Dani García is an expert in making history when it comes to Michelin stars. In 2018 the restaurant that carried his name won a third star, but months later he closed it: this concept wasn’t for him. I decided what I wanted to do was «turn the pyramid upside down», and reach more people. I started to create more gastronomic concepts that still had their roots in high-end cuisine but were more accessible to a wider audience. A decision that not everyone understood, but that made him discover a freedom he craved.
This year, Dani García has stolen the show again. The Michelin Guide inspectors have awarded his work once more and granted two stars to the Smoked Room, a restaurant that has only been open for six months. «I wasn’t searching for it», the Malaga-born chef declares, explaining that the accolade has arrived in a very different context.
In one of the many trips he makes throughout the year, Dani García personally launched the BiBo Ibiza season in June in a whirlwind trip.
How are you facing this second season of BiBo in Ibiza?
Well, we’ve been evolving the brand generally, and we’ve done the same here. The BiBo brand is nine years old now: it was born one way but over time we’ve started to see the world differently, so it has changed with the times. Now we do all this first part, which is the spirit of BiBo, with brioches, yellow ceviche, our classic fried sea bass… A section of the menu where you can have more fun. And the second part is focussed purely on the local products surrounding us. The lobster is from here, for example, with garnishes and lots more protein, showcasing the product itself.
What was BiBo like when it started?
Previously, BiBo was much sweeter in this sense, with more sauces… a heavier concept in terms of taste too. And we have been refining it little by little, which is what we do here at BiBo Ibiza.
He turned away from the world of haute cuisine after receiving three Michelin stars, but does something of this type of cooking remain, even if you are now seeking a more informal concept?
It’s always there. Now you can find an Ibizan red prawn tartare with a hint of curry and caviar, which presented on a different type of plate and in a different ambience could fit perfectly in a Michelin-starred restaurant. After all, we came from this point of the pyramid and there are certain things, that special way of cooking, the conceptual form of creating and using the product, which stem from there. With fine dining you are accustomed to using the best of the best with the best techniques. Here too we put this into reality.
i design the menu, the dishes. i sit down with the team and we create it, but i don’t cook
BiBo is located in many different locations: Ibiza, Madrid, Marbella, Tarifa, Doha and London. How do you manage to mould this concept to the different cultures?
It adapts. There is a unifying thread through all of them, but clearly you can’t create exactly the same BiBo in Qatar as you can on the beach at Tarifa, in Marbella, Madrid, Ibiza or London. Even in London it wouldn’t be the same in another district other than Shoreditch, which is where we are located. So, even in the same city, BiBo has different connotations. There are always 10 or 15 dishes that are the soul of BiBo, and others that are adapted according to the place we are in: whether it’s the city, a hotel, which is the case here, and also what you are surrounded by.
Before setting up anywhere, you need to do some research. How well did you know the island before opening BiBo Ibiza Bay?
Ibiza is relatively easy. It’s harder when you go to places like Qatar, where culturally things are very different: for example, you can’t use pork, you can’t cook with alcohol… That’s where I discovered that there is an alcohol-free wine for cooking. You learn a lot more. Ibiza for us is much closer, because apart from the proximity, I’ve been coming here for years.
What do you appreciate about Ibiza’s cuisine?
The bullit de peix, products from here like the lobster, the red prawn, a great allioli and a selection of recipes and products that I understand to perfection. I love things from here, and also from Formentera. This extraordinarily different way of preparing European lobster or shiny lobster with fried egg and potatoes, which I don’t do here, but I serve it at Lobito. We have it in the restaurant because I learnt the recipe here.
ibiza for us is much closer, because apart from the proximity, I’ve been coming here for years.
Which side of Ibiza do you like the best?
I like the chilled side, the coves, the Caribbean-like sea, and eating with my feet in the sand in fascinating places
Very like your concept at BiBo.
Yes, very in line with our concept. It’s not in tune with the more hedonistic, partying vibe. Although the food here is a party in itself. We opened the first BiBo here nine years ago, but the years have passed and what we did then -guacamole, ceviches or the tartare- everyone is doing now. So we keep evolving and offering new things.
This evolution is happening in BiBo Ibiza as well?
Yes, I was just talking to my partner about how well the menu has been received here. Soon we will be opening BiBo in another location in Marbella and I told him we could practically replicate the menu from here. Therefore, Ibiza represents this first leap in Spain of this BiBo that has the same spirit but also thinks more about the product, along cleaner lines than before. Before, it was all about battered hake, with caramelised piquillo peppers, herb sauce… The cooking had this American influence that I loved. Nine years later it has grown, matured and you want to do something else. So it’s about keeping the heart of BiBo but with a second act showcasing the product more. You need to know where you are, what to do, what to offer and know what your customers want.
I learnt to cook lobster with fried egg and potatoes here, and I included it at Lobito
What is a BiBo Ibiza customer like?
Here we have customers that travel the world and know exactly what they want. People pay a lot to be here.
You must be fed up with people saying he ran away from three stars and now he’s suddenly earned two more for Smoked Room.
Yes, that’s life. But it’s a completely different scenario. I wasn’t looking for it. I always said that if I came back, it would be in this setting where I find myself today. It’s not the same having three stars in a place that bears your name, where everyone expects to see you every night dressed like a chef, than at Smoked, where I have never cooked, nor do I intend to. If you see a photo of me at Smoked, you won’t see me dressed in chef’s whites. My team is there for that. You have to respect this fact. I design the menu, the dishes. I sit down with the team, and we create it. But my name isn’t on the door.
Doesn’t it feel the same as having three stars?
The person that doesn’t have to feel the same is the customer. Smoked has the same importance to me as BiBo Ibiza, despite Smoked having two stars. What does matter to me is how the customer perceives it, which means they will go there regardless of whether Dani García is there or not. This was fundamental to me. I’m not afraid, I’m not weighed down by the responsibility of it all. Firstly, because I have my team, and secondly because this restaurant is much better than our last one with three stars. I’m not worried.
And in spite of all the restaurants you have worldwide, you feel much more liberated…
Yes, I feel completely free. I’m not going to lead the kitchen at BiBo Marbella, or BiBo Madrid, or at Lobito in Qatar, or at Leña in Miami, or even at Casa Dani in New York. This is clear and we want to be honest with the message we transmit.
How many restaurants do you have on the go at the moment?
The truth is, I’m not sure, I think by the end of the year it will be about 22. We are opening three more this summer, and then we start overseas: Paris, Amsterdam, Miami, Dubai…
Do you have time to enjoy life?
Over the years I have begun to learn how to measure things out a little, within my circumstances, which aren’t always easy. I’ve learnt how to take two days off when I need to. Over time you realise that you need to freshen up. It is better to work five full days mentally, because now my job is psychological, it is not the physical work of being in the kitchen.
What’s the hardest thing about your work now?
It’s essential to be able to see everything clearly. In a company like ours, where there are such different brands, I am totally obsessed with what the customer of each brand perceives. It has to be clearly defined what you are going to get when you go to one of the restaurants, and this requires important psychological work.
Do you have any new projects planned for Ibiza?
We’ve had a very serious offer to open Leña here. They are ongoing proposals, and one is already under way. I like it, but it is true that we are becoming more cautious and demanding about what we can or cannot do. But yes, it’s quite likely that we’ll have something on the beach next year here. Another brand, with the same ownership. I hope we manage to close the deal; I really like the idea. I also have my eyes on Formentera. I believe and I predict we will do more things.