From cooking in large houses (including Gerard Piqué and Shakira's) to doing it for all the people of Badalona

BadalonaIn this story, we pass by Via Veneto, Martín Berasategui's restaurant, Dry Martini, Tramendu, Gerard Piqué and Shakira's house, and end up in Badalona. Today we introduce you to L'Esmolet, the project of three chefs who have joined forces to raise the bar of Badalona gastronomy.

They are Albert Reverté, Ivan Cruz, and Pedro Cárdenas. Reverté is what's known in Badalona as BTV (a lifelong Badalona resident), so the project ended up in a bright space on Plaça Ernest Lluch, very close to the sea and the Anís del Mono factory. Reverté met Cárdenas while studying at the CETT (Centre for the Arts), but they've since coincided in a number of high-end restaurants. In one, they bumped into Ivan Cruz, who is in love with cooking and has been working there since he was 14. And since then, they've worked together whenever they've had the chance. Curiously, although Cruz has participated in the opening of at least three restaurants (one of them Casa Leopoldo, when Romain Fornell and Òscar Manresa took him on, and where the three met), he wasn't sure about opening his own business. It was "the kids," as he calls them, since they're a little younger, who spurred him on. And now he couldn't be happier with the decision. "I never imagined it would be like this. If I had known, I would have done it sooner," he says. He knows how hard it is to start a business, but the reception the locals have given L'Esmolet has been most encouraging. Pedro Cárdenas's case is different. He was working as a private chef for former Barça player Gerard Piqué, with whom he had worked for a long time and for whom he only has good things to say. He simply wanted to take on new challenges.

The three chefs have invested themselves in the project "to the core," as the restaurant staff wear on their T-shirts. There's no pre-cooked produce here. They make everything themselves. And they've found diners who understand the value of this. Both in terms of the top-quality produce and the time it takes to make everything yourself. Dessert included. On the menu, we'll find several nods to their hometown, such as the "bomba en la Badalonesa" (with octopus, potato, and aioli), the "Corominas" potatoes, and the Can Soler ice creams. And also a dessert that can only be tried on the lunch menu: the "tiramisu en la Badalonesa," soaked in a cookie-flavored version that Anís del Mono has released. They've also included two wines from the Belén Valley on the wine list, the wonderful wines made near Sant Jeroni de la Murtra.

All three are true chefs, and therefore, they love to sip and sip. They started with a simple menu that they have gradually perfected. And, in fact, they intend to continue doing so. They tell me about the pigeon rice and a royale of foie that they will add. And of their cow's tail, the truffled eggplant bikini or the roll of steak Tartar. And a project they're very excited about: towards the end of this month and until the end of the year, Wednesday will be the day they'll offer a lunchtime menu of escudilla (a small plate of stew) and carne de olla (a stew of meat). In fact, the restaurant has a good menu, but also an excellent midday menu for 19 euros, which you'll find from Tuesday to Friday. Esmolet is open from Tuesday to Sunday for lunch. Dinners during winter hours are from Thursday to Saturday.

Esmolet has arrived with a firm step to expand the Badalona gastronomic offering, which is spearheaded by the Almarge restaurant, on León Street. The establishment, run by sommelier Marta Sánchez Rombouts and chef Germán Cipriano Fernández, has just launched a tasting menu that explores its seasonal menu, which is good year-round but really shines when autumn arrives. Long live Badalona projects.