A place where you can have breakfast with a fork and lunch with a spoon in Fort Pienc

Every Monday, when you walk past La Bullanga, you might only see a lowered blind, but if you raise it, you'll discover Roger Sánchez Amat, immersed in his world of stoves and aromas. With a mischievous smile, he confesses: "The first day of the week I dedicate to preparing the bases, broths, and fillings. Right now I'm boiling a bowl and I'm sweating!" laughs Roger.

His beginnings in the kitchen are peculiar. Immersed in the Sants squatter movement, Roger and his colleagues from different social movements in the neighborhood opened a cultural project in 2001, the Arran Cultural Association, which included a bookstore, a documentation center, and a bar; it was there that Roger started. In 2005, they parted ways, and our protagonist decided to open Terra d'Escudella, very popular in this area, until 2022. A year later, he found a space in Fort Pienc, close to his hometown and his family, and decided to open Bullanga to continue serving traditional Catalan cuisine (capitripa, cheek to cheek) with capers, dirty rice, or blood sausage). Roger defines the restaurant in a sentence: "Let's make fork breakfasts and spoon lunches." "At first, I didn't really believe in the breakfasts, but it's crazy. It works really well. Young people come, and older people, who, while talking about Barça and politics, eat palmipipa, the house's signature dish of pig's ear and snout with raisins and pine nuts." At lunchtime, the daily menu always includes stews, a different one every day, and on Thursdays, a pan-fried dish. On Saturdays, they go more extensively with the rice: they make it seafood or casserole.

We go during the week, and from the five-course menu, we choose broad beans and peas with baby octopus and chocolate; Cuban rice with bacon and parsley; and cream of asparagus and zucchini with pumpkin seeds and black sesame. Beforehand, we try a capripa with chickpeas to whet our appetite. For the main course, we have beef stew with mushrooms (the stew of the day); whitebait sirloin with garlic, parsley, and toasted tomato; and a vegetable and blue cheese omelet. The signature dessert is coffee and Baileys panna cotta; lemon ice cream; and profiteroles with chocolate and cinnamon. All washed down with the house's bulk wine. "I've been buying it at Comercial Alpu in Subirats for twenty years. They work hard, and they also sell all kinds of bulk liquors. They're not in any DO, but they're Catalan wines," says Roger proudly.

The name of the establishment isn't accidental. Bullangues were a revolutionary movement in the 19th century in Barcelona. "We wanted to pay homage to the social upheavals of the people. They should appreciate this food," he insists. He adds: "Some of our regular customers are the castellers of the Recogidas, the university students who come here to gather strength and build human castles."

He is clear about his dream: "I wish every neighborhood had a Bullanga, but I can't do enough with one. If one day I come home and tell my wife and kids I'm opening another one, they'll kick me out!" he says, laughing. His story began with a social issue, and that's how he learned to cook. Later, he opened Tierra de Escudella and won everyone over with its authentic flavors. Now, with his noise In particular, it is revolutionizing the Fort Pienc neighborhood, bringing the tradition and passion for Catalan cuisine to new generations and to all those who want to enjoy a good stew with history and soul.