Those nostalgic for that crispy crust bread that Josep Maria Freixa made have been lucky. Some time after the retirement of this cook – if someone so in love with his profession ever retires at all – and when people continue to remember the stews he prepared at Freixa Tradició, the very old sourdough he used is still there. He also has the mixer and other essential gadgets. And above all, his formulas and the knowledge that he himself has taken care of transmitting to the new tenants of the house, now converted into the brand new MAE (Sant Elies, 22), remain. And this is how the miracle of freshly baked bread returns to the table, which like a whisper reminds us that if kitchens are maintained and advance, it is largely thanks to the wisdom that is passed from one generation to another.
The activity in the dining room, which unlike the interior kitchens has been completely remodeled with the intervention of the SGA studio, wants to revolve around a discreet bar located in the center of the main room, where preparations are finalized, especially mixed drinks, starters and interesting desserts from Eva López. All with a staging without divisions – nor are there any in the outfit, which Des Garçons signs – between kitchen and dining room equipment.
The opening of MAE is good news for a city where new bars and restaurants abound, but the trend towards more of the same continues. This place, which opened at the end of August and is cautiously advancing its filming, offers a couple of menus (65 and 85 euros) and a menu distributed between savory and sweet, an offer that at midday is replaced by an executive menu ( 40 euros). The pairings are handled by the young sommelier Carla Viladrich, who exudes passion for what she does, and the efficient and friendly Emili Alcaraz runs the room.
This is the project into which three partners have poured their enthusiasm, two of them chefs, whose relationship began as a student and teacher when Germán Espinosa (ten years at the head of the Fonda España, under the tutelage of his admired Martín Berasategui) gave classes of cuisine to the Colombian Diego Mondragón. The latter went through El Celler or Àbac before joining his teacher’s team, with whom they decided to partner, as well as with the Costa Rican businesswoman, Mariella Rodriguez, who runs the business.
They like to say that their cuisine is the result of sharing the culinary cultural background of each of them, and they talk about local cuisine with a global pantry. But the truth is that it is also a reflection of the evolution that both chefs have made under the umbrella of renowned chefs, for which they feel lucky. “The lamb is very Martín and the croaker is more Celler,” observes Espinosa.
The joy of mixing flavors excites these friends who like to play with the acidic touches of distant ingredients that combine well with the closest pantry and good technique. Dishes such as the Maresme tomato with yellow chili and almonds (the last tomatoes of a summer that we say goodbye with sadness) or the red shrimp with suflated pig’s feet and that tree tomato that sneaks up on our sea and mountains; squid with cod pil-pil with pickled seaweed or cauliflower foam, crab and mussel gelée with aromatic herbs are tasty creations that play with those contrasts of flavor and ingredients that attract you. An exercise that surely over time they will stop placing in the focus of a proposal that will not need the justification of syncretism, if they continue cooking with the curiosity and respect with which they have begun to take their first steps. This way they will gain a regular clientele, as the Freixa family is already beginning to do.
