Postpunk cuisine in Sant Andreu

Felipe González has opened a restaurant in the Sant Andreu neighborhood of Barcelona. Don't worry: it's not the famous politician. It's Felipe, a Chilean who arrived in Catalonia thirteen years ago determined to make his dreams a reality, and who shares a surname with the former Socialist leader. Before landing in Spain, his journey took him through several restaurants in San Francisco. There he learned to cook Korean dishes and, almost without realizing it, his passion for gastronomy was awakened.

"I thought: can you imagine finding dishes from these three worlds (Chile, Korea, and Catalonia) in the same bar?" The answer to that question took shape on January 15, 2021, with the opening of Otra Cosa Taberna, a place where every bite travels across three continents and where Felipe plays all the roles of the auca, both in the kitchen and in the dining room.

Felipe is very clear about it: "We've been through tough times, really tough times, but we've never lost our smiles or our desire to work. This is our job and our passion," he states emphatically. He defines his cuisine as "post-punk market": a combination of fresh, local produce, nostalgic ingredients from his native Chile—evoking his past—and the most radical flavors of Korean cuisine.

To experience this blend, this journey of cultures, we let ourselves be guided by Geri, Lucio, and Jose, who manage the dining room and the kitchen. It was the three of them who recommended we share several dishes. Let's start with a ménage à trois (a trio of oysters) and the Nikkei ceviche, a dish inspired by Peruvian chef Ciro Watanabe that you absolutely must try. "We make it with tuna from Almendra de Mar, wakame seaweed, nori seaweed, and avocado on a Japanese tiger's milk, with yuzu spheres," he explains. We finished the first course with the Russian salad, with northern bonito and olives, topped with mojo picónOlive oil and a house-secret mayonnaise that perfectly rounds out the dish.

The main courses begin with Els Tres Porquets. "I'm a huge fan of Albert Serra's work, and when I saw the film The Three Little Pigs "I decided to name the sandwich on the menu after it," he says, laughing. They marinate the pork overnight and the next day confit it, slice it thinly, and add a Korean sauce for flavor, along with sesame ham. The dish is topped with a Mexican-style marinated onion. chipotleLet's finish off the main courses with two more dishes: the truffle trikini and the tomato tartare with anchovy tartar sauce, piparras peppers, capers, and Calaf eggs. For dessert, we ordered the tiramisu, which wasn't on the menu. "We make it occasionally, and it's well worth it," one of the waiters told us.

If the food impresses, the wine cellar surprises. All the wines are natural, and there are many options; however, they are local wines, from nearby regions and with a history. For our meal, we chose the Brunus, a Montsant made by Celler Portal. The place itself is also worth mentioning: curious and small. A bar, a couple of stools, and four tables, all decorated in a blue they call "Klein blue." Even the toilet bowl is this color. "We wanted a relaxed place, without labels, and we always said it's neither a bar nor a restaurant: it's something else. And that's how the name came about," he confesses.

La Otra Cosa is not just a bar or a restaurant. It's the culmination of thirteen years of work, during which Felipe González has built much more than a menu: he's created an open house where the past, present, and future sit at the table. Perhaps that's why everything here tastes of lived history, of the neighborhood, and of passion. And perhaps that's also why, when you walk out the door, you understand that life, like cooking, is easier when done with a smile.