Today is BAR X, but at Ricard Camarena his trajectory precedes him . With two Michelin stars, a Michelin Green Star for his sustainable gastronomy and three Repsol soles behind him, he can boast of having become, over the years, one of the best valued chefs not only in the Valencian Community, but also from all over Spain.
The self-proclaimed 'late cook' chef, he decided to change his passion for music and the trumpet to enter a world full of stoves at the beginning of the 2000s. After several business adventures, Ricard Camarena has managed over the years to establish his projects Ricard Camarena Restaurant, Canalla Bistro, Central Bar and Regular.
At the gates of 2022, specifically at the end of last November, it was installed at the bottom of the Mercado de Colón –Together with his older brother Habitual–, the new gastronomic landing of the chef in the capital of Túria: BAR X.
Yes, capitalized, blunt and already from the name with an authentic declaration of intentions. Bon profit!
BAR X, Valencia.
A TURN OF THE SCREW TO THE BAR OF A LIFETIME
BAR X, is the project that chef Ricard Camarena I owed his past self. The one that began its journey by opening a first little bar in Barx's pool (region of La Safor) the town where he was born in 1974. The rest is history.
That tribute to his people and his roots, which in the words of the chef himself: “I am from a town called Barx and it is written exactly as it is in Valencian. Always when people asked me where I was from, he answered them and to his astonishment he said: 'yes, bar with X'. Then when I made this project I was very clear that the name was going to be that. It is a tribute to the place that saw me grow, ”he tells Condé Nast Traveler.
“But it is also a clear statement of intent in a double sense: on the one hand we want the tradition of a bar but updated; and we want what the X implies, which translates to a bar that will not be like the others, that unknown that gives the place and the diner a little more than what is expected of it, ”he adds. Although the statement seems obvious, it hides a gastronomic revolution with the seal of the house of Ricard Camarena under his arm.
BAR X, Valencia.
It was the week of November 22 when the fifth current project of the renowned chef opened its doors after the other four that he has scattered around the center of Valencia. Located on the ground floor of the Mercado de Colón, It is the prelude to access to the Habitual restaurant. Space that in recent years has been ephemeral until he has finally found his true purpose with his BAR X, a proposal that without a doubt is here to stay.
“BAR X is a bar tailor-made for the premises we had and the Mercado de Colón area because in reality it does not give up being what it is (a bar), but I think that after seven years in the market we have finally understood the needs of the area, the gaps that remained and we have been able to adapt the idea of a bar in the times in which we live but also in the area where it is located”, Camarena sentence.
In those years, the space where BAR X has now been built went through different personalities and names until you find your own identity. A time that has served as an apprenticeship for the team and for the chef himself on how yes and how not, They had to take the next step.
First it was Ricard Camarena Lab, then a Canalla pop-up while they were renovating the Canalla Bistro premises and After this came the famous CocaLoka cokes, while they improved the facilities of Habitual. A versatile and ephemeral space, which despite its triumph had never had a permanent character. Until now.
"I think after try many things there and to see everything that was happening around us, we had two options; either leave space because it was absurd to have something ridden at half throttle or else go for it all, make a proposal that was dynamic and that fits perfectly from the beginning. And for me, it's in that which translates to BAR X”, Ricard Camarena is sincere.
BAR X, Valencia.
“What I was looking for was a proposal that could be attended practically during all hours of the day. We have a schedule from 12:00 a.m. to 00:00 a.m. so in that sense the clientele is welcome at any time, as if they wish to come at 12:00 to have an aperitif and then treat themselves to a culinary tribute or arrive at 4:00 p.m. and spend the afternoon at BAR X”, he adds.
The best? BAR X, is designed to any type of public, without restrictions or social classes, a hedonistic diner who enjoys bite by bite with a quality product and a relaxed atmosphere, but always with the seal that characterizes the house of Ricard Camarena. Here you come to play, and how wonderful!
And let's not overlook that playlist that plays in the background at the stroke of Antonio Vega, Leiva, La Bien Querida, Izal, Los Secretos, Extremoduro, Los Planetas, C.Tangana, Rigoberta Bandini, Vetusta Morla, M-Clan, Kiko Veneno, among others. Must follow her on Spotify!
BAR X, Valencia.
With an uninterrupted kitchen and without the possibility of reservations, Camarena changes the rules of the game and gives the public the possibility of choosing when he prefers to have lunch, dinner, a snack or dinner. "In the end you don't know what the customs of the people are, until you give them a proposal where they can have absolute freedom of choice. From there you realize that not everyone wants to have dinner at 10:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. He doesn't even want to eat at 2:00 p.m. and I'm not just talking about the foreign client,” says the renowned chef.
“BAR X is destined to any type of person, because there is a moment and time for each one of them. It is a real wonder to see that flow of diners of different nationalities, tastes and needs, to be able to cover them all, ”he adds.
THE BAR AND PRODUCT GASTRONOMY
With two clearly differentiated environments -the dining room and bar area-, a gastronomic proposal where quality and the seasonality of the product welcomes the diner among an endless number of hot and cold portions, stronger options, gourmet bites and some scandal desserts.
A semi-fixed menu and a ‘nice’ blackboard that changes daily depending on the market offer where they go all kinds of spoon dishes, seafood and more exclusive sandwiches.
"We don't like letters that compromise to something that later they cannot fulfill, such as having a product that is not going to be as good or as accessible as you want. I like eclectic cards change according to needs of the client and the market”, says Ricard Camarena.
BAR X, Valencia.
This is how we meet a culinary proposal never before seen to date nor in Central Bar, Ricard Camarena Restaurant, Canalla Bistró or Habitual. An example of this is the Ricard Camarena Russian salad to which caviar can be added with a previous supplement, the Ricard Camarena anchovies with butter cream, Barx figatells with caramelized onion and mustard sauce, the bravas from BAR X, the ham and tomato mince croquettes, the fried aubergine with mojo X, feta and parsley, the melted cheese sandwich with truffle, the Iberico secret pepito with “Mullaor”, feta and arugula or the veal nugget, onion, mustard and cheese. For dessert, we highlight the BAR X torrija, the caramel cake and the creamy chocolate cake.
The artificer's favorites from all of this? "That I like them, I'm going to say bravas potatoes. I think they don't look like any, in fact They do not have mayonnaise or garlic oil, they are a very sui generis potato,” he suggests.
“And on the part of the client I think that two dishes are being accepted above all: the garlic prawns with poached egg and straw potatoes; and artichokes with guanciale, egg yolk and cured cheese. A real wonder! But the sandwiches are also attracting a lot of attention, such as the veal nugget with puff pastry bread. Usually everything is soaking through a lot,” he adds.
BAR X, Valencia.
As for the design, is the bar eight meters long the true protagonist of the place. “I wanted to transmit a bar and that everything revolved around it; Castiza but fully updated. After these tough years due to the pandemic, the clientele really wants a bar. Ultimately, it is a authentic, versatile and succulent space”, Camarena sentence.
Without a doubt, BAR X translates into the last challenge of the renowned chef that he has managed to far exceed the expectations set. With five completely different restaurant concepts with his own letter and personality, this only shows that both he and his team of professionals have been able to understand once again what their audience wants and they have managed to give it to him under his personal seal.
2022 arrives strong for Valencia, And what we have left!
Address: Ground floor of the Colón Market (Carrer de Jorge Juan, 19, Valencia)
Schedule: from 12:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. (NON STOP kitchen) Reservations are not accepted.
Half price: €30-35