Hëtta, the new Swedish restaurant in Barcelona.
To resolve this thorny issue we brought together a committee of wise men formed by journalists, gastronomes and other people of bad living who recommend their findings of the year. They will not be all those who are, but they are all those who are. Let our guests speak.
Mikel Iturriaga doubts between the Lee ( the old Sichuan L'Olla , everyone's favorite Chinese, dusted off and fine-tuned) or Chi Nanit (the reincarnation of Nanit, at _42 Carrer de Martínez de la Rosa) _, but he ends up betting on the Makan Makan _(Carrer de la Luna 4) _:
“It is a very small Asian restaurant in El Raval in which the chef from Chinese-Indonesian roots Andrew Finanta prepares dishes not only from those countries, but also from Thailand or Vietnam . Nothing new under the sun if it weren't for the fact that, unlike other more standardized (and therefore boring) pan-Asian venues, you find not too hackneyed delicacies , very faithful to the spirit of their kitchens of origin and as simple as they are tasty. the atmosphere is zero pretentious, almost familiar, and if you go you should take it easy: almost everything is made at the moment, and freshness is paid for with patience”.
Isabel Acevedo opts for Marimorena (Carrer Loreto 24-26), the restaurant where Albert Mendiola was Cuiner de l'Any 2018:
“Mendiola has fulfilled a dream: to bring to the center of Barcelona a little piece of his land, Sant Boi, and his local cuisine, based on the products that he carefully chooses from small producers in the Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat. I love it because it is a spacious restaurant, where you can eat calmly, without having another diner breathing on your back or next to you, and where you can enjoy the authentic Baix Llobregat cuisine. Cuisine without artifice, based on lifelong products reinterpreted by Albert Mendiola, such as those already mythical embossed bravas potatoes… They can be loved or hated, but at least they are original”.
Marimorena embossed potatoes
Laia Zieger has few doubts when we ask her about her favorite new restaurant: “My 'coup de coeur' for this 2018 is, without a doubt, the Valmas restaurant (Carrer de Mallorca 235). Why? Among so much fashion of healthy, ceviche, hamburger and now Cajun cuisine, it is good to find a restaurant that goes by itself, that does not respond only to trends. Valmas is a brave proposal, opened by two daring young women who, basically, do whatever they want, always with great respect for the product and adapting to the taste of the diners. It is noticeable in refined, elegant and very feminine creations in which the mixes work perfectly. Every morning they go to the market and with what they buy they improvise recipes that come to the table as a surprise, after asking the tastes and requirements of each of its clients. Each dish is good, elegant, surprising, beautiful and the price is very, very accessible. A great find!”
Shrimp rolls with their heads sauce and wasabi mayonnaise, at Valmas Barcelona.
Patricia Castán , who also declares herself a fan of Marimorena, chooses the newcomer Zero Patatero (Passatge Mercantil, 1) : “Although the issue of km 0 seems trite, the cuisine here gives an amazing boost to the raw material of proximity and very small producers. A sweet potato stewed with mushrooms becomes a delicacy suitable for carnivores, cauliflower explodes in the mouth al dente and reinvented, poached egg with potato foam and garlic confit with mushrooms and roast juice in perfect balance, free-range veal rib... everything has a meaning and a happy ending. And for more inri you can drink rich bio wines! The correct prices and in the kitchen exude love".
At Zero Patatero they serve casual and Km 0 cuisine.
Llibert Figueras has a clear answer from him: “The degree of happiness generated by each dish of the tiny Direkte Boqueria (Carrer de les Cabres 13) is difficult to beat in any other restaurant in Barcelona. A bar with only eight chairs make the small restaurant run by Arnau Muñío and Shu Zhang one of the best gastronomic surprises of the year. Its location surrounded by tourists (under the arches of Mercado la Boqueria ) keeps it relatively unknown to the general public, and fervently adored by fans of good food. The impeccable dishes of Direkte Boqueria promise to leave your ass glued to the bar during the hour and three quarters of its tasting menu. Leave some room at the end for one of the best cheesecakes in the country."
Esqueixada of tuna, grapes and crumbs in Direkte Boqueria.
Laura Conde chooses the Saó (Cesare Cantú 2), a stone's throw from the Penitents metro: "This open restaurant in the upper area of Barcelona brings together everything I like: seasonal cuisine and proximity (its chef, Juanen Benavent, tanned in the Michelin star Goust, in Paris, among other references such as Can Fabes or El Submarino, buys directly from producers in the area), concise, very technical in its simplicity, without fireworks and with a large presence of fruits and vegetables from the local garden . Benavent slightly reinterprets the usual recipes in two menus that change every week, and he does it with intelligence and honesty, in a kitchen that reminds us a lot of that of another benchmark, Xavier Pellicer. The place is what you expect when you enter a gastronomic restaurant, so better Lovers of noisy taverns and eatery ambience refrain: Saó is a real gastronomic, sober and elegant, which also has a sensational offer of local wines".
