“We are not a restaurant.” The sign that they have posted on the door of El Buen Gusto 1952, which has just reopened in Terrassa, is quite a declaration of intent. This tiny establishment, which between 2002 and 2017 hosted Capritx, the establishment with which chef Artur Martínez earned his first star long before moving to Barcelona's Aürt, has returned renewed and faithful to its old essence. It was conceived as a tavern more than 70 years ago by Martínez's grandparents, Juan and Isabel, in an open field serving wine, beer and traditional dishes with pick and shovel. Then it was his parents, Arturo and Maite, who completed the proposal with an attached takeaway business in which the main protagonist was (and still is) pollo l'ast. What was the point of reopening serving, as in Capritx, creative cuisine?
As a tribute to these three generations of hoteliers, Martínez has decided to raise the blinds again with a traditional cuisine menu. Don't expect big "twists" in the recipes or the script twists that many chefs resort to in their casual restaurants. What you will find will simply be traditional cuisine, the same that was always served in a tavern, like the one that was El Buen Gusto years ago.
Take a look at how they have converted the space, which is also a declaration of intentions: if many of the dishes that are then served to the diner are piled up in the bar display case; On its walls there are memories and images of the three generations, newspaper clippings and even photos of Arguiñano in his most vintage version.
Martínez did want to recover in this restaurant some forgotten specialties of the area, such as the terregada botifarra (made with blood, entrails and confit onion), which he adds to a delicious trinxat from Vallès accompanied with ganxet beans; or ancestral sausages abandoned today, such as the girella de Pallars, which dates back to the 15th century and is prepared with lamb entrails and rice. The crunchy and creamy croquettes that they serve and that are already a classic of the house are prepared, as it could not be otherwise, with the remains of the chicken l'ast from the store that Martínez's parents founded. And be careful, because each week involves three days of preparation. The stewed chicken empedrat, on the other hand, is faithful to Grandma Isabel's recipe.
In charge of the kitchen these days, while everything starts rolling, is one of Martínez's right-hand men, Pol Ruiz. The room is carefully managed by sommelier Rodrigo Quijano. What does he keep in the cellar? About 37 wine references, almost all natural. Don't miss the desserts at this establishment, especially the homemade rice pudding or the cardinal prepared by the Turull pastry shop in Terrassa, which this year won an award.
