The transformation of pre-Olympic Barcelona was so overwhelming that perhaps some of the new constructions of those years were assumed as something almost normal in that happy city that went from premiere to premiere. One of them was the spectacular work of Gabriel Ferrater on Diagonal, the Hotel Juan Carlos I. From its reception, it was impressive to look up and contemplate the titanic ellipse whose perimeter the rooms occupied.
But time passed, we settled into drought and after that hotel giant remained closed for the last few years, it has ended up returning. It changed its outdated name, it was renovated, and now it is the brand new Torre Melina Gran Meliá (Avenida Diagonal, 671).
It is there, to the right as soon as you enter the reception, where the new Erre is located.
Here the intention is to welcome the hotel's clients and, above all, attract a local clientele that appreciates luxury in a comfortable space (the tables are isolated by the furniture to be more intimate and in the background is the open kitchen), a good product, well treated and friendly service.
Fire and embers are the common thread chosen by the Basque chef Iñigo Urrechu, who, in addition to the restaurants in Madrid with his name, runs the emblematic Zalacaín. Before talking about his proposal (the price is around 80 euros, if you don't go overboard), he declares his love for Catalonia, its kitchens, its pantry and its cook friends and praises the offerings of the city in which, he assures , he is excited to debut. In his affable tone, he remembers that erre in Basque means to burn and tells us that he wanted to surround himself with a local kitchen team that he encourages to adapt those preparations that allow it to the place where we are. There they are, delighted to begin the adventure, the head chef Pere Nacarino and his second, Victor Marles. The first started in the kitchens at Mas Pau alongside the late Xavier Sagristà; He also worked with Xavier Franco and later with Martín Berasategui, the great teacher and friend of Urrechu, for whom he was head chef for years. Marles comes from Espai Kru, Tickets, Petit Comitè, Casa Leopoldo and Abac, where he was head pastry chef, before opening a business with his name shortly before the pandemic and having to close it due to its effects.
The tuna belly with tomato pulp is an Urrechu classic, the brioche with fricandó, an adaptation by the chefs, as is the delicious low loin carpaccio with foie gras and caviar; The sapito (small black monkfish) is just right, as is the txuleta, both with good sauces and well sautéed vegetables.
Through the glass that separates the dining room and kitchen, we see the work on the grills, which are the jewel in the crown of this place along with those pieces that are visible in the glass chamber in which they are matured, fortunately without arrogant excesses. , the txuletones. Meat, fish and seafood or vegetables that are roasted over the fire with different woods: orange wood for vegetables, sautéed inside rudimentary chestnut trees, to graze the embers; olive for fish, and oak for those impeccable meats.
Although Erre is Íñigo Urrechu's first restaurant in Catalonia, it is already the second of the same name. The first opened at the Don Pepe Gran Meliá in Marbella, where the first Calima by his colleague Dani García was. An extensive wine list (650 references at the moment), managed by sommelier Cristina Bonetti (formerly Agreste or Tangana) and which are also displayed in a glass window in the space that has six reserved rooms on one side. In the room, Aitor Zurutuza serves with an enthusiasm that takes you back to the joy of the times when this hotel was built.
