Barcelona: October 2022
What’s the best restaurant in Barcelona? That’s easy: Disfrutar. But what’s our favourite? That is Alkostat. Located within the historic Moritz Brewery building, Alkostat offers a one-of-a-kind dining experience alongside its Michelin-starred counterpart, Alkimia. Under the guidance of chef Jordi Vilà, Alkostat appeals to a broader audience that seeks comfort and familiarity in their food while enjoying a touch of conceptual modernity. Its menu à la carte, carefully selected Catalan wines and the inviting atmosphere make it perfect for those in search of a memorable, comforting experience in Barcelona.
A profile of Jordi Vilà
At the age of 15, after expressing his passion for the culinary arts, Jordi Vilà began working at the Baixas patisserie. Despite his father’s hopes that the demanding nature of the industry would deter him, young Jordi found himself immersed in a captivating new world.
Vilà’s journey continued as he honed his skills at the cooking school Joviat in Manresa and went on to refine his expertise in the kitchens of renowned establishments such as Casa Irene, Neichel, Joan Piqué, and Jean Luc Figueras. It was at Casa Irene where he met his future wife, Sònia Profitós. Together, they opened their first restaurant, Abrevadero, in 1998, which provided Jordi with the opportunity to showcase his cuisine while simultaneously managing the restaurant. In 2002, they launched Alkimia, which quickly garnered acclaim, earning a Michelin star in 2004 and an award for pastry in 2006 from “Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía” – a guide by Rafael García Santos that played a key role in promoting avant-garde movement in Spain.
In the summer of 2016, Vilà relocated Alkimia to the historic Moritz Brewery building, where he had been a culinary consultant. The new space offered two distinct dining experiences: Alkimia, which reflects Vilà’s vision for the modern Catalan cuisine, and Alkostat, a more personal and informal concept highlighting everyday dishes crafted with exceptional ingredients.
The concept of Alkostat
Alkostat seeks to create a more relaxed dining space and become a beloved local haunt. Unlike many gastronomic[By this, we mean ‘fine dining establishments’. I guess this comes from the use of ‘restaurant gastronomique’ in French.] establishments that cater to special occasions or tourists, Alkostat has a different approach. It targets a broader audience that seeks comfort and familiarity in their food. With this goal, a more diverse menu at more accessible prices are proposed.
Yet, what sets it apart is that it shares the same dining area and kitchen as Alkimia, Jordi’s flagship restaurant. This arrangement creates a synergy between the two restaurants, as they share resources such as a comprehensive wine list and the same high-quality ingredients. Moreover, Jordi an oversee both production lines at once. The only subtle differences are in the furniture, crockery, and flooring.
Alkostat might draw inspiration from Alkimia’s research on ingredients and techniques, but it presents a menu of its own. Instead of Alkimia’s carte blanche, the customer is in charge of their own gastronomic experience, choosing from a diverse à la carte menu. The dishes are introspective and creative, but also down to earth and meant to simply deliver culinary pleasure. In a way, it reminds us of the culinary style of Sacha. This is a cuisine driven by produce that is not shy to make a subtle nod to haute cuisine modernity. The resulting concept works extremely well, making it one of those restaurants to which we would always want to return if we pass by Barcelona.
The venue and the wine
Located in the lively Eixample district, it occupies a late 19th-century building that once belonged to the Moritz family, a prominent name in the Catalan brewing industry. The interior design, by Italian architect Carmelo Zappulla and artistic director Chu Uroz, blends historical elegance with modern flair. They have preserved original elements such as the novecentista plasterwork, woodwork and floor tiles, while adding playful touches such as ceiling frescoes depicting angels enjoying sparkling wine and fruits.
And yet, the restaurant’s layout also evokes the marine world, with a central spine resembling a huge wooden whale or fishbone that connects the different areas. The atmosphere is enhanced by the classic rock tunes playing in the background and a large projection displaying infographics of Alkostat’s dishes throughout the meal.
The service, shared with Alkimia, is warm and attentive. The wine list is relatively large, with a superb selection of the Catalan appelations. The prices lean towards the higher end, but some hidden gems can be found, such as the Domaine de la Grand’Cour Fleuries for good value. We chose a wonderful Raventos i Blanc – Textures de Pedra 2017.
| Raventos i Blanc – Textures de Pedra 2017 | |
|---|---|
| Nose: | Aromatic and deep. Complex nose of pears, red apples, yeast and brioche. This is looking good. |
| Palate: | Complexity/value ratio is high. The attack of red apple turns to yellow pears as the wine opens up. The midpalate has a clear chalky and saline minerality. The rich fruit of this blanc the noirs pervades the whole experience, but the elegant acidity keeps the balance in great tension. The finish shows the yeast qualities with more definition. Great food wine. |
| Structure: | High acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, dry, silky astringent feel, very fine mousse. Long finish. |
The food
We started our meal with the Croquetas Caesar, a dish that not only reinvents the classic croqueta but also fuses the flavours and textures of a Caesar salad with a Vietnamese nem. That’s the level of introspection we were referring to before.
