How Disfrutar Surprises Guests In Its Creative Kitchen

Disfrutar continues to innovate cutting-edge cuisine. The two Michelin-starred restaurants burst on the scene in 2018, winning the highest new entry award, at number 18, on the 50 Best Restaurants less than four years after they opened. Though Disfrutar's chefs Oriol Castro, Mateu Casañas, and Eduard Xatruch engage in what we may think of as molecular gastronomy, their mentor Ferran Adrià, chef at the iconic restaurant El Bulli, told #Legend Magazine that the cuisine style is a myth. Disfrutar's chefs resist labels. Edward Xactruch explains to Salty Magazine, "our cuisine at Disfrutar can not be referred to as just creative or avant-garde." Referring to what they do as "extreme cuisine," Xatruch tells Eat Week Guide, "We work on the edge of the abyss, but with constant faith in the result. And from numerous attempts, a miracle happens."

Though it's not unusual for a restaurant to have an open kitchen or a chef's table, per the Independent,  Disfrutar takes the concept to a new level with Creative Kitchen, a research and development lab hidden from the rest of the restaurant. SupertasterMel explains you must enter through the store room and pass through a hidden door. The Chefs consider this R&D kitchen the heart of their restaurant, a serious playroom for experimenting and bringing innovations to life (via Eat Week). The centerpiece of the space is an unusual table. M#01, is the brainchild of Merche Alcala.

Working with the three chefs, Merche Alcala designed an interactive table with a magnetic structure. Comprised of multiple lidded boxes, the lids are lifted with a magnetized wand. The process of concealing and revealing what lies within becomes a part of the meal. Chef Oriol Castro tells La Vanguardia Magazine, "We conceptualize nature and its textures through petit-fours. Water, flowers, plants ... This table is like a collage of colors, textures, sensations, and volumes. Never has a table been transformed in this way. It is magical." The chefs decided to use the table's unique attributes for their dessert reveal. Tying together the concept of petit fours with the hidden compartments. As a return customer, Supertaster Mel was unexpectedly treated to a meal at the unique table. She was delighted by the unexpected dessert production, calling it "breathtaking, grandiose, and theatrical."

A table with hidden treasures isn't Disfrutar's only departure from the industry norm. They're also closed on the weekends. Telling Talentobordo Magazine, the purpose of this unorthodox decision is to improve the quality of their staff's lives. Disfrutar offers another unusual option for haute cuisine: alcohol-free wine pairings created in-house. Oriol Castro poses the argument to Fine Dining Lovers: "If we can adapt an entire menu to serve a top-notch experience for a vegetarian guest without using any animal-based ingredient, why can't we do something similar for those who don't or can't drink alcohol?" Disfrutar continues to surprise with creative, caring, and inclusive approaches to fine dining.