Joan Roca belongs to that generation of entrepreneurial and visionary high-end chefs that have gradually been turning Girona into a global Epicurean shrine. Roca is the executive chef at El Celler de Can Roca, which he runs with his two younger brothers, Josep and Jordí. Roca has long sought out extraordinary cooking techniques and a particular passion of his has been to explore the links between aromas, flavours and perfume, almost as if he was a sorcerer brewing ingredients for a spell. His relentless work with solidified perfumed smoke typifies this passion well, as does his use of revitalising ancient ingredients that other chefs know little about, for e.g. the common exotic 6th century Persian Empire´s practice of the utilising metallic leafed edible cholesterol lowering foil papers of gold, silver and copper which fill and decorate some of his specialties. Along with the wine chosen by sommelier Josep and the creations of pastry and dessert guru Jordí, Roca’s dishes enable diners to appreciate the sensory quality of food.

The dynamism of the tourist industry, both for professionals and vacationing travellers showed off the world´s wonderful destinations in two new vanguard IFEMA pavilions with an additional 50,000 square metres of exhibition space. Some of the most interesting included: Spain´s Los Paradores, Galicia, La Rioja, The Mediterranean Coast from Costa Brava to Almería, our neighbour & the splendour of Regional Greece, Japan the gastronomic jewel, Hong Kong, The Caribbean Islands, ancient Incan Peru to vanguard Peru, amorous Argentina, The Pousadas Of Portugal, Tahiti, Polynesia, Sardinia, Sicilia & Barí, Apulia and the new, New York City.  

Wagaboo´s entrepreneurs have once again opened another successful  noodle house eatery, located in a 500 m2 designer architect Ignacio García de Vinuesa duplex venue. Baylee Simón, Chef Kiko of Resturante Astrid & Gastón and me enjoyed the fashion noshes which included: New York City thin crisp pizzas, Asian noodle varieties and Italian pastas. Upstairs is a dynamic cocktail bar and lounge. Prices are reasonable and the ambiance is Feng Shui Tribeca Manhattan.    

Restaurant Milos is one of Madrid´s elixirs that make all of life´s caprices a bit more pleasant to deal with. The Greek´s relief button is a phrase they often use to confront challenges, PAME GIA OUZAKI, which translates to, " Let´s go for a little Ouzo " and that´s exactly what Baylee Simón and I have done. Once again, Restaurant Milos reminded me of the quintessential port of call, Nafplion´s cozy Restaurant Old Mansion tucked away on a tiny side street. Greece is extremely rich in food lore, recipes and fresh raw materials. Restaurateur and owner Panagiotis Charalambidis also owns the nine year old Restaurant Mythos and opened Milos in 2002. He was born in Katerini, under the sun sign of perfection and details on September 12th. He came to Spain to study physical education, economics and psychology. Panagiotis was raised in Stuttgart and later spent several years in West Berlin before moving to Madrid. His culinary philosophy is regional Greek and " Whatever you do with great care always has to be divine". He continued saying, " I enjoy feeding Real Madrid Footballers and Getafe too".