The croqueta itself is crafted with a heavier dose of roast chicken and less béchamel than its traditional counterparts, resulting in a more substantial bite. Wrapped within a crisp gem lettuce leaf and drizzled with Caesar sauce and a generous sprinkling of parmigiano, the croquetas Caesar evokes a playful marriage of flavours and cultures.
Jordi Vilà doesn’t like his tortilla de patatas with onion, since he feels that the sweetness of the onion can steal the spotlight from the potato. Following that idea, why not turn a potential flaw into an opportunity? Thus, the caramelised onion tortilla. This was an almost perfect tortilla. The only aspect we can criticise is its aesthetic, this particular one coming out slightly wonky.
The exterior of the tortilla was skilfully cooked, avoiding the Maillard reaction that could introduce bitter undertones to the dish. As we cut into the tortilla, we were greeted with a luscious, creamy custard interior, cradling the star of the dish: the sweet Figueras onion. The onions, cooked to a tender caramelized state, harmoniously melded with the custard, creating a perfect suspension that balanced sweetness and savouriness in a delightful dance of flavours.
The Pan con tomate (coca and sourdough), staples in Catalan cuisine was done with care and love. The tomato was ripe enough to grind itself into a purée and the quantity of olive oil was modulated to they type of breads being served. Less for the coca and more for the sourdough.
In the season of mushrooms, dishes like Butifarra de perol negra con rovellones really hit the spot. We are great fans of butifarra de perol and its gelatinous texture. Its black declination contains blood, making it a good pairing to mushrooms with its earthier notes. Rovellones, or saffron milk cup mushrooms had just come into season after the first autumn rains and we were offered this dish off-the-menu. Sautéed until caramelised and dotted with parsley and garlic sauce, they had a texture to die for. On the other hand, the sausage was pan fried until some of the gelatine in the filling renders, leaking out and crisping up attached to the casing as shards.
We were curious and delighted to try the Pollo cubista en dos servicios as our main course. The name suggested a playful and creative interpretation of poultry. We were not disappointed when the waitress brought us a whole roasted chicken to admire before carving it. In this strange contorted yoga position, it did bring back a memory of Guernica’s horse. The bird here is not screaming in pain, but to be roasted in this contortionist figure must surely be painful. Still, in essence, Vilà presented a deconstruction of the traditional roasted chicken in an attempt to showcase the best possible serving of each component of the bird. There is a clear work of analysis, abstraction and reassembly that could be deemed analogous in some way to the abstraction and representation of reality from different perspectives at the same time from the cubists.
The first serving arrived as an interpretation of the Catalan classic canelón. Typically the canelón is a cylindrical pasta filled with roasted chicken and baked with béchamel sauce. Here, the same comforting flavour of juicy roasted chicken is served on the crispy tube-like skin from the chicken’s neck, instead of the pasta.
The second serving was closer to a conventional roasted chicken, reassembled in a different (cubist, if we are generous) way. Here, only the red meat of the chicken was presented, cooked to the point of maximum juiciness, while the skin was crisped separately and then draped over the meat for the maximum crispiness. Beneath the chicken, thin geometrical slices of apple were cooked with the savoury roasting juices, adding a touch of sweetness and acidity. The dish was complemented by patatas mal cortadas – ultra-crispy and paper-thin fries (patatas paja) seasoned with pimentón, rosemary, thyme and salt.
The Flan with cream here has a cult following here. It is simply outstanding. The crème caramel is cooked gently yielding a smooth consistency but slightly more set than the fondant versions that have become so fashionable. The cream is infused with a touch of vanilla, but the main flavour is given to the cream and eggs, as it should be. The caramel is perfect, with not even the most remote bitter note. It is accompanied by a textbook Chantilly.
Alongside the flan, we also shared a Chocolate tart with coffee ice cream. This was an all-chocolate tart composed of a chocolate pâte sablée, a dense ganache and a thick layer of cocoa powder on top. The chocolate employed was certainly on the fruitier, even slightly acidic side, which made the tart enjoyable despite the obscene richness. To accompany, a large quenelle of coffee ice cream really hit the spot. The texture of the ice cream was immaculate, even silky, exactly how it should be. We tend to avoid coffee flavoured sweets, since they usually have an instant coffee-like taste with a distinct bitterness. This ice cream is nothing of this kind. The flavour was well balanced and provided a good contrast to the tart.
