Melós, the new Barcelona restaurant that combines local ingredients, comfort and joy

He chef Miquel Pardo We met him for his restaurant CruiX on Entença Street. It's been running at full capacity for years, with a loyal clientele, although it has a very small kitchen. That's why Pardo had in mind opening another place that would allow him to fully unleash his creativity. This is how the Melós restaurant was born, located at 303 Mallorca Street, in the same spot where the El Tros wine barIt's appreciated that the previous owners didn't transfer the premises to someone who wanted to turn it into yet another dive bar. brunch

Melós is a more gastronomic restaurant, to use the term employed in the industry. And it has the potential to bring much joy in the future, as it has several spaces that can be adapted as the project grows. First, there's an entrance in the form of a bar, where board games are prominently displayed for entertainment. Next comes a sophisticated and elegant dining room. The walls are adorned with beautiful prints by the painter Joan García Ripollés. Miquel Pardo jokes that he's started collecting his inheritance from his father, who bought them. He must have exquisite taste. Through a glass door in the dining room, you can also see the wine cellar. It's full of little gems. If you walk past the dining room, you find yourself right in the middle of the kitchen. There are no partitions. Everything flows seamlessly. Here, Pardo has been able to accommodate equipment that simply wouldn't fit in his first restaurant, and then you reach the patio. A classic corner of the Eixample district. There are aromatic plants and tables and chairs for diners who want to enjoy this oasis at the beginning or end of their meal. And who knows, perhaps in the future, they'll be able to serve the entire meal there when it's warmer. The restaurant, by the way, could also have a terrace on the street. A whole host of possibilities.

The mandarin orange from home

But come on, let's eat. Pardo begins with a broth and rabbit sausage to welcome us. He continues with a selection of Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) dishes as a tribute to Catalonia. This is the series he calls "Territory." One course is inspired by cobblestones, another by a Pyrenean omelet, a roasted pepper and anchovy tart reminiscent of the recapte tart. And a dish of Catalan-style chard. Then comes the second course, entitled "Origin." Here, he has drawn inspiration from Onda, his hometown in Castelló. And it's worth pausing for a moment to admire the tableware, made by the ceramist Ximo Safont, also from Onda. We see tradition, the colors of his tiles, but adapted for a restaurant like this. In other dishes, we'll also see extraordinary tableware, such as an earthy set made by Piel Cerámica, from Castelldefels.

We return to the kitchen, where the dishes at Origen are among the most successful, especially due to their main ingredient: the olive, which appears in various forms and was already of interest to the chef at his previous restaurant, and the orange. The menu evolves, and we move on to "Guatlla: Life and Death," a poetic name for a seasonal dish. As is the chestnut mushroom. The savory part of the menu ends with rice with langoustines. It couldn't be otherwise; the chef has a broken hand. We never lose sight of who he is and where he comes from, and so we arrive at dessert. First, a citrus dessert whose name couldn't be more appealing. homeBasically, he uses mandarins from his parents' garden. There won't be much of this available because, as you can imagine, production is limited. Finally, we finished with a very successful sweet treat inspired by horchata with fartons. The short menu costs 90 euros, and the long one 120. The dishes described are included in both.

The wine cellar has 220 labels, and a wide selection by the glass; in fact, there are 27 options. It's commendable when restaurants capture the spirit of the times and elevate wine by the glass. For Pardo, it's important that the restaurant's approach be very human, even though it has the characteristics of fine dining. He wants it to be a place of "territory, comfort, and joy." A preliminary step before opening the third format he has always dreamed of: a restaurant specializing in excellent rice dishes.