Dvisi: the restaurant with a garden of a hardworking couple in Palamós

PalamósWhen I enter people's homes, I always like to look at the family photos they have framed in every corner. I guess it's something we all do. It's nice to see what people's lives were like before we knew them. As children with tanned skin on the beach, at a celebration, or when they graduated from university. It has always seemed to me an act of generosity for someone to let you into their home and be part of their intimacy for a few moments. That's why, when I arrive at the Dvisi restaurant in Palamós, I'm struck by the fact that there's a photo of Jordi Simón and one of Laura Vicente right at the reception. They are individual photos, they are alone. The colors have already faded, it's noticeable that they've been on display for a few years. They correspond to the time when they were studying at the Girona Hotel School, where they met and fell in love. And at this moment, right from the start, it becomes evident that we are in a home, in a clearly family-run restaurant.

Dvisi is the project that a couple started 12 years ago in Palamós and which, after much effort, is still going strong. Jordi Simón is in charge of the kitchen, and Laura Vicente of the dining room. The name of the restaurant, Dvisi, comes from the combination of their surnames: Vicente and Simón. They started in another location, but they have been in the garden of the modernist-style hotel Casa Vincke for years. The restaurant and the hotel are completely separate buildings with their own identity. Dvisi is a bright space, with large windows, which includes a dining room, where you have the entire kitchen in view, a terrace, and also a private room.

Both of them passed through the Massana restaurant in Girona. A school for them, who knew that sooner or later they would have their place in the world. The open kitchen shows how they work with great harmony, just as their sommelier, Joan Costa, moves with ease through the dining room, and defends proposals from the territory. Like Anna Espelt's Escumós. A blanc de noirs made from Monastrell that is well worth tasting. “I try to have a good representation of Empordà wines,” says Costa. He defends them with great conviction and knowledge, even though he is from Marganell. While I enjoy the bubbles, a beef Wellington fillet appears from the kitchen. They present it at the back table, where an English couple who never miss the appointment and visit the restaurant every year are seated. They are amazed by the piece, which one of the chefs expertly cuts in half and serves. In fact, the dish is part of one of the restaurant's menus, the longest one. They offer two, the one that bears the restaurant's name, Divisi, which consists of 11 courses and costs 60 euros, and the one with 20 courses, named Indivisible, and costs 120.

Catalan base, gaze on the horizon

In both menus, which are very complete, there is traditional cuisine, a bit of humor and technique. It is a representation of the character of its owners. We start with some snacks that are eaten with the hands, which is nothing more than a tribute to vermouth, accompanied by a thimbleful of Dos Deus. In this beginning, the pickled mussel bonbon with Espinaler sauce is noteworthy. The menu continues: aguachile of Palamós prawns, a touch of fusion that the couple really enjoys making and that they have been incorporating by tasting other gastronomic cultures. Of course, the base is Catalan, like broad beans with grilled cuttlefish and mint air, or a succulent xuixo of fricandó, made with Girona Angus, seasonal mushrooms and roast sauce. They also shine with Catalan-style chicken thigh.

A loyal clientele accompanies them. They already have many summer days booked, they tell me. Most of the people in the restaurant the day I visit are locals. People of very diverse ages, who find a common ground in Dvisi's cuisine. It has also achieved critical acclaim, as this year the Guia Repsol has given them one sun. A very justified award that has taken longer than expected to arrive. We end the meal with a tribute to Mexico, to chocolate and to happy endings.