A journey between El Coll and El Putxet
Barcelona has many charms, but it is not a city of bridges: the rivers are at the ends and you don’t need to cross them. Instead, it has a viaduct that goes unnoticed, built by Miquel Pasqual Tintorer in 1923, which joins two of its hills, the Coll and the Putxet. If we approach it, we will see the dragon faces that adorned it and, to our left, the Jardins dels Arabescos, a curious mixture of styles. It’s worth the trip: it will work up an appetite and, at the end, the cheapest and most hidden haute cuisine menu of the day in the city will await us.
A legacy of luxury
“The restaurant was born in February six years ago,” Juanen Benavent, chef and owner, tells us. “I had the dream of having my own space, where I could express my cuisine, based on the experiences I’ve had and my creativity.” Benavent, originally from Valencia, learned at Can Fabes and at Goust, the restaurant of renowned sommelier Enrico Bernardo in Paris.
Saó’s cuisine is offered in 3 menus: Llavor, 9 courses (€24.50; Monday to Friday only), Germinat, 13 courses (€45) and Arrels, 18 courses (€67.5) . To accompany them, a wine list with a predominance of Catalan and national wines or the possibility of pairing for each of the 3 menus. Benavent defines its gastronomic proposal as follows: “we make market cuisine, as close as possible to km.0, seasonal, with Catalan roots but with a personal touch, and always looking to make it attractive and very good”.
Up to expectations
And they succeed. There is product, care in the long elaborations (it can be seen in the broths and bases used in various dishes) and an impeccable technique. Stand out foie gras and aubergine puree as if it were a Catalan cream, the marinated mackerel salad with confit leek and gazpachuelo d’ajoblanco, the rice with fava beans and black sausage and the dessert of orange, dill and vermouth.
In the room, quiet and elegant, there is effort and taste to please the customer. There is a desire for formality, but without rigidity: waiters and sommeliers move and communicate with solvency, good reading of the customer and the appropriate distance at all times, as in the best rooms. “We understand gastronomy with great attention to detail, and this includes the treatment of the customer, which for us is very important. In the end, the customer comes for the food but will return for the service. Because no matter how good everything is, if any something about the experience around the dish goes wrong, it will affect everything. The customers are the ones who pass judgment,” reflects Benavent.
And yes, Vallcarca may seem far away (it’s not that far and we all know that), but you also go to the Camp Nou or the Maldives for promises of happiness that you don’t know if they will be fulfilled. In Saó, on the other hand, they have a say and they don’t fail. Get there before it’s impossible to make a reservation. From the plate!