Strawberry gazpacho at the Saó restaurant.
Philippe Regol leans towards Slow and Low (Carrer del Comte Borrell 119) : “I think it's one of the most interesting things that has appeared in Barcelona this year. It's a personal project and it's the kind of project I like to support. Francesc Beltri is a young chef from Barcelona who opened a restaurant with traveling cuisine in the lively neighborhood of Sant Antoni, 200 meters from the renovated Market of him. So far everything normal and even banal. Trendy cuisine in a trendy place in a trendy neighborhood. But I think that the dinner I had there goes a little beyond the usual. I found a remarkable quest for excellence, honesty and good taste, both in the interior design of the premises (carried out by Sánchez Guisado Arquitectos) and in the audacity of the kitchen seen with its bar almost immersed between the stoves or the kitchen of an unusual level. And of course on the plates! Francesc traveled the world for a few years, with long stays in London or Bali, and repeated visits to Singapore. He opened his eyes to these new flavors and learned to master them, tame them and integrate them into the DNA of the Mediterranean cuisine that he claims. Saving all the distances, a bit of a Dabiz Muñoz effect”.
Francesc Beltri from Slow and Low traveled the world for a few years and learned new flavours.
Johann Wald could not choose another one other than Hetta (Passatge de Marimon 5) : “I have been able to get to know the Hetta restaurant from deep inside, as a stagier, and I have seen how it has evolved in a few crucial months, with changes in personnel and adaptations of its original concept. I have witnessed how the chef Alberto Sambinelli has fought against enough adversity day by day to form a solid team of excellent chefs, all working in sight and serving the dishes at the table. It is quite a unique restaurant, which has managed to take over from Xavier Pellicer's Céleri and bring it down to a much more affordable level in general. Remains a kitchen where vegetarians can enjoy as much as omnivores (I highlight what they have been able to do with lettuce and some pickles, or the calcined tomato stuffed with basil oil) and the atmosphere of the place is bright and quite fun, especially at night. Ideal both for groups of four to six people who want to come on top and for sappy couples who can stand looking at each other all through dinner in whispers”.
In the Hetta restaurant, the vegetarian dishes stand out.
Carmen Alcaraz del Blanco agrees with him on the benefits of Hetta: "Not only did he take over the space at Céleri de X.Pellicer, he has also managed to maintain the atmosphere, the demand and the commitment to the product, now under the leadership of Olof Johanson and your brilliant team. The menu consists of nine ingredients (onion, herbaceous, aubergine, egg, oyster, cod, cuttlefish, duck and veal) which are in turn transformed into three dishes with an autonomous identity thanks to their technical skill, especially with the marinated and smoked dishes. Open workshop in an interior where the Nordic and the Mediterranean dialogue through materials such as stone, clay, iron, wicker and raw cement ; a setting consistent with the philosophy of a menu without artifice, organic and clean. Foolproof and affordable.”
Lourdes López sets her sights on Terrassa and her La taberna del Ciri (Carrer ďAntoni Torrella, 66, Terrassa): “Pending the reopening next February of her star-studded Capritx under the new name and the new formula of Aürt in the Hilton Diagonal Mar, I think that La Taverna del Ciri has become one of the most interesting openings of this 2018. At least, for a few of us who are dedicated to this gastro thing. The reason? Artur Martínez and television channel Marc Ribes opted to open one of those eating houses with delicious dishes, without too many complications or formalities, in which you exhaust the basket of bread. Old furniture, war glasses and tableware from the bustle: delight for renegades of conceptual menus. The downside is that it is in Tarrassa and its menu of 15 euros during the week catches me a bit far; so on the weekend I get even, it costs 20”.
Coconut and pumpkin flan at La Taverna del Ciri.
Luisa Ramos selects the Barcelona version of the already consolidated Fismuler in Madrid (Carrer del Rec Comtal 17) : “Fismuler landing in Barcelona has been one of the best things that could happen on the Barcelona scene in 2018. After the success which had its opening in Madrid, Nino Redruello and Patxi Zumárraga, together with Jaime Santianes, three former bullinians, settle on the ground floor of the Hotel Rec to offer a tasty and simple meal (in appearance) that extracts all the possible juice extolling any of the products used for its elaborations. A restaurant where we don't find a menu, with a more than seductive menu that will make you salivate”.
Fismuler's menu changes daily depending on the vagaries of the market.