On Sunday 15 November, the neighbourhood of Sant Antoni will host a one-of-a-kind gathering where market-fresh cooking and culinary heritage go hand in hand. Restaurant Jiribilla will celebrate its third anniversary by throwing open its kitchen doors to one of the city's great gastronomic institutions and a fellow neighbour on Carrer del Comte Borrell: Bar Pinotxo.
Chefs Gerard Bellver (Jiribilla) and Jordi Asín (Bar Pinotxo), backed by their respective teams, will share the stoves for a collaborative four-hands culinary session. The event will centre on a tasting menu bridging produce from the Mercat de Sant Antoni, timeless Catalan recipes, and traditional Mexican gastronomy.
From cap i pota pozole to flan with xuixo
The menu devised by Bellver and Asín bridges Catalan and Mexican cooking through an understated approach, championing the depth and vibrancy of heritage flavours.
Throughout the day, diners will be able to enjoy conceptual creations that blend the culinary memories of both houses, including maize and mató infladita, razor clams with salpicón, pickled saffron milk cap (rovellons) tostada, cap i pota pozole, Catalan-style chicken taco, crisp-fried salt cod with veracruzana sauce, and an oxtail taco dorado.
To round off the feast, the dessert section pairs the house's traditional baked custard flan with a xuixo – a combination that perfectly encapsulates the celebratory spirit of the occasion.
The four-hands tasting menu is priced at €75 per person and will be served exclusively on Sunday 15 November across two lunchtime sittings (at 13:30 and 15:00) at Jiribilla (Carrer del Comte Borrell, 85).
Gerard Bellver: three decades between Mexican haute cuisine and Barcelona
Jiribilla’s third anniversary also provides the perfect occasion to trace the career of its founder. Born in Barcelona in 1983, Gerard Bellver moved to Mexico with his family at just twelve years of age – living there for nearly three decades and building one of the most distinguished careers in contemporary gastronomy.
Following an initial stage at restaurant Tezka and a three-year spell running the kitchens of the Spanish Embassy in Mexico, Bellver made the leap into Basque fine dining at Arzak, subsequently joining the kitchen brigade at elBulli in Cala Montjoi.
However, his name became firmly entwined with restaurant Biko (Mexico City), the flagship project led by Mikel Alonso and Bruno Oteiza, where Bellver served as head chef and partner. Under his culinary direction, Biko emerged as an international benchmark for Spanish-Mexican cuisine, climbing to 6th place in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants and reaching 31st in the global rankings of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
In 2023, after 28 years in Mexico, the chef returned to his home city to launch Jiribilla, his first solo venture. The restaurant was conceived as a reflection of his own life: a kitchen where local Catalan produce meets Mexican recados, marinades, and bold smoky depths.
Restaurant Jiribilla marks three years in Sant Antoni
Over these three years in Barcelona, the restaurant has carved out a dedicated following in the Sant Antoni quarter thanks to its clearly defined culinary identity.
Beyond this one-off collaboration with Bar Pinotxo, the restaurant's menu features inventive dishes such as seafood recado lentils (simmered with scarlet prawn stock and baby prawns), pesca zarandeada (fresh day-boat catch marinated in charcoal-roasted Morita chilli butter), red prawn aguachile with fermented peppers, and Iberian pork presa poc chuc designed for assembling tacos at the table. This culinary proposition is complemented by an author cocktail bar specialising in agave spirits such as tequila and mezcal.
This 15 November, diners will have the chance to experience this collaborative four-hands feast between Jiribilla and Bar Pinotxo to toast the restaurant's third anniversary – a singular opportunity to sample the rich, eclectic gastronomic landscape our city has to offer.
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