Prodigio Restaurant: a star with both a father and a mother

He's only twenty-nine years old and has already won a Michelin star. "I'm down to earth; it hasn't changed me much. That said, the award gives you adrenaline, satisfaction, visibility, and above all, it increases the number of reservations." Sincere and modest, Jordi Tarré began in the world of cooking thanks to his mother. "Because she cooked powerful stews, or made Catalan-style chicken, or caramelized onions... This way of cooking inspired me," he adds.

At fifteen, he learned the trade and alternated classes with internships at restaurants such as El Celler de Can Roca, Nectari, Hisop, or at the Escrivá pastry shop. Sincere, modest, and insatiable. After finishing his studies, he settled in London; He made his English debut at the Mandarin Oriental and ended up at The Fat Duck, where one day he showed up unannounced: "I went with my knives and told them I wanted to work. The sous chef told me that no one had ever dared to do that. There was a waiting list to work with them. I cooked. Sincere, modest, insatiable, and talented.

At twenty-four, he returned to his friend Oriol Ivern's Hisop. "It was the restaurant I needed to come back to." A year later, he launched his present and future project, Prodigio. "Now I can cook whatever comes to mind, my mother's cooking, the cooking of my homeland, and add everything I've learned so far," says the chef. At Prodigio, you have three ways to experience Jordi's life: a lunch menu (€35), a la carte, or a tasting menu, which we chose (€80). A show that begins with three starters: cola bomba, Pork with dashi macaroni, black garlic, and daikon radish Subscriber; smoked chervil root royal with braised eel, its reduction, and tobiko, and a creamy chicken with crispy skin, persimmon, seasoned mustard, and ponzu. It's a menu with an exquisite pairing, as explained by Remi, the sommelier at Prodigio. With the starters, we tried a Brut Reserva from the Llopart Winery. A glass of the Valencian wine called And the other thing too Pairs the next dish, the extraordinary glazed oyster mushroom with veal dock emulsion, carob, and purple oxalis. For the squid, shio koji With chanterelle and hazelnut stew, with squid reduction, hazelnut and wasabi aroma, Remi serves us a Vila de Llops, a xarel lo from the Garraf mountain range. The fantastic grilled wild sea bass with Paris coffee emulsion, cauliflower textures noisette and yuzu needs a white wine, and that's why we paired it with Blanco del Terrer, from Vinyes del Terrer. Finish the meal with the braised duck in sauce mass, dumpling Lilac sweet potato, fondant sweet potato, foie gras, and spiced pearl onion. We paired this with a Vizcarra, a black wine from Ribera del Duero. Dessert: a kale sorbet with pumpkin and olive oil, and ñamera ice cream Toast, airy chocolate mousse, pomegranate, and vanilla. Of course, with a glass of Terrenal de Aubert, a dessert from Vinyes del Terrer that helps us digest.

The restaurant is located at the intersection of three streets, hence the name: Prowins, Sayagonistic and Girona. "My father invented it; he's a taxi driver and has a map of Barcelona in his head. One day he came to me and said: 'I already have the name.'" Jordi Tarré began in the kitchen inspired by his mother's intense stews, and today he gives a name to his dream thanks to his father's cartographic memory.

His story is that of a talent who never forgets his roots, who transforms memories into flavors and who has found the space to express everything he carries within him. Sincere, modest, insatiable, and talented, in short, a culinary prodigy.