Peas return as the star of seasonal menus, celebrated for their versatility and bright, nuanced flavor. In the Catalan coast town of Maresme, two culinary figures, Javier and Sergio Torres from Barcelona, are guiding a renewed admiration for this legume. In a quiet dining room of one of their restaurants, Javier observes that the taste of these small green spheres mirrors the sea breeze and sunny days of the region. The Torres brothers have long maintained a connection to Maresme through their cooking and experimentation, even as they explore moments of inspiration in Madrid at the Gran Meliá Palace hotel complex. The tale of the pea weaves through a modern tasting scene that connects the old stables of a stately home with a contemporary gastronomic launch pad, echoing a twin identity with the humble legume.
Green pearls harvested from Maresme fields such as floreta and garrofal arrive at harvest around dawn, ensuring the grains stay crisp and lively. The early morning bite preserves sweetness, a trait that has roots in agriculture dating back to Neolithic times. Across Europe, these seeds gained renewed fascination during the era of King Louis XIV, the Sun King, who loved fine eating and discovered the legume’s aphrodisiac reputation. Among vegetables and legumes, peas are packed with vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants, contributing to a balanced diet.
With prices typically ranging from eighty to one hundred euros per kilogram, Maresme peas are valued for their carbohydrates, proteins, and minerals that support nerve function, mood stability, and cardiovascular health. The Torres chefs express delight in the moment of the peas popping in the mouth, a simple pleasure intertwined with a family legacy that traces back to the grandmother Catalina and a lifelong passion for cooking that helped earn three Michelin stars.
design ceramics
In Dos Cielos Madrid, signature cuisine meets refined craftsmanship. In 2023 the Torres brothers invited Santos Bregaña, a leading figure in ceramic design renowned for collaborating with world-class chefs. The Navarre-born artist has built a storied career as a table designer for culinary luminaries, including Ferran Adrià, Martín Berasategui, and the Roca brothers. One standout creation is a porcelain interpretation of Maresme peas in a Sélavy design. The collaboration blends artistic vision with tableware excellence, echoing the movement of the peas on a plate and yielding a dreamy, dynamic presentation.
Based on Bregaña’s artwork and concept, the Sélavy collection is produced by Marcel Duchamp’s house and the renowned Bernardaud porcelain line. The goal is to capture nature’s reliefs and the circular ripples that appear when a stone meets water. The prints appear briefly, suggesting motion with no straight lines, only curved forms that convey a gentle, illusory sway. This approach gives the Torres Brothers’ plating a sense of movement and vitality that enhances the dining experience.
2023 new spring menus
With the arrival of spring, Dos Cielos Madrid unveils its seasonal menu options. The Classic Menu presents nine dishes, while the Tasting Menu offers twelve carefully crafted moments of tasting. The Classic Menu features selections such as goose meat served with rich accompaniments, a dish that pairs with sweet potato beet and sobrassada honey, a moqueca style fish preparation, a shrimp and carrot pickle from Huelva, cod tripe Madrileña, and a crispy Iberian pork shoulder. Desserts follow with two options featuring yeast and oil, pear with star anise, and a final course simply titled El Cielo.
The Tasting Menu unfolds with a sequence that includes bread and oil, goose meat, the sweet potato beet with sobrassada and honey, a moqueca, and a signature dish featuring Teardrop Peas from Maresme. Additional plates highlight red pepper, Kalkan beurre blanc with caviar, Pigeon Rice Faisandage, and a controversial and beloved course affectionately known as Breastfeeding Boy’s Shoulders with Pickles. Desserts echo the tasting notes with yeast and oil, pear and star anise, matcha tea, pickled lemon, white chocolate, and a finish that soars to the skies.
The pricing remains accessible for a fine dining experience: the Tasting Menu is set at one hundred five euros, with a pairing option at fifty euros. The Classic Menu comes in at seventy-five euros, with a pairing at thirty-five euros, offering guests a balanced opportunity to explore the season’s flavors through an curated sequence of courses and complementary wines.