Barcelona is their usual work environment, but Romain Fornell and Albert Adrià, two of the city's most renowned chefs, escaped this weekend to the Costa Brava to cook together a tasting menu with which they wanted to pay homage to the Palamós Fish Market and to all the men and women dedicated to the noble profession of fishing. The chosen setting to execute this four-hand cooking could not have been more appropriate: the kitchens of the mythical Hostal La Gavina in S'Agaró, of which Fornell has been the gastronomic director for some years.
On an idyllic July Saturday, with sun, good temperature, calm sea and gentle breeze, the whitewashed terrace of the Garbí restaurant, located next to the hotel's saltwater pool and overlooking Sant Pol beach, became a gastronomic circus ring with seafood and fish as the main protagonists. The red prawn from Palamós boiled on the spot was to be the queen of the party, but it was not the only one, as Adrià and Fornell masterfully prepared other proposals that captivated diners, such as the chutoro tuna sashimi; the langoustine skewer, grilled espardenyes and razor clams; the exquisite mussels with vinaigrette or some mini candied squid.
France, Fornell's homeland, was very present in the tribute, not only because many of the attendees were French, regular clients of La Gavina, but also because of the natural oysters that always accompany this chef, the delicious vichyssoise served and the Ruinart champagne, chosen to water and bind the whole party.
Alongside the two chefs, the siblings Josep, Virginia and Julia Ensesa, owners of La Gavina, acted as hosts of the event, in which about 80 people participated, including Ferran Adrià.
The culminating moment of the party arrived when the waiters paraded large pieces of fish from the Palamós Fish Market, cooked in salt, around the tables, served with a beurre blanc sauce with caviar that elevated the quality of the dish to a stratospheric height. Simply, no words.
It was at this moment when many of those present approached a table to congratulate two other brothers who were also participating in the party. Yes, the brothers Alex and Juli Torrent, from Peixos Torrent, a family business that manages one of the stalls at the Lonja de Palamós and supplier of all the raw material that Adrià and Fornell made stand out. Asked about what type of fish had been chosen as the main dish, the Torrents explained that they were dentex and sea bass, in large pieces, weighing more than three kilos each.
And all under the watchful eye of Alberto Depau, who has managed Hostal La Gavina for eight years and had previously been deputy director of Hotel Juan Carlos I in Barcelona. Proud to manage an establishment that since its opening in 1932, has been in the hands of the same family, the Ensesas, and has a very loyal clientele, as 60% of the clients are repeat customers and some even regulars, vacationing at the establishment for decades. At the tribute to the Lonja de Palamós there were some of these regular clients, such as a businessman who sleeps about 45 nights a year at the establishment ---always in the same room--- and is like one of the family.
Although this year the usual guests from Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom are not expected, Depau is optimistic and convinced that despite the new pandemic wave, La Gavina will save the season, with a volume of reservations this summer of between 70% and 80%, mainly national, French and continental European clients. The five-star grand luxury hotel, which is part of the international Leading Hotels of The World brand, has 74 rooms and is located in one of the best urbanizations on the Costa Brava, a garden city promoted by the Girona businessman Josep Ensesa and declared an Asset of Cultural Interest by the Generalitat.
Since 2017, La Gavina organizes different gastronomic events each year during the summer season. In addition to Albert Adrià and Romain Fornell, chefs such as Michel Sarran, Nandu Jubany, David Romero, Rafa Peña or Paolo Casagrande have passed through the hotel.