Chef Jordi Roca Opens Rocambolesc Bikinería

Jordi Roca, one of the chefs behind the world-famous restaurant El Celler de Can Roca, is about to open a new locale: Rocambolesc Bikinería. Located in Girona, the Bikineria will specialize in bikinis, a Catalan word for a ham and cheese sandwich.

Roca will serve a selection of gourmet sandwiches featuring ham and cheese, which will indubitably be the protagonist, as well as vegetarian options and also sandwiches with jamón ibérico and truffle.

The Bikinería will also serve freshly-squeezed apple juice, thanks to a collaboration with Protected Geographical Indication Poma de Girona. This PGI comprises almost 80 families producing top-flight Golden, Gala, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith apples in the Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà, El Gironès, and La Selva areas.

The classic ham and cheese sandwich, also known in Spain as a sandwich mixto, became known as a bikini thanks to a venue in Barcelona called Sala Bikini. Their specialty was grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, which became so famous in the 1950s that they were eventually referred to as bikinis.

This will be the third Rocambolesc locale. Roca opened the first one, an ice cream parlour, back in 2012. It was followed by a candy store called Rocambolesc Confiteria, and is now followed by this sandwich shop, which is set to open its doors on September 15^th just a stone’s throw from the two other stores. This is also the first time Rocambolesc project focuses on savory food instead of sweet. Jordi Roca is the pastry chef of El Celler de Can Roca (3 Michelin stars). In 2014 he won the first World's Best Pastry Chef award from Restaurant magazine.