If there is a more adventurously satisfying and refined roller-coaster ride of a dining experience to be had in Philadelphia than what we witnessed at Volver, we haven’t seen it. We’re not kidding. We cannot think of a better meal that we have had in the city.
Located in a picturesque corner of The Kimmel Center, Volver takes diners on a culinary tasting journey featuring ideas amassed by the Iron Chef Jose Garces during his world travels. You have two choices: the pre-theater tasting or performance tasting, the price of which depends on what night of the week you buy tickets for the meal, usually ranging from $75-$175 per person. Wine pairings are available for an additional cost.
We had the pre-theater tasting on our visit, starting off with a snack tasting of Siberian sturgeon caviar, a delightfully pork-infused and crunchy carnitas popcorn and wonderful duck mousse deviled egg.
It quickly became apparent that the service was going to be every bit as meticulous and painstaking as the dishes the dedicated wait staff were bringing to the table, all of which arrived with fresh utensils and an elaborate backstory of how Chef Garces was inspired to create that particular dish.
Also, it must be noted that, given the detail-oriented nature of the food and the service, you have to buy tickets in advance for dinner there — no walk-ins — and service is limited to a maximum party size of six. Anything more requires multiple tables or buying out the restaurant for the evening.
The inventiveness and creativity never once waned or failed to dazzle and impress throughout the course of the tasting. All of the dishes were highlights in some way, shape or form but some of the standouts were Tsukui Market Fish, which melded a fresh daily selection of fish with the cool and contrasting textures of pickled mustard seeds and green apple snow. The “milk and cereal” was white asparagus milk presented in a glass shaped like an open milk carton. Poured over rice flakes, a quail egg, bacon, chicken oysters and truffle marshmallows, the texture evoked the feel of cereal while also delivering a complex and comforting savory range of flavors.
The From The Garden Plate might at first glance appear to have more style than substance, it being a sparse but colorful arrangement of vegetables and crumbles made to resemble soil, but there is a powerfully floral and delicious punch hiding in that garden that will make you wish that it was more abundant in size. The Beef on Embers was meat elevated to high art. The perfect cube of Wagyu was cooked with the focus of a surgeon over a wood fire and the pepper puree, beet root crema, salsa, polenta and potatoes were applied to the plate with a stunning level of artistic flare and grace.
The dessert courses were equally inspired. The best of them was the Blossoms and Berries, a heavenly (and woefully undersized … not really, but we really would have happily eaten a lot more) elderberry panna cotta topped with a luscious layer of whipped blackberries. The Chocolate in Textures proved that science can make anything better, with liquid gold and Venezuelan chocolate topping a white chocolate mousse. A colorful and diverse choice of petit fours closed the tasting with some surprisingly bold flavors.
The performance tasting gives diners twice as many tastes to sample. And if the pre-theater tasting was any indication, it’s worth every penny, no matter what they are charging for it. Save up if you have to, but this is a culinary experience one has to have at least once in their lifetime.
For us, hopefully it’ll be twice at some point. Volver is Spanish for “return,” and we can’t imagine anyone not wanting to return after a visit to Volver.