‘Dining at Enigma is the closest thing to El Bulli in recent years,’ says Ferran Adrià. ‘Its minimalist cuisine makes it a unique project.’ Of course, Adrià’s idea of minimalism might be a little different from the average interpretation of the concept. At Enigma, intricate delights such as persimmon kimchi with yuzu sorbet follow the likes of koji marshmallow with caviar out of the kitchen. It’s the work of a brigade collaborating around counters reminiscent of the centrepiece workstation at El Bulli – although this one sits beneath a canopy of clouds and under the exacting gaze of Albert Adrià, Ferran’s younger brother.
The brigade collaborates around counters reminiscent of the centrepiece workstation at El Bulli
Albert, who worked his way from apprentice to head pastry chef during his time at El Bulli, first opened Enigma in Barcelona’s L’Eixample district in 2016, a fine-dining restaurant shrouded in secrecy and serving 40 dishes during meandering four-hour dining sessions that moved from room to room. But since its reboot after lockdown, the restaurant is taking a more pared-back approach. Now diners can expect just 25 dishes across a hyper-seasonal, monthly-changing menu whose simple presentation on pristine white plates belies the craft that goes into their creation.
The meal is served in one dining room now, cocooned by a nubilous ceiling and pearlescent walls that resemble a cascading waterfall. ‘What I like most is the integration between architecture and design,’ says Ferran of an aesthetic by RCR Architects as striking as a Gaudí palace. ‘It creates an environment where you can focus on the experience.’ And as these photographs demonstrate, a visit to Enigma really is quite the experience.
After his stint as head pastry chef, Albert Adrià led research and development for El Bulli in its Barcelona-based workshop. As such, innovation flows at Enigma, where he and his team are inventing new dishes for each monthly menu
While some precise plating-up occurs in the kitchen, Adrià hasn’t lost his love of the theatrical; many of the intricate dishes are finalised with a surprise flourish at the table
The cloud-like ceiling is made from a stainless-steel mesh, and backlighting changes throughout service to set an appropriate mood to accompany each dish
Simple presentation on pristine white plates belies the craft that goes into creating these dishes
