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In addition to painting, Salvador Dalí cultivated the art of good eating. It is known that the artist liked to organize periodically opulent dinners at his home, as it is also known that he stood out for being extremely imaginative and that, for this reason, he showed a considerable tendency to narcissism. A self-love to which, by the way, he put an end only in front of one person: his beloved wife Gala. She was his muse, his inspiration… so much so that he even dedicated a cookbook to her: ‘Les dîners de Gala’. The great success of this publication (1973) prompted the genius of surrealism to pair it, four years later, with the work ‘The wines of Gala’.
Now, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of his first volume, the painter’s exotic dishes are once again materializing for the enjoyment of new diners. And they do so thanks to the iconic gastronomic space Moments: the Barcelona bi-starred restaurant, located in the Mandarin Oriental, has been inspired by both texts to create a new tasting menu that takes its name from the cookbook written and illustrated by one of the greatest representatives of surrealism. A list of dishes, dreamlike and exquisite, signed by the renowned chef Carme Ruscalleda and her son, Raül Balam.
A tasting menu marked by surrealism
The thematic menu number 10 of Moments, which has been devised after an exhaustive selection work to pay homage to the production of the Catalan artist, reinterprets and adapts his imaginative recipes to modern times. Of course, with the unmistakable Moments seal. The banquet opens with starters such as surprise mussels or stuffed potatoes “a la charcutière”, a reminder of the close collaboration that the painter maintained with prestigious Parisian restaurants such as La Tour d’Argent, Lasserre or Maxim’s.
Next come the elegantly presented quail eggs with caviar, corresponding to recipe number 11 of ‘Les Dîners de Gala’, or the truffled pork soup, reflecting the flavors that Dalí designed for his recipe 126. The palate is equally astonished when tasting a combination of recipes 78 and 98: cabbage stuffed with pigeon and salad in the style of Alexandre Dumas.
Creativity is not far behind when it comes to dessert either. Diners can enjoy a classic sorbet with “vieux champagne”, crowning the experience with a Kocisky soufflé (recipe 123) characterized by its coffee aroma and a detail representing the iconic mustache that makes Dalí so recognizable.
Three possible pairings
To elevate the experience to the highest degree, the sommelier team led by Cristian Sánchez has selected the most appropriate wines for the menu based on ‘Gala’s Wines’, the oenological guide mentioned above that Salvador Dalí wrote in order to complement his recipes. Thus, three possible pairings are available that match perfectly with the gastronomy, inspired by such suggestive concepts as the Wine of Dawn, the Voluptuous Wine or the Wine of the Impossible.
In keeping with both the philosophy of the menu and the line established at Moments, the first option to accompany the dishes is the International Pairing (175 euros), focusing on appellations of origin outside Europe such as the South African Swartland or New Zealand’s Central Otago. The Catalan Pairing (195 euros), on the other hand, focuses on the most excellent wines of the region; while the Iconic Pairing (750 euros) proposes unique references of the highest quality, focusing especially on French wines such as Krug Grande Cuvée or a double pairing, accompanying the pigeon, with Château Mouton-Rothschild and La Grande Rue de Lamarche, topped off with the sumptuous cognac Louis XIII. A word to the wise: the full menu is priced at 215 euros per person.
