MAE Barcelona

This restaurant occupying the erstwhile Freixa Tradició features a designer-inspired interior and brings together the expertise and dreams of three friends (the name MAE is the Costa Rican Spanish word for “companion” or “colleague”): manager Mariella Rodríguez (from Costa Rica) and chefs Diego Mondragón (from Colombia) and Germán Espinosa (from Spain). The cuisine here is built around the concept of “syncretism” which can be described as the “combination of different theories, attitudes and opinions”. When applied to MAE’s cooking, this translates into a surprising fusion of ingredients from around the world showcased in dishes such as Galician clams or the legendary Tarta de Santiago paired with, for example, chilli peppers or tepache from Latin America. The concise à la carte is complemented by a midweek “executive” menu and two more interesting tasting options (MAE and Gran MAE).