Brutalist eatery, Esperit Roca, serves a savory six-course dessert menu
Nestled on the hilly outskirts of Girona, north-west Spain, the new restaurant Esperit Roca offers a unique dining experience that blends innovation with local Catalan culture and ingredients. Located within a 19th-century fortress, the restaurant is part of a gastronomical center by the renowned Roca brothers, a trio of renowned restaurateurs.
Esperit Roca's interior design, the work of Girona-based designer Andreu Carulla, aims to create a sense of nature with an austere, brutalist feel. The interiors are made of stone, concrete, and wood, with neutral shades of grey and green that echo the original castle's construction, which uses the same local limestone, known as Piedra de Girona.
The restaurant offers concept-driven dishes with inventive styles, masterminded by pastry chef Jordi Roca. One dessert includes black chanterelle and powdered pine, while another is infused with the aroma of old books. An 'orange' salad features mussels, sea urchins, and citrus fruit, and exquisite local lamb and prawns are stylishly plated. The tasting menu includes a trilogy of turbot cuts with different treatments.
Three different types of pumpkin are used in dishes at Esperit Roca, dressed in juice, oil, and milk from the fruit. The wine cellar, designed by Carulla from steel pipes totalling 20km in length, houses 80,000 bottles. Diners enter via a giant dome housing the wine cellar, where they are greeted by sommelier Josep Roca.
The restaurant's design and food are likely inspired by the local Girona environment, seasonal Catalan produce, and a commitment to sustainable gastronomy. Head chef Joan Roca emphasizes the availability of wild products, good agriculture, livestock, and fishing in the region. Esperit Roca also boasts an on-site distillery that crafts spirits with flavors of gentian, mugwort, and other local herbs.
Vegetation sprouts from large, cylindrical concrete pots, and curtains and overhead lamps are made from shade cloths used in local farming. Custom-made furniture includes midcentury-inspired wooden chairs and curved concrete benches seating diners in intimate alcoves. The restaurant's expansive, ephemeral-looking structure, designed by Carulla, offers views across mountains, woodland, and sea, enhancing the overall dining experience.
Esperit Roca is located at Carrer Major, Entrada 1, 17481 Sant Julià de Ramis, Girona, Spain; website: esperitroca.com. For those seeking a culinary adventure that combines innovation with local tradition, Esperit Roca is a must-visit destination.
- The unique dining experience at Esperit Roca, nestled in Girona's hilly outskirts, not only offers global cuisines but also embodies a lifestyle that blends cooking with home-and-garden elements, showcased in its interior design inspired by local farming and the use of sustainable materials.
- The gastronomical center by the Roca brothers, home to Esperit Roca, showcases food-and-drink from around the world, with a specific focus on innovative Catalan cuisine, while also featuring spirits crafted from local herbs, contributing to the overall global-cuisines offering.
