th Course – Milk desserts: Milk caramel, sheep’s milk ice cream, sheep’s milk curd-cheese foam, sheep’s milk yogurt and milk cloud

This is Roca’s 3rd signature dish. I requested for this one as a substitute without knowing this is one of their signature dishes. It required a lot of work and was very refreshing and delicious, the fused flavor of guava ice cream (in orange color) and sheep's milk made a very pleasing taste.

14th Course – Chocolate anarchy

Varieties of chocolate from 8 different countries (Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ecuador, Malaysia) and were made with 12 flavors of spices.

Petit Four

There were 3 bite-size vanilla macaroons with pistachio, orange and apricot flavored filling, one mini chocolate tart, one chocolate cookie with cream filling, some jelly candies and a chocolate truffle coated in gold. They were all yummy. But, due to the spacing issue, I had to request for packing some of them in a goody bag.

After the meal, Roca’s sommelier asked me whether I would be interested in visiting their wine cellar. Of course, I would be delighted to see it. Roca has 40,000+ bottles of wines, they have to place their wine menu on a cart with wheels. When I got out of the restaurant it was around 12:30 am. I have spent approximately 4 hours for the best meal that I have ever had in my life.

On my way to El Celler de Can Roca, I met a local resident, who was kind enough to lead me the way to Roca, informed me that there is an old Roca’s located nearby. I wasn't too sure of what he meant. Later, the receptionist in the hotel told me that Papa Roca’s restaurant is not too far away from El Celler de Can Roca. I decided to venture out to Papa Roca’s restaurant on April 8 for lunch. I met Papa Roca, Mama Roca and Joan Roca (the eldest brother of the three brothers in El Celler de Can Roca) happened to be there at the same time. I had a 4-course lunch (comprised of salad, pasta, grilled baby squid and desert) for 10 euros only. Papa Roca told me that his sons charge too much for the fancy meal. Papa Roca and Mama Roca are in their mid-seventies and are there daily to supervise the restaurant’s operation. Its meal was quite good, my favorite were grilled baby squid and Mama Roca’s own recipe of Catalan custard (a bit softer than cream brulée). The price tag at El Celler de Can Roca may look high from Papa Roca’s point of view because he believed in modesty. I have high respect for Papa Roca. However, when you compare what El Celler de Can Roca offered with other Michelin 3-star restaurants’ you may draw a different conclusion.