Mineral: the best gastronomic news of the year in the city of Barcelona

BarcelonaWelcome to Mineral. This is undoubtedly one of the openings of the year and, if all goes well, it could become a landmark restaurant in the city of Barcelona, as Gresca is, for example. It has absolutely everything to succeed. Or at least I hope so, for the following reasons.

Firstly, because this restaurant is not the work of any large group, nor of any shadowy capitalist partner, but rather its "owners" are a couple who are here on the front lines. They have put in their savings (how long the permits and works take when you've put in all you have) and have made it to their own specifications of what they believe a restaurant should be. You will find it in the Eixample, on Mallorca street, very close to the Ninot Market, from where many of the ingredients they serve come. Another part comes from the Concepción Market. And the vegetables, from Can Fisas.

Secondly, because they are not newcomers to the restaurant industry. They are Cristina Losada and Oliver Peña. She is a sommelier and has been the director of the Enigma restaurant. He, besides also having worked at Enigma, was the chef who earned a star for Teatro Kitchen Bar, which recently closed. Now, together, they have their project, in which they have been joined by several people who have already worked with them for years on other projects. If colleagues follow you, you must have done something right. They are Franco Ferranti, Heyi Feng, and Xavi Solé in the kitchen and Jordi Figueras in the front of house.

Since they come from the homes they come from, the technique is extraordinary, but they no longer do what others want, but what they please. The menu is full of dishes that whet the appetite. Mackerel with Iberian vinaigrette and hanging tomato; to get up and applaud. A tomato salad that justifies the trip. A quail that is served in two ways: grilled and pickled –if you like quail, book right now–. Or the tendons and tongue, which Menuts Rosa serves. And two dishes that are simple but border on excellence: the strawberries for dessert (of the dream variety, which I must admit I didn't know) and a fried egg. You read that right. On the menu there is a fried egg from an Araucana hen. That's all. And nothing else. They make it right there, in front of your nose. And when the yolk bursts, your heart also bursts with happiness. What audacity, and how difficult it is to make it so, so well.

A perfect bar

At Mineral, you can eat at the bar –it seats 18 people– or in the dining room inside –it seats 12 more, at tables–. It's worth noting that the bar is comfortable, as you sit on chairs and your feet touch the ground (I don't always reach, myself), and it allows you to follow the spectacle of the kitchen, where besides seeing how they place orders at Mineral, you see that the chefs are in good spirits and work as a single organism. Personally, I recommend the bar. From there you will be able to see the grill that David Peña, Oliver's brother, has designed for him. As well as the skewers with which they grill protein over the embers. Advantages of having a blacksmith brother.

He's not the only family member who appears. His mother Loren's romesco sauce is also on the menu. They serve it with bread from El Taller del Pa, from the Sants neighborhood. The one who fetches it is the same chef from Rubí, who spends all day at the restaurant, where he has good stoves. To make broths. To cook. To do everything he couldn't before and was dying to do. His cuisine is “from here with techniques from everywhere”, he says. And he is happy, because after a long time directing, he has now returned to the trenches. “I was dying to cook”, he says.

As I dine, a photo of a cat watches me from a wall. It's Marc, one of the adopted cats that Oliver and Cristina have. They tell me they have another one, Lila. Normally chefs put self-referential objects. Awards. Things that dress up the place. They have a photo of their cat, which keeps them company and shows that the restaurant will have its own personality. And hence the name Mineral. Peña's grandfather used to clean forests and sell charcoal in Rubí. Cristina is from Asturias, from a mining area. So they started from charcoal to get to mineral. “It can even be an evocative, poetic word”, says Cristina, who is the one who stumbled upon the name that sounds so good. Meanwhile, she shows me the wine list. All Catalan, Spanish, and some champagne. The selection by the glass is very extensive, in line with new trends. What a privilege to have a sommelier of this caliber so close.

They opened a month ago and the restaurant is full. They serve dinner from Thursday to Monday. The average ticket (excluding wine) is around 60 euros. I've just been there, and I'm already eager to go back. Don't say I didn't warn you.