Ekaterina Pugacheva – food expert, publisher, collector, gastronomic producer, and Chair of The World's 50 Best Restaurants Academy for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (a region that also includes Poland) – has written an exclusive series for BlackGuide.PL about the most memorable and unusual gastronomic experiences she has had over the past 365 days.

For ease of reading, the series will be published in three parts. We begin with Europe (including Poland!), before moving on to Southeast Asia, followed by Latin America and South Africa.

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Spain

«When it comes to Europe, I still spend most of my time in Spain. Perhaps because it never stops surprising me. There are so many distinctive chefs here, so many diverse approaches and perspectives on contemporary gastronomy. Even those who came through elBulli have ultimately found their own voice. Trying to compare them simply doesn't make sense.

Of course, my greatest love is DiverXO. And I have quite a story with that restaurant.

I remember my very first visit perfectly. My expectations were sky-high, but the company I was with simply wasn't the right one. Sometimes that's all it takes. The people around the table shape the entire evening. I enjoyed the food, but I never had that real wow moment. So, I came back.

The second visit changed everything. It made me realise how mistaken my first impression had been. A third visit followed, then another, and another. With each dinner, the restaurant unveiled yet another facet of its character. And every time proved more captivating than the one before.

Watching Dabiz Muñoz evolve has always been one of my greatest pleasures. I've known him for years, and I've told him so on many occasions. As he changes as a person, his cooking changes with him, and that, to me, is one of the most remarkable things about any chef. You don't just come back for a new menu; you come to see the next turn in a living creative story. That's precisely why DiverXO's fame feels so thoroughly well-deserved.

I had a very similar experience with Hiša Franko. I met Ana Roš long before I first travelled to Kobarid. Until then, I'd only experienced her cooking at guest dinners and collaborative events. When I finally visited the restaurant itself, everything fell into place. Since then, I've returned almost every year.

And every year I notice the same thing: Ana herself continues to evolve. Her cuisine becomes lighter, more contemporary and more honest, while remaining unmistakably her own. That's something I always find inspiring.

A similar story unfolded with DSTAgE. I'd known Diego Guerrero for years, but I only got to try his cooking for the first time last year, at a collaborative dinner. It was such a revelation that I booked a trip to Madrid on the spot. The visit itself was truly transformative – new meanings, unexpected ideas, and daring combinations I'd never encountered before.

And that, for me, is the beauty of Spain's culinary landscape right now: put Dabiz, Diego, Albert, and many other talented chefs side by side, and any attempt to rank them collapses. They exist in completely different creative universes.

Albert Adrià, however, occupies a category entirely of his own. I don't think there's another chef who moves so naturally between such different restaurant formats. I've visited all of his restaurants, and not one resembles another. For many years, my favourite was Tickets. I loved everything about it – the idea behind the restaurant, its atmosphere and, of course, its extraordinary dessert bar. It's a shame that Tickets is no longer around, but thankfully Enigma showcases the full spectrum of Albert's ideas and professional craftsmanship.

To be honest, over the past 6 months I hardly looked for new restaurants in Spain. There are simply too many places I genuinely want to return to. The only exceptions were DSTAgE, which I've already mentioned, and Emi.

Poland

My latest visit to Warsaw was another wonderful reminder of how exciting the city's restaurant scene has become.

The two restaurants that impressed me most were Nuta and Rozbrat 20. To me, they represent two completely different yet equally fascinating personalities. Rozbrat 20 is incredibly precise, meticulously composed and even slightly restrained. Nuta, on the other hand, is deeply emotional and delightfully unconventional, yet every course feels like a carefully directed script.

That's exactly what I look for in restaurants. What matters to me isn't simply understanding a chef's style but it's feeling his or her personality through the food. Thanks to food, I've met some truly fascinating people in Warsaw, and Nuta stands out as one of the most compelling examples of that connection

I also discovered a small Moroccan restaurant called Dom Otwarty, run by a Polish-Moroccan couple, an authentic and heartfelt project that feels distinctly Polish while remaining unlike anything else. Those are exactly the kinds of places that stay with you.

I'm already looking forward to returning to Warsaw to discover more restaurants, and meet more people. This time, I only had three days.

Portugal

Portugal left a particularly strong impression on me this year. It's one of those places where you realise that everything in gastronomy begins with the product.

One of my favourite discoveries was Canalha, João Rodrigues' bistro. It's one of those places where simply cooking a beautiful fish or squid is enough, because the product itself is so exceptional that it needs almost nothing else. That's exactly the feeling I had there.

I was equally curious about the JNcQUOI group of restaurants. Over the course of my visit, I tried nearly all of them, and what struck me most was how completely distinctive each one felt. Different formats, different occasions, different moods. Yet what remained constant across all of them was the unmistakable commitment: the precision of the service, the quality of the product, and the sheer care that went into every detail.

Take JNcQUOI Asia, for instance. I'll admit I've always been rather sceptical of the term pan-Asian cuisine. Here, however, it turned out to mean something clear and logical. Let me clarify: Portugal has long-standing historical ties with many parts of Asia, and those connections are reflected in its cuisine in a way that feels completely natural. When Japanese, Chinese, Indian and Thai dishes appear on the same menu, nothing feels forced here.

The same owners have also recently opened an outstanding seafood restaurant, JNcQUOI Fish, as well as a new fine dining project. It's still at an early stage, but even now it's easy to see its great potential.

Czech Republic

In Prague, there are two restaurants I always enjoy returning to: Marie B and Alma.

The first completely redefines what dinner can be. You don't simply spend an evening at a restaurant – you think, you're surprised, you reflect, and you discuss everything you've seen and tasted. Alma, meanwhile, is the perfect example of the kind of restaurant you can return to time and time again, knowing that every visit will leave you with an equally wonderful impression»

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