Roca Brothers, the story continues
Esperit Roca, the new project by the Roca brothers in Girona, has just opened its doors. I had the opportunity to visit it a few weeks ago, when they were still putting the finishing touches on it, with Joan Roca as our exceptional guide, and I can only say that there are very few places like it in Spain.
A huge 19th-century fortress transformed into a gastronomic space, something that goes beyond mere business and enters the realm of romanticism that drives so many of the Roca family's actions.
Always with the city of Girona and its surroundings as their sole setting. The brothers have never succumbed to the million-dollar offers they receive from all over the world to open luxury restaurants. Girona is their city; they feel very comfortable there and don't need to take the risks that any expansion entails. At Esprit Roca, every space has been utilized.
An exhibition showcasing the 38-year history of El Celler, the distillery where the liqueurs that form part of its liquid cuisine are produced; a shop; a hotel opening next month… And of course, the restaurant. On the way there, you'll see the spectacular wine cellar, located beneath the castle's dome, a gigantic circular room housing more than 80,000 bottles of wine.
Note that Esperit Roca is not El Celler, although it does have a menu featuring some of the restaurant's iconic dishes. They also offer two tasting menus, one of which will showcase Jordi Roca's desserts with two savory and six sweet options. Along these lines, they haven't ruled out offering a dessert-only menu soon.
And speaking of the Roca brothers, just a few days before the opening of Esperit Roca I met Joan in Tenerife, at a dinner he prepared at El Rincón de Juan Carlos, in Adeje, by far the best restaurant in the Canary Islands, together with the hosts, the Padrón brothers.
In these so-called "four-hands" collaborations, it's common for the guest chef to simply recreate the dishes from their own restaurant. This isn't the case with Joan Roca, who always strives to adapt to local produce and create dishes that he sometimes later incorporates into his own restaurant, El Celler. In this instance, the grouper suquet, the Canarian black pig brioche, and the Canarian banana carbonara were magnificent examples of this adaptability of the chef from Girona.
The Padrón brothers were not to be outdone. The result: an exceptional menu, the kind we rarely get to enjoy.
