é - exploring the mind of José Andrés

The meal at é isn’t a fantastic in a traditional sense. It isn’t family plates of comfort food that stroke our soul into that safe place but it is a thinking meal, a look at tradition and an appreciation of imagination and culinary technique. Dining here is essentially a look into José Andrés mind. Through his food he brought us to a place in Spain that exist in his mind through memory and flavour and tells you a story about who he is and where he has come from, a chef that stands between the traditional and the avant-garde and America and Spain.

The food was very entertaining. There were at some points where I thought there was an overuse of foam but the meal was incredible in terms of the breadth of technique in creating ethereal light, airy, crispy, cold, paper thin textures and the flavour combinations that were unfamiliar but fascinating.  At the same time, Jose Andres is also what I would call a chef’s chef where he serves you what chefs want to eat in their after hours – a whole lobe of foie gras and secreto of iberico pork - big flavours, simply done.

Below is the menu we were served on 8 Sep 2013

hand invitation

REBUJITO - tonic water, nitrogen freeze dried sherry and espuma

APPLE "BRAZO DE GITANO" - apple meringue, Spanish blue cheese, hazelnut spread

NITROGEN ALMOND CUP - almond components and caviar

BARQUILLO - anchovies, basil flowers and truffle espuma

"EL VERMUT" - escabeche mussels, vinegar, spherification of olives and escabeche foam

"MERIENDA" - typical Spanish after school snack of muffin with goat's cheese and iberico



CRISPY CHICKEN SKIN EN ESCABECHE - chicken oysters and chicken skin

CAVA SANGRIA

"FABES" CON JAMON" - jamon consommé with cubed fat, spherification of white Spanish beans and garlic puree

LOBSTER WITH CITRUS AND JASMINE

"KOKOTXAS" AL PIL-PIL - Northern Spanish cod jowl with a squid ink sauce

WHOLE LOBE OF FOIE GRAS BAKED IN SALT

WHOLE LOBE OF FOIE GRAS BAKED IN SALT - with clementine, chocolate and grapefruit confit

 

SECRETO OF IBERICO PORK WITH SQUID





SECRETO OF IBERICO PORK WITH SQUID

TORTA PASCUALETE WITH COTTON CANDY

FLAN - with ice shavings and caramel

PAN CON CHOCOLATE - chocolate soil, shaved frozen chocolate, bread, cream and olive oil

"ARROZ CON LECHE"



COCOA PAPER WITH DRIED STRAWBERRY



25 SECOND BIZCOCHO



25 SECOND BIZCOCHO AND CHOCOLATES

Getting a spot here is another story altogether. The dining bar only sits 8 and we were a party of 4 and they only do 2 sittings. Reservations are tough but not impossible, so if you can, you should get a seat at this table.

 

é by josé andrés
3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109 
                   

Hola BCN!

I really like this place. BCN is one of the Spanish restaurants that have popped up in HK over the past few months and it is one of those places that I feel has the most heart. It is a small space. The bar stools are a little uncomfortable for a whole dinner but the table bar is the centre stage of what goes on in the restaurant. Eating at this table bar is great, you get to watch some kitchen action and talk to Chef Edgar, who is personable and keeps the whole dining experience casual.

I don’t know Chef Edgar very well (actually not at all), I was just another diner for that evening, but he entertained my questions and small talk. He talked about how he ended up in Hong Kong and he laughed about how sometimes he wakes up and wonders how he ended up here. I know that feeling. It is a mix of feeling nostalgic and homesick and yet excited about the surprises and adventure that awaits you. Perhaps it was the mood I was in that evening but the food gave me a sense of Chef Edgar’s nostalgia through the authentic flavours and the quality ingredients that he sources and imports.

This was my delicioso mini Spanish feast.

The meal kicked off with what I call the Ham and Cheese platter  – Manchego cheese, chorizo, iberico jamon and pan con tomate.

Following was a series of small bites – the best was the croquette, a good crunchy shell and creamy insides with the undertones of iberico jamon



iberico croquette.vegetable stack with aioli.foie gras and iberico ham crostini.bacalao with tomatoes and olives.


Tomato and melon gazpacho



The meal then took an interesting turn towards a very modern plate. Prawn carpaccio, thin sheets of prawn flesh topped with ingredients to enjoy it with, squid ink powder, pine nuts, olive oil and confit of tomato.



The high point at this meal for me was his paella. I’ve watched him cook it from my bar stool the entire night and the magic of it is in the rich brown stock that he cooks the rice in, that’s where the depth of flavour comes from. This is dished out from the paella pan into individual portions (maybe so we don’t fight) and topped with a perfectly cooked red shrimp. 


Suckling pig with sweet potato cream and a Spanish meat sauce.

The suckling pig is more like a suckling pig “sandwich” – two layers of tender meat, topped and bottomed by crispy suckling pig skin. Crisp and sumptuous, yum!



BCN
37 Peel Street
Central, HK
Tel: +852-28112851