Catalan cheeses and 80s dishes that make chef Quim Marqués happy

BarcelonaPiropo is three minutes from Santa Magdalena, the restaurant that chef Quim Marqués opened two years ago in Barcelona's Gràcia neighborhood with his eldest daughter, Paula. "We wanted to open another, more informal one," childrenwhere they serve Catalan cheeses and eight dishes"," they both explain one afternoon in January, just a few hours before the start of their night service. After searching for premises in Gràcia, they've just opened on one of the streets named after a precious stone, Carrer del Topazi. They've dedicated countless hours to their new venture, creating a luxurious and exquisite design, and above all, vintage and drinks that will surely receive praise.

Let's start at the entrance. Except for the restaurant's name, all the signs, texts, and menus are written in Catalan. The door reads "bistro de voz baja" (low-voice bistro), because father and daughter envisioned the restaurant as a late-afternoon space, with warm lighting, wine-colored decor, and tiles on both the walls and floor. More declarations of principles appear on the same door: "We are a small bistro in Gràcia where the cuisine has intention and the wine has character. With a touch of playfulness in the dish and in the gaze. We like things made with love: the cut of the wood, the weight of the glass, and conversations that stretch on without us even realizing it. We don't come. We don't come. We don't come. You."

Inside, there are several spaces. The first is a few tables by the entrance door, near an old-fashioned record player.As Carlos Pérez de Rozas does in Pompa“,” Quim Marqués tells me. The second space is long and narrow, with tables that can be joined together for groups. Mirrors adorn the walls and ceiling, promising countless photos of the diners. The floor is covered in gleaming, warm, wine-colored tiles. And finally, at the heart of it all, the joyful sounds of the cooks preparing the dishes. “We really enjoy serving at the bar; we also do it at Santa Magdalena, and here we want to emphasize it even more,” the father and daughter explain. In total, Piropo has space for thirty-four chairs, and they have already catered for groups of twenty-two.

Macaroni, stew, croquettes

And now, the menu. Both Quim and Paula liked the idea of serving Catalan cheese boards in collaboration with the affineur Caseus, from Granollers: "It fits with our philosophy of supporting local products." The cheeses are the stars, but not the only ones, as there are also... dishesvintage, as they call the recipes that they say they wanted to recover especially from the eighties.

You'll find dates with almonds and belly wraps; lettuce with pear, blue cheese and walnuts; croque-monsieurThat is, a bikini with béchamel sauce au gratin with Catalan cheese on top; homemade country-style pâté; macaroni with grapes and guanciale; vitello tonnato –"which is not a dish" vintage"But we like it a lot," they point out; beef stew and especially the roast croquettes from Santa Magdalena, which in two years have become a classic.

"Every week, we go through three hundred of them at Santa Magdalena alone, and we have a chef who dedicates part of his day to them," says Quim, adding that they're made with roast beef, prunes, raisins, onion, tomato, and cinnamon. For dessert, you'll find options along the same lines: whisky cake; flan, the Santa Magdalena flan; and cream profiteroles with chocolate. On the menu, beer and wine take center stage. Pay attention to the beer, which will bear the restaurant's name, and which Paula and Quim have brewed with an idea tied to their shared philosophy: it's natural, unfiltered, toasted, and has a citrusy finish. It's a Märzenbier style and is specially brewed for them by Estrella Damm.

Finally, the new restaurant in the Gràcia neighborhood is open Wednesday through Sunday evenings. They also serve lunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Furthermore, they plan to offer off-menu specials on weekends, such as cannelloni, cuttlefish with meatballs, prawn cocktail, and stuffed eggs (these are planned for spring), all with the idea of ​​creating dishes reminiscent of the 80s, what they call "80s dishes." pop"It's also true that we're motivated to make stews, and we can do it because we have a team that has been with me since the time of the Suquet del Almirante, when I was in Barceloneta," says Quim.

A few more details. The bread is from Triticum. Those who have tried it at Santa Magdalena can imagine they couldn't have chosen any other. The restaurant's logo is very thoughtful; it's a cherub, a Cupid to be exact, holding a wine glass, which they believe perfectly represents the restaurant. A meal costs thirty euros. And lastly: Quim and Paula don't plan to stop with Piropo because they don't want to rule out an idea that's been on their minds for many years: opening a sandwich shop. sandwich"Two years ago, when I said I wanted to make fricansoso at Santa Magdalena, people said all sorts of things to me, but we've had a very good reception; now we make cheeses with dishes"And in the future we will address our idea of making good sandwiches," concludes chef Quim Marqués.