Contemporary Catalan cuisine in Barcelona and a porró to wash it down

We were already in tomato injury time –they are practically the last ones of the season–, and Roger Viñas has used them to prepare a wonderful gazpacho. He tells me that people don't ask for it much, even though the tomatoes are from Xavier Carbó, from the Mas Rabassa agricultural estate, in Sant Genís de Palafolls. "If only they knew," I say to myself. And the lamb meatballs? They are from Cal Tomàs, in La Pobla de Segur. Meatballs made of lean organic Xisqueta lamb served with a bread and garlic sauce. A perfect dish: for its quality and the values it conveys. You will find all of this on Passeig de Sant Joan in Barcelona.

I visit La Barra de l’Avenir, the new restaurant by Roger Viñas and Chesco Salrach where they make "contemporary Catalan cuisine". That is how they describe it. It was the dream they had when they opened the Avenir restaurant, on the street of the same name. La Barra arrived because they wanted to have an informal place after seeing how the original restaurant took on a life of its own and became more sophisticated. For this reason, this pair of cool gentlemen decided to be faithful to the original idea in a different place than their first creature, which had gone its own way. It seems relevant to me that we talk about creatures, since Roger, who is a chef, and Chesco, who is the front-of-house manager, met at the PTA of the school where they took their children. There, while organizing meals to raise funds, they went from selling 30 dishes to selling 700. Of course, the fideuà by Roger, who is a professional chef, helped. I joke with them that the PTA must have had a surplus when both of them were there. This was the seed of Avenir, which now offers a tasting menu, has an interesting wine list, and, despite being born with a pandemic under its arm, has been making its way all this time.

And it is at the same Avenir where the casserole dishes and sauces are cooked that we will later eat at La Barra de l’Avenir, their restaurant with popular prices. We will find small casseroles and a good quality lunch menu. Except for the Russian salad, they make everything themselves. The squid tartare is a delight. The textures, the refined taste of the sauce with the squid ink, and even the presentation make you think you are in a more sophisticated place with more cuisine than it might seem at first glance. Roger explains that for a long time this dish was mandatory at Avenir, and that now they serve it here. The zucchini flower stuffed with brandade has a final aftertaste thanks to the drops of rotisserie chicken oil. Highly recommended, too. The head and trotters with cuttlefish is as friendly to the palate as it is an enemy of Instagram. Impossible not to ask for bread to dip. Then they bring you bread from La Fabrique in Poble Sec, one of the best bakeries in Barcelona, and a fetish supplier for those who like crumb with great acidity.

The porró in the center

At La Barra de l’Avenir they have not skimped on product: the duck –from 5 acorns– comes from Santa Maria de Merlès, the cod from El Barquero, the prawns from Vilanova... They offer a lunch menu for 19.50. And they want to popularize the use of the 'porró', filled with white or red garnacha. And even beyond wine. Chesco has figured out a way to serve gin and tonics in it, with the ice already built into the base of the porró. Or any mixed drink you ask for, of course. They also feature their own vermouth. A drink more on the bitter side than sweet, which they craft themselves. I recommend trying it, too, accompanied by 'carquinyolis'.

La Barra de l’Avenir only has one problem, and that is that people haven't realized they have opened. A space with very good gastronomy, good cooking, good ingredients, reasonable prices, but until now with little buzz, since it only opened its doors a few months ago. It is not a tapas place, it is an establishment of well-made small plates. Go there, taste their dishes, and let me know what you think.