'Al dente' pasta lands in the Gràcia neighborhood that has triumphed abroad

Let's imagine a good pasta al dente. A cacio e pepe, for example. With the integrated sauce. They bring it in a deep pan and put it directly on your plate with tongs. Succulent, right? Or a beautiful tomato and a mozzarella so sublime that they serve it naked. When something is perfect, the only obligation is not to spoil it. Or a bresaola made of wagyu. It shines with the marbling of the fat. On the side, a raviolo filled with ricotta, truffle and tuorlo (that is, egg yolk). One last example: an eggplant parmigiana with that intense tomato flavor that obligatorily makes you dip bread. All these are some of the dishes that can be tasted since Tuesday at Bottega Bernacca (Carrer de Bonavista, 10), the Italian restaurant that lands in the Gràcia neighborhood and that curiously, unlike what it might seem, comes to us from São Paulo, Brazil. But you will see, dear readers, that everything has a reason.

Let's start with two proper names: the Catalan Gerard Barberan and the Italian Davide Bernacca (hence the restaurant's name, of course). Davide is from Carrara. As you may know, a region famous for its marble. And indeed, marble makes its presence felt in the restaurant. The imposing bar at the entrance, tables of all sizes, the sink, and