In literature, there is a question every author must ask their characters: why do you do what you do? The answer is not always evident; often, we ourselves act without being very clear about the reasons that lead us to persevere or abandon a project forever. In this world flooded with infinite scroll and constant information, it is even more surprising that restaurants like El Racó d'en Binu continue to open every day. And this is the story of unprecedented perseverance.
Let's quickly review its history: opened in 1970, El Racó d'en Binu was the first Catalan restaurant to achieve two Michelin stars outside Barcelona and the first to voluntarily leave the red guide. Once the insignias were removed, they also lost most of their customers; not due to lack of category but, rather, due to the ill intentions of a Shakespearean relative.
Suddenly, everyone believed that this establishment, named after grandfather Albino, was closed. But our protagonist couple, Francesc Fortí and Francina Suriñach, continued to get up every dawn to cook and set a ghostly table. How did they survive oblivion? Thanks to chefs who bought nougats, puff pastries, and some orange soufflés from them that are now a contemporary culinary symbol.
Curiously, social media managed by Francesc's cousin was the turning point: the digital world discovered them and loved them, fascinated by recipes that can no longer be found anywhere else. Their 50th anniversary, on February 17, 2020, predicted a complete success of diners and recognition. But, two weeks later, the pandemic began.
An enigmatic documentary
Their story has been documented by Guillem Cabra and Marc Clapés, who have co-directed Binu, story of two stars, with which they recorded more than 100 hours of the daily life of this twilight establishment. Winner of the Silver Biznaga award at the Málaga Festival, and currently available on Filmin, the feature film aims to give a voice to a couple who have been constantly silenced.
Clapés and Cabra also decided to distance themselves from classical and sequential language and enhance certain dissonances between text and image, avoiding direct correlation (in television this has a very gastronomic name: "from potato to potato" means that images of potatoes are shown while talking about these tubers, evidence taken to the maximum). The unsettling, sometimes Kubrickian, music accompanies this couple who never leave the restaurant.
This questioning when it comes to editing aligns with El Racó d'en Binu's own questioning, which challenges current cuisine by defending recipes such as lobster à la cardinal, Wellington fillet, or sea bass en papillote, in addition to their own like Maresme soup, Francesc sirloin, or the mythical sea urchins that have captivated so many politicians.
However, the most enigmatic recipe is this soufflé that imitates a chef's hat and whose secret recipe has been attempted to be bought several times. "They can't buy me anymore, I'm not for sale anymore," exclaims Francesc from the dining room designed by architect Antoni de Moragas, under original illustrations from Ignasi Domènech's books and natural silk menus. "If I could, I would set fire to everything."
But, wait a minute: if their ultimate motivation is not recognition, money, or the perpetuation of a business or a style, why have they endured so long when everything has gone against them? We ask him and he answers with one of his cryptic phrases: "We haven't given up because too many people would have been happy. In the end, I was the one who was right."
Curiously, or perhaps not so much, the documentary features High Noon, the western in which, after much resistance and doubt, Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly confront the evil and McCarthyist Ian MacDonald. In some way, this fight against the external threat is also present in Binu's fable. A story that reminds gourmands around the world of a very important lesson: yes, we are alone in the face of adversity, but we must fight until the end.
Add The New Barcelona Post as your preferred Google source for free
Stay informed with the latest news.