WITH THIS RENOVATION, PEPE AIMS TO ADAPT THE SPACE TO HIS SIMPLE YET ELEGANT STYLE OF COOKING.
In November, it will be 63 years since the opening of Casa Solla, a family restaurant that has evolved over the years at the same pace as Pepe Solla, its owner and second generation of the restaurant and fourth generation of restaurateurs. Since Pepe took over the restaurant in 2003 (although he had been working there with his parents since the late 80s), his non-conformist spirit and his vitality have meant that he has always been at the forefront of change. During the more than 30 years that have passed since then, Casa Solla has undergone a gradual but significant transformation, gradually stripping itself of dispensable elements to get closer and closer to its essence, but without losing its identity.
The best way to start with the explanation of this change is with a statement by Pepe himself: “We are happy with the result of this renovation. I think we needed it; I needed it because somehow, I had the feeling that the body had been separated from the soul. The soul of the cuisine we do at Casa Solla has evolved towards a more product-based approach, simplicity, reality, and proximity. Now, I wanted this to be reflected outside in the dining room and in the atmosphere, we create for our customers. Now everything has a roundness with which we feel very comfortable, and we hope that the diner also perceives this”.
Among the most visual changes are the black oak tables, which are treated using an ancient Japanese technique known as Shou Sugi Ban, which is used to protect and strengthen the wood, making it more resistant and durable. The woods have been carefully torch-burned, a process that not only beautifies them, but also brings out their natural grain. When you run your hand over its surface, you can perceive a singular texture, which invites you to touch and feel it, evoking the same sensation that you experience when caressing a person’s skin. This detail, as well as being aesthetically attractive, adds a tactile dimension to the gastronomic experience at Casa Solla.
These new tables accomplish not only this purpose, but also tell a story of tradition and craftsmanship, combining the best of ancestral techniques with contemporary design. This black wood gives a natural look to the space, but also makes the handcrafted and natural tableware used in the restaurant, stand out in a special way, creating a striking visual contrast and elevating the presentation of each dish.
Some areas of the walls and the ceiling of the dining room have been covered with black cloth. This, in combination with the traditional Galician granite on the walls and the side tables, the black wood of the tables, and the iron, create a unique and enveloping atmosphere.
Changes have also been made in another essential aspect of Casa Solla, the lighting, which for Pepe is fundamental in his restaurant. This change turns Casa Solla into two different restaurants: one during the day and the other at night. The daytime lighting focuses on taking advantage of the natural light from the large windows that blend in with the rural Galician landscape in which the restaurant is set, creating a fresh and luminous atmosphere. And the night lighting, which now projects directly onto each table, uses warmer, more intimate tones, providing a cozy and elegant atmosphere while creating a sense of privacy and exclusivity. This adjustment not only enhances the dining experience, but also highlights the versatility of the space, adapting to the different sensations and expectations of guests depending on the time of day.
But not all the changes are visible immediately, some can be appreciated when enjoying the dining experience. Such as the installation of sound-absorbing panels, which has been key to achieving an acoustically isolated environment, eliminating unwanted echoes and noises. The combination of the two factors mentioned above, allows each table to become a universe of its own, offering guests an intimate and singular gastronomic experience.
For Pepe, working with Galician producers and brands, both in the kitchen and in all other possible aspects, is not a priority, it is a responsibility. And proof of this is that the dining room team now also wears new uniforms made by Zara, oversize style, which maintains the elegant touch, but also gives comfort to the team. It is less classic, trendier, and in line with Pepe’s cuisine.
Pepe’s aim with all these changes is clear: that every element in Casa Solla, from the furniture to the smallest detail, contributes to creating a welcoming and sophisticated atmosphere, in line with the gastronomy on offer, and he considers that now “with this refurbishment I feel that our space is harmony the gastronomic proposal that we currently offer”.
The changes that had been gradually taking place in the gastronomic offer also demanded this change in the dining room. Changes that have brought them to the present moment, which for Pepe is “my best moment. Not as a chef, but as a person. I am going through a good time in my life, I feel happy and surer than ever that we are on the right track. I just want to share this good energy that I feel with all those who come to visit us. Furthermore, I hope to be able to share all this with them through what my team and I build in each service at Casa Solla”.
Over the years, Pepe has been accentuating his style, a way of understanding cuisine that is born in the landscape of his beloved Galicia and in his memory. A memory that is linked to the craftsmen of the sea and the land because Pepe was born in a restaurant overlooking the sea. Nestled in the Galician countryside surrounded by small farms, leiras where the locals worked for their own supply. He grew up watching his parents cook seafood and fish from their Atlantic and his grandmother vegetables from their farm, and these two sources of supply had long since become the main protagonists of his menus. As a result of Solla’s joint work with Roberto, from Artesans da Pesca, his main supplier of everything that comes from the sea, they have managed to improve some aspects such as stress-free slaughtering or bleeding for the fish. With the development of these practices, they have achieved greater respect for the product and ensured that it reaches the diner with the best quality without the slightest intervention. For vegetables, at Casa Solla they source their produce from several organic or biodynamic gardens. They give up having their own vegetable garden to promote the development of rural areas, generate an economy around them and be able to have a greater and better supply of vegetables.
The presence of the vegetable garden had been noticeable for years in the menus of Casa Solla, where vegetables appeared in the last dishes of the menu, as opposed to the usual, where they are placed at the beginning. When Pepe made this reorganization, it was because he didn’t want the menus to end with strong dishes. Opting for a decreasing order in terms of strength, he positioned the meat a little after the middle of the menu to end with the vegetables. On one hand, to lighten the sensation of heaviness in a long menu. And, on the other hand, to raise the prominence of the vegetables, placing them in the last dishes, those that close the savory part and at the same time are closer to the diners’ memory.
After 30 years of cooking, he tells us that “I feel more and more this need and this dependence on making dishes with the sea and the vegetable garden, there is nothing that I feel more like right now because memory marks you”. Following this idea, he has been working along these lines for years, “from now on the menus we serve at Casa Solla are based on fish, seafood, seaweed… and with a vegetable garden that is more present than ever, with vegetables, leaves, stems, roots, from the farms or from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, the new menus have a first part dedicated to the sea and a second part dedicated to the vegetable garden. But of course, being sensitive to a part of the public, we offer as an option the possibility of adding a meat dish to the menus when requested in your reservation. We do not intend to be restrictive in our gastronomic philosophy. But we believe in what we do, and in that line, we prepare the menus. That’s the form, although the essence will continue to be the same as it has always been respect for the product, with the right amount of creativity and evolution, without falling into fashions, but always attentive to the avant-garde”.
This close relationship that they have with their suppliers from the garden and the sea, they also have a close relationship with the Galician craftsmen in charge of making the tableware for Casa Solla. Several years ago, they decided to stop using classic crockery and, in this aspect too, they opted for local artisans such as Ana or Xaime, who create crockery for them that help them to put their story into context.
Casa Solla, which has held its MICHELIN Star uninterruptedly since 1980 and 3 Repsol Suns since 2014 (being also the first Galician to obtain this distinction), begins a new stage in the middle of summer. This season is one of the most special times of the year to visit them because you can also enjoy the garden with its characteristic horreo that presides outside. And Pepe begins this new stage of the journey with an illusion that he is constantly renewing and with a motivation to continue evolving. Now with a proposal that, with all the changes implemented, breathes more than ever, coherence and harmony in all its facets.