Raül Sillero: "El Espíritu Roca is El Celler's library of dishes, not a last-minute 'outlet'"

GironaIn its forty-year history, El Celler de Can Roca has transformed its dishes into icons of Catalan cuisine. Those who have never had the chance to try the Viaje a La Habana dessert, the apple and foie gras timbale, or the parmentier with Llobregant (three of the Roca brothers' signature dishes) can now do so. at the Esperit Roca restaurant, located in the Sant Julià CastleFor this reason, Raül Sillero (Blanes, 1987), the chef at the helm, considers that "Esperit Roca is the library of El Celler's dishes, and not one outlet "Last minute." Currently, the restaurant offers two tasting menus, just as it started: one consisting of six savory and two sweet dishes; and another with two savory and six sweet dishes. The prices are 140 euros (the sweet menu) and 170 euros (the savory menu), which is up to two hundred euros more than the previous year's menu.

To understand why they have sometimes been called dishes outlet, Of the dishes prepared by the Roca Spirit, it's important to know that the menu includes the legendary dishes of El Celler de Can Roca, those they cooked in past seasons, but which "are good precisely because they were iconic." "We don't serve them year-round, but rather we change them according to the seasons," he explains. So, eating the Roca Spirit menu in November is not the same as eating it in April of next year. "There is one exception; there's a dish that I understand we won't be able to offer in time, which is what we call 'Toda la Gamba' (The Whole Prawn), which consists of a prawn marinated in rice vinegar; then we heat it under a salamander, and serve it in a blue-toned bowl with the legs made from the coral of the prawn heads." The bowl is by the Girona-based ceramist Helénica, with whom the restaurant completes the circle of proximity, both with the contents and the container..

Pure prawn

Sillero maintains that this dish is so popular because it's like eating the prawn in its purest form, as it hasn't been cooked, thus preserving its natural flavor. Regarding the origin of the red prawns, the chef explains that, during the closed season in Palamós, they acquire them at the port of Blanes.

Another iconic dish from the Roca Spirit is sea bass in Chablis, cooked at a low temperature, with a sauce that combines Chablis with a pil-pil sauce made with sea bass and fennel, an apple compote from Girona, and confit leeks. "At El Celler de Can Roca, they prepared this dish with an oyster, but we've changed it to sea bass, so it's the same sauce, but with a different fish," he explains.

It all begins with appetizers, served on a globe. "We put out five; five bites inspired by the countries where the Roca brothers cooked during their summer tours around the world," says Sillero, who confirms that he wasn't even born when Joan and Josep opened El Celler de Can Roca in 1986. However, at twenty, he started working there, and through his work catering banquets at Mas Marroch, he learned to make them all. "I first started here to do my hospitality studies internship; and then I continued during the summer at the Can Roig Festival, when El Celler was in charge," he recalls. From Can Roig, he moved on to banquets, where he began preparing the classic dishes of El Celler de Can Roca. "So, one of the dishes they cooked at El Celler when it opened in 1986, I learned to cook then." Of the forty years of dishes at El Celler, chef Raül Sillero can say that the current trend in cooking is "not to embellish them." If the dishes have artichokes, the artichokes should be visible. And the same goes for prawns. "We live in a time when diners seek purity; the ingredients should be the stars." Before, "sauces and jellies" predominated; in fact, even in the past, kitchens had separate sections for making salt and peppers. Nowadays, each section makes its own sauces.

To continue, Sillero recounts how he has been able to follow the thread of the dishes created by the Roca brothers. "In 2010, when I was in the fish section at El Celler, they made a dish they called Mediterranean Sole: now, sixteen years later, I'm making it again at Espíritu Roca." It's a dish that cooks the sole twice, first at a low temperature, then over charcoal, and is served with six different sauces, like a palette of colors, which can be mixed together or eaten separately. All the sauces are tied together with a thread of extra virgin olive oil.

Finally, regarding the two menus offered at Espíritu Roca, the savory and the sweet, the chef affirms that both have their customers. "Some days the savory menu is more popular; and other days, it's the other way around," he says. In fact, Sillero believes the dessert menu is designed for all those who are fans of Jordi Roca, who follow him on social media, and who try his creations. So, eating a menu composed entirely of Jordi Roca's desserts is like a dream. And so it will continue throughout 2026, like a library, a library of unique and delicious dishes.