La Sirena: Heirs to the El Bulli chup-chup

Clarita Cortada and Josep Planas were pharmacists from Vic. In 1962, they came to Roses with the intention of opening a pharmacy, but the authorities at the time refused to grant them permission, and instead, to take advantage of the space they had agreed upon, they decided to open a bar. La Sirena quickly became a landmark in the town, both for its location opposite the Fishermen's Granary and for the good work of the Vic couple.

Our protagonist today, Vicente Fernández, joined the business in 2007, just after Josep died. Clarita ran the business for a year, but decided she didn't want to continue without her husband. At that leap year, Vicente took over and began making tapas, but thanks to popular acclaim, he revived the restaurant's historic tradition, successfully dedicating himself to seafood dishes, stews, cod, and a little meat.

One of the key moments of that era was the arrival of Montse Núñez, a chef at El Bulli back in the days when Ferran Adrià was known for his chup-chup and seafood dishes. Now, Joan Olave is at the helm of the kitchen. He started working at the restaurant at just sixteen and became the natural successor to Montse, with whom he spent a good time together. Between Juan's personal talent and Montse's teachings, La Sirena's kitchen is in good hands.

We started the meal with some meaty and tasty natural oysters; with the famous Roman-style calamari and the coveted potato salad Clarita (Albert Adrià is in love); silly fish and a tuna tartar. For this dinner, we had the invaluable company of a bottle of 5 Fincas, a fresh and well-balanced wine from the people of Castell de Peralada. At Vicente's restaurant, in our opinion, it's essential to taste one of the fish of the day. Our choice was a scorpionfish that had been swimming hours earlier off the northern Costa Brava. Little interference for a fresh, spiny, and very tasty rock fish. Salt, oil, and cooking talent. Nothing else! The burnt Catalan cream and ice cream from Horchatería El Far in Roses are the stars of the culinary curtain call.

While we're having a gin and tonic, Vicente, son of Roses, finds a moment to join us: "Sirena is a legendary place in the town; it's more than a restaurant, it's a way of understanding life," he proudly confides in us, reflecting on the past and present of what has been his home for eighteen years. He acknowledges the importance of El Bulli for a town like Roses: "El Bulli is a great example of the history of catering. Many of the customers who came also stopped by our house, Cal Campaner, or Can Rafa's; it gave us a lot of life." The walls of La Sirena bear witness to the countless chefs who learned at Ferran Adrià's school and, in turn, became clients of Clarita and Josep and have continued with Vicente and Karen. Two couples who have written an important part of the gastronomic history of Roses.

Today, Vicente and his wife, Karen Da Silva, lead one of Roses' most iconic restaurants. The spirit of the pioneers remains alive, and the roots in a town that has been ensuring responsible fishing for over a hundred years are unwavering. Sirena has a brilliant past and present, but she still has a future to write, and with Vicente and Karen, we are sure it will be successful.