Discovering the charm of Hotel Casa Fuster
When the heat of the day subsides, we go out to enjoy dinner and take a walk through the charming Vila de Gràcia. We headed to the Hotel Casa Fuster, a luxurious 5-star establishment housed in a modernist building designed by the renowned architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner in 1908, which has been recently renovated. This building was a gift from the Catalan businessman Mariano Fuster i Fuster to his wife Consol Fabra i Puig, daughter of the Marquis of Alella, the name that the Aleia restaurant now bears.
The award-winning restaurant Aleia
Located on the first floor of the hotel, we find the Aleia restaurant, which a couple of years ago was awarded a Sol Repsol and a Michelin star. Under the direction of Jerez chef Rafa Bedoya, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and has worked in prestigious kitchens such as Azurmendi, El Cenador de Amós and El Celler de Can Roca, Aleia offers a unique culinary proposal.
A tasting menu that unites two territories
Paula Miguel, the head waiter, welcomes us and tells us about Chef Bedoya, a native of Jerez de la Frontera, and how he has managed to merge the recipe books of his land with ours. During the ten-course tasting menu, we tried products and recipes from both Andalusia and Catalonia, in an impressive encounter of flavors.
We start the tasting
The experience begins with an oyster from the Ebro Delta accompanied by sakura mignonnette, a freeze-dried Japanese cherry leaf and a jelly made with the water from the oyster itself. Next, a white prawn from Tarragona with horseradish cream and chervil oil, wonderful in flavour. All of this, accompanied by a glass of Fino Rama Fernando de Castilla, an exclusive vintage for the restaurant, as explained to us by sommelier Andrés Moreno.
The chef welcomes us
Rafa Bedoya comes over to greet us, expressing his satisfaction with the location of the restaurant and evaluating the recent years positively. Although at first it was a challenge because they were on the first floor and arrived from another city, obtaining the Michelin star in less than a year boosted them in the city’s gastronomic field. The chef is optimistic and focused on reaching more local and national customers.
Currently, Aleia serves about twenty diners per service, and curiously, many of her clients are Asian, thanks to the review of a renowned influencer on her continent.
Explosion of flavors
Dinner continues with a southern-style tuna from the north, with pirinaca, a mixture of pepper, onion and tomato, smoked with vine shoots for a grilled touch, along with hanging tomatoes, candied onions and a pepper gazpacho. We paired this dish with a Cuvée Total Oriol Artigas, a natural rosé wine from Alella.
Then comes an exquisite scallop with champagne sauce, although this time made with cava, accompanied by a soubise with Figueres onion. The acidity of the cava contrasts wonderfully with the sweetness of the soubise.
We continue with red tuna tarantelo, the part between the belly and the white loin, with radish cured in salt and essence of tomato water, which together form an elegant rose. We accompany this dish with a La Farruca white wine from the Mario Rovira winery in Alella.
The flavors of the south and more
The Iberian flan comes accompanied by chanterelles, smoked eel and melon, all with a touch of ham consommé and a splash of chamomile. The perfect pairing is a Cíclic Blanc D.O. Costers del Segre, a surprising wine.
They bring us two artisan breads: a muffin from Benaoján, a town in Málaga, and a round of triticum, which we accompany with virgin oils from Jaén (Raza Aove) and Catalonia (Portalé), and a roasted marrow. Jaén oil impresses us with its intensity.
Extraordinary dishes
We continued with a grilled langoustine with amontillado beurre blanc and air from its heads, as well as a seared snapper with salmon eggs and razor clam and mussel gazpacho. We paired this first course with a Vendanges Manuelles from the Côtes du Jura region, France, and the second with a Lumiére from Cádiz, made with palomino grapes.
We finished with a Galician Rubia fillet aged forty days, accompanied by potatoes, peppers and lettuce. We enjoyed this dish with a glass of La Inflexion, a wine by Raúl Moreno.
A sweet ending
Desserts are not far behind: an avocado with Oscietra caviar and cream, honey and mató with cheese and sweet potato, and a Catania with almonds, chocolate and truffle. All accompanied by a glass of muscatel of Alexandria.
The Aleia restaurant achieves essential cuisine by mixing products and recipes from the south with those from Catalonia, with French touches in many preparations that elevate each dish to excellence. It is an ideal place to enjoy one of the best cuisines in the city in a privileged environment.