It’s a scent I’ve always really liked. Scents have always caught my attention, and this one in particular takes me back to Spain – to the damp earth in the mountains and the olive trees at our house after a storm. I like what it represents. At Petricor, I cook the sort of food I like to eat, using good ingredients, putting in a lot of hard work, and without overcomplicating things just for the sake of it.

I was born in Brussels and grew up here. I studied cookery in Madrid and then worked in France and Spain. I spent six years as head chef at Montia, near Madrid. After many years working for others, I was keen to open my own restaurant. Brussels seemed like the right place to do it. I have friends and family here; it’s a city with a good quality of life and one where I feel at home.

Both set menus follow the same culinary philosophy, but one is shorter and the other allows you to try more dishes. I work a lot with seasonal produce and ingredients I like: game, offal, vegetables, snails… Sauces also play a very important role in my cooking.

My cuisine has, shall we say, a Spanish foundation, but it is also influenced by the years I spent in France and Belgium. I like to work with local producers, without giving up Spanish products such as our own olive oil or certain items that are only made in Spain. I don’t set out to cook the cuisine of any particular country, nor do I want to be labelled as a Spanish restaurant, because it isn’t one.

I think it’s a great way to meet other Spaniards who’ve decided to set up businesses in Belgium, share experiences and forge links. For our part, I’d like Petricor to be a meeting place too, where members can discover our cuisine and have a good time.