Adelf Morales’ gastronomic adventure began during his childhood, when he discovered, thanks to family trips, the kitchens of Arzak, Casa Nicolasa, Casa Botín or the Jockey in Madrid. ‘These were the places where the cuisine of this country was born’, reflects the Topik chef.

Afterwards, his concerns and preferences directed his steps towards the Escuela de Hostelería de Barcelona (ESHOB). ‘I preferred a profession that didn’t bore me and cooking is limitless, you never know enough, it gives you good and bad moments and it is very grateful’, says Adelf, who worked as a chef at Martín Berasategui in Lasarte; Bodegón de Alejandro, in San Sebastián; Ca’Sento in Valencia, Ca l’Isidre in Barcelona and Arzak in San Sebastián before packing his bags and heading for Italy to work at AnticaOsteria del Ponte in Milan, Pierino Penati in Leco and later as head chef at the Casino in San Remo. That Italian trip allowed him to delve more deeply into what for Adelf is the essence of cooking: the product: ‘I peeled partridges, I worked with white truffles, I learnt the process of a well-made “fondo”…’.

When he returned to Barcelona, he decided to take the leap to Japan, where he spent three years travelling and learning. ‘I was fascinated and continue to be fascinated by Japanese cuisine because of the respect it shows for the product. I’ve been in izakayas (taverns), in traditional restaurants in Osaka… The only thing I’ve always invested in is travelling and going to eat in different places to learn. And Japan is another world.

On his return and after taking part in several gastronomic projects, including the restaurant Cinc Plats, he opened the restaurant Topik in 2009 with his wife, the interior designer Eva Mele.

Adelf Morales, who conceives cuisine as an experiential experience, has an obsession: respect for the product. Everything in his kitchen revolves around this simple and necessary concept. ‘The less you touch the product, the better’. This is the essence of his cuisine, which we summarise in 7 ideas that reflect Topik’s philosophy.

1-Cooking: ‘Cooking is a set of experiences. I always try to recreate my experiences based on the product, which is the basis of everything. The more you respect it, the better. And I don’t forget tradition, which is essential to understand cooking’.

2-Memory: ‘I remember going to Arzak as a child and, as they didn’t have a children’s menu, they served me the scorpion fish pie. I was amazed! Or when I went to Casa Nicolasa, they served me the baby squid they prepared and, afterwards, the dessert trolley, with rice pudding’.

3-Smells and flavours: ‘I’m fascinated by the sweetness of Japanese cuisine in all its dishes, or the image of walking through certain Japanese neighbourhoods where the restaurants use embers for cooking and the aroma of the soya when it falls over the coals, a mixture of burnt and caramelised smells. And also the smells of seafood, fish, paella, and a reducing fumet. Clean and polished aromas.

4-Ingredients: ‘Soy sauce, sake and rice. I couldn’t live without rice.

5-Equipment: ‘The robata (Japanese barbecue)’.

6-Creative process: ‘First, the product. After that, I try to be consistent and respect the flavour. It’s my way of understanding cooking.

7-Hobbies: ‘Family, travelling, good wine, eating out and learning new things’.