Âme, French soul in Venezuelan body

High-end French cuisine amidst the gale of modernized traditional Catalan cuisine. When the (otherwise necessary) winds of eateries brought to a modern context blow strong, Âme resists, and insists on offering subtle and elegant French-inspired cuisine. An exquisite and interesting gastronomic proposal that goes beyond the (French) reference, using techniques to offer a memorable personal discourse.

"We are proud that many local customers come to Âme. We strive to maintain an affordable price for the average purchasing power of the Barcelona public." This is according to Pachi Rodríguez, chef and co-owner of the restaurant. A Venezuelan with strong roots in Basque culture, as his father lived in the Basque Country in the 70s (not in vain, the chef is named Pachi). But this gastronomic creator's link is not the only one: France is responsible for him leaving his job in Venezuela and embracing cooking. "I remember going to Paris to visit my brother Mikel," Rodríguez recalls, "and at a stop, I tried the cassoulet. I fell in love with the comfort it conveyed to me, with a flavor that took me home, and I clearly saw that I wanted to dedicate myself to creating and replicating good sensations in others through food."

Upon his return to Venezuela, he started from the bottom, working as a dishwasher, and little by little, acquiring more responsibilities in the kitchen, until in 2018 he arrived in Barcelona to embrace a profession and train at EUHT Sant Pol at the highest level. "I then decided that, as soon as I had the opportunity, I would create a restaurant where I would pay homage to the French cuisine that changed my life." And that moment arrived a year ago, after opening the Lebanese-inspired restaurant Albé with his partner (and master's degree classmate in Culinary Arts and Kitchen Management) Joey Attieh in 2022, and after previous joint internships at Moments.

With a year of operation, Âme is very well-oiled. The restaurant is now a place with a defined personality. Along the way, they have set aside the à la carte menu to opt for the tasting format and have erased the invisible barrier that exists between the kitchen and the dining room. "We started going out to the dining room due to lack of staff," explains sous-chef Juan Esteban Longo, "but we soon turned it around, because we realized all the positive implications of directly bringing dishes to the tables and explaining them." "After all, the soul of the restaurant is in the kitchen and talking to our diners allows us to connect with them on an emotional level, to see and hear about what they have tasted," concludes the chef. And the same goes for the wines: either Pachi or Juan are in charge of recommending, playing with a short and selected list of 50 rotating references, with diverse origins (from Catalonia to France) and the option of 12 references to serve by the glass. A whole opportunity to recommend with absolute personalization, seeking to harmonize liquid gastronomy with solid.

In a single menu, called Experiencia Âme, Rodríguez elegantly unfolds, through 12 steps, that Mediterranean soul anchored in French tradition. But it goes further, because, like every creator, in that experience more touches, ingredients, and techniques than local or French ones are outlined. Without going any further, the maitake with cashews and foie could exemplify this crossbreeding in a superb dish. Although the maitake they use is cultivated in Montseny, it is originally from Asia, and that cashew and foie cream that lovingly bathes the mushroom is complemented with a refreshing parsley and lemon gelée, resulting in a dish that, despite its certain complexity, presents an absolutely comforting flavor, leaving in the mind the same effect as a good stew. And not because of the power, especially, but because each and every one of the dishes in this measured experience are a compendium of fluidity in flavors, velvety, intense, but at the same time controlled.

The Hokkaido scallop is another example of the incorporation of product and technique into an authorial discourse that goes beyond the Catalonia-France tandem. That scallop is a marvel: "Algae, plankton, and temperature are its secret," Juan confesses. The salsify cream, with its silky texture and acidic nuances, also. And the cooking: the scallop is cooked in toasted butter and the result is crowned with Maresme pea shoots and an airy foam of mollusks and citrus.

The acorn-fed Iberian pork pluma is presented with a purée of mongetes del ganxet with endives; the Pyrenean trout, with a revised beurre blanc sauce (with less butter to maintain the aromas and flavor of the trout and not give up creaminess) finished with tarragon, trout roe, and fig oil, or the beef consommé, with seasonal mushrooms. There is France in abundance and, although the enthusiasm remains high throughout all the steps of the menu, reaching the cheeses before the pre-dessert and dessert, accompanied by their good bread from Fleca Balmes, is reaching the climax.

Rodríguez spoke of Âme's contained price. That prodigious parade of creations, for 78 euros, is more than affordable. Goal achieved at all levels. Whether local public or visitor, because these chefs have understood that the soul of a restaurant, in addition to the kitchen, is in its diners, they know how to care for them with such accurate care and refinement that whoever eats at Âme will remember both its dishes and the fantastic people who made the maximum enjoyment possible.