Disfrutar - To Enjoy
This pandemic has really made life more complicated. It is harder to move from one place to the other; convene with friends and family; and, even keep afloat (personally and professionally). I believe people are resilient and we will get past this and no people have shown me the truth in this statement like my friends at Disfrutar: Eduard Xatruch and Oriol Castro.
I met them in February 2013 on my first day at el Taller (the elBulli workshop). They were both sitting at a kitchen table and scurried to say hi not knowing who I was, what I was going to do or for how long. This kind of lack of information was constant as I would soon learn working with Ferran Adrià and his surrounding entourage. Nevertheless, they were kind to me - a 22 year old straight off the boat from the US with an inability to be star struck (a personal flaw, unless it’s the Obamas - and I would literally keel over). Eduard and Oriol, together with Mateu Casañas, had already started their own restaurant after the closing of elBulli. Compartir was based near elBulli in Cadaques and Mateu ran the day to day operations while Eduard and Oriol worked with me on Ferran’s vision for elBulli Foundation - his legacy project.
It has been almost 8 years since we worked together. They have since started a second restaurant called Disfrutar that now has 2 very well deserved Michelin stars. They are the most hard working and humble men I have ever worked with. Their ability to innovate and catapult you into a different world with every bite of their carefully crafted menus makes them true artists. What happens when a Pandemic causes them to close their doors for a second time? They innovate and adapt of course! Constraints lead to creation and that they have done. They have launched a take away and delivery service from their restaurant to serve attainably priced dishes with molecular gastronomy twists so that they can not only share their creations but also help keep the business they have worked so hard for. Today, I had the pleasure of getting take away from Disfrutar and I truly enjoyed it. I hope, that if you have the chance, you are able to experience their latest innovation too. <3
On my lunch menu:
Cochinillo deshuesado al estlio Pibil / Deboned pork with a Pibil sauce
Dessert:
Tarta coulant de avellanas (para 2 pax) / Chocolate hazelnut fondant (for 2 people) But I wouldn’t share if I were you. It was too good. Spare yourself the battle and get one each.
All for 26 Euros.
