I know that I am in an absolute minority when I say that reading the news that Ferran Adrià will be opening a museum later this year, La Bulligrafía, just outside Barcelona, had my heart skipping a little molecular beat. It will of course be an experience like no other. And a commitment. Once you’ve nabbed a ticket, a 50-minute documentary is prescribed viewing before setting a foot inside the place.
So, when a link to video files lands in my inbox from Variety Jones – a little bit of homework before the meal kit is delivered – I think, here we go again. Without a chef's video, clearly, there is no Michelin meal kit. Oh, those things we miss so much about restaurants, the earnest words of a young chef, personally delivering a morsel on a roughly hewn plate, the last gasp of steam escaping from the food and the diner, as the monologue about every symbiotic component ensues.
Except, I do actually miss that. I miss it so much. The wonderful experience of being in a restaurant, the enthusiasm of young chefs who are producing incredible food.
So, we find ourselves, as a family, thoroughly engaged as we sit around the laptop, watching Keelan Higgs, the head chef and joint owner of Michelin-starred Variety Jones, go into considerable detail about what is in each dish and how to bring it together. What we, of course, fail to do is jot down a few notes for our meal prep crib sheet. Oops. So, it's a €180 Michelin cook-along. Yep, big money, but two bottles of low-intervention wine soften the blow.
A snack of warmed potato crumpet topped with a house-made goat’s milk ricotta, is the sort of thing that gets Michelin inspectors gleefully ticking boxes, and here the fresh lactic flavours of the cheese nudge against the sweetness of pickled onions, tiny dice of crunchy fermented beetroot and globules of trout roe. And the wine? The O Bocoi Vello, a biodynamic Albariño from Rias Baixas, which is textured with a beautiful line of acidity, carries us joyfully through the first three courses.
The next two dishes are a lesson in the art of layering. The brooding, washed rind umami flavours of Taleggio custard serve as the basis for what lesser chefs would call Jerusalem artichoke four ways. Little nutty nubs, pickled opaque crunchy discs, fine dice and crispy artichoke skin are brought together into a cohesive, easy-to-assemble, little bit of heaven, topped with a rich brown butter that is spiked with capers.
Gossamer-light gnocchi and earthy wild mushrooms are coated in a chestnut, shallot and truffle butter, and foraged three-cornered leeks are added at the end so that they wilt with a sigh in the residual heat. Not a bit of vile truffle oil has been used – these are all natural flavours of the earth, sprinkled with finely grated Grana Padano.
The classics are trotted out for the meat course: beef cheek with boulangère potatoes and horseradish celeriac puree. It is rich, with a hauntingly beautiful bone marrow gravy, yet has a litheness to its flavours, lifted with green peppercorns and crispy capers. And the Barbacan Rosso di Valtellina, a floral, velvety nebbiolo, is a worthy pairing.
Dessert involves a serious amount of rum and caramel, a poached banana and light coconut cake. It is delightfully decadent without being too heavy. And if you have any room left, there is cheese, Valdeón, a Spanish blue, that comes with cinnamon poached pear and toasted seed crackers.
This is a kit with piping bags, tubs and a lot of detail. But the level of work required, which is not arduous, is a reasonable trade-off for the magnificent result. The courses flow beautifully, and it is incredibly well thought through. It is a triumph. The best meal kit I have tried yet.
Dinner for two, including two bottles of wine and delivery, was €180.
Where does it come from: Variety Jones, 8 Thomas Street, Dublin 8; varietyjones.ie
The verdict: 9.5/10 An absolute delight, a beautiful flow to the menu.
Difficulty factor: Some finishing is required, but the instructive video makes it easy and interesting.
Food provenance: Not mentioned.
Vegetarian options: None available.
Delivery: Just 30 kits, follow on Instagram stories to see when they go live, delivery Dublin and north Wicklow, Saturday.
Three to try
Hen's Teeth
Dublin 8; click and collect, Wednesday to Sunday; hensteethstudio.com
Open for takeaway food, coffee and treats; the click-and-collect menu will be operational from March 24th. Lunch offerings include crispy fried squid, smoky brisket focaccia and barbecue paneer focaccia, and loads of new stuff is on the way, including ice-creams – basil and caramelised white chocolate, and black sesame with Mexican dulce de leche.
Happy Endings
Dublin 1 and 15; click and collect; delivery on Deliveroo and Just Eat; daily; happyendingsfood.co
It's hard to resist a restaurant called Happy Endings, right? This pop-up is located in the Dorset Lounge and Café Park, and offers street food-inspired chicken with flavours from around the globe, as well as Kentucky burger, bánh mì burgers, ramen poutine fries, and Veginity plant-based options.
Éan
Galway city; click and collect; Friday and Saturday; eangalway.com
This meal kit serves two generously for €75 and includes vegetarian and meat options. There's sourdough and wild garlic butter to start, followed with Jersey curds with organic salad or duck liver pate; there's beetroot Wellington or duck confit for mains, and desserts could be quince, white chocolate and salted honey cake.
