A daring restaurant for open-minded people

BarcelonaToday we are looking at a bold restaurant. It is the result of the combination of the characters that balance the tandem formed by Enric Buendía and Aritz Ribalta. And the warmth and personality of Camila Delani in the dining room. If we had to choose one word to describe Kamikaze restaurant (Rosselló, 197), it would be: amazing. As is their unbeatable Peking mushroom, which no traditional Peking duck lover should miss. By the way, the hoisin sauce they use is homemade. I wish they'd sell it.

The two chefs at Kamikaze met at Disfrutar. There they forged a friendship, but they also absorbed a way of working. The restaurant, which is tiny, has two rooms. In the back room, there are white panels on which, using humble notebook pages, they hang the designs of new dishes they're thinking of. Something similar can be seen in the room below the best restaurant in the world, located on Villarroel Street. Conclusion? Excellence and creativity can be born in a spiral notebook and a Bic pen. But it doesn't all end at Disfrutar, as there are other influences from great houses. Buendía has also worked at Mugaritz and Via Veneto. And Ribalta, at the always reliable Ébano de Bellaterra.

A small kitchen to make a big menu

At Kamikaze, they have two menus, and it's clear these guys are aiming high. It's incredible what they achieve with a tiny kitchen. They're surely an example of well-understood ambition: hard work and creating a menu that appeals to you. The citrusy sea and forest with camagrocs, ponzu, and crystal shrimp is extraordinary. The famous and controversial Japanese dish called natto in its "Catalan" version is very successful. Or the chanterelle bonbon, which you'd eat a few more times. Or the apple and onion pre-desserts. Seasonal and recognizable ingredients, blended with Asian techniques and inspiration—especially Japanese. Hence the name, and hence the floral arrangement worthy of someone who masters ikebana.

The pairing can be with wine, but Camila Delani, if you let her, will make you a whole one with sakes that will break the mold. In fact, this is a restaurant for people who come with an open mind. They value determined young people who want to excel and have trained to achieve their goals. There are original twists, like the dish titled "What's a Hedgehog Doing in My Mochi," which recalls the original names given with Massimo Bottura's sense of humor.

At Kamikaze restaurant, you'll find two menus: the Classic, with eleven dishes for 70 euros, and the Kamikaze, with 22 dishes for 90 euros. In a few weeks, they'll completely change the menu, as we'll be changing seasons. For the new menu, they've created a dish inspired by water that made me incredibly curious. What have they started? It's probably not a restaurant for everyone. They're playful and technical, but they're not overly conceptual. They don't forget that the goal is for everything served to be delicious. This is a highly recommended place for diners who let themselves go and trust the person serving them—in this case, three kamikazes who know what they're doing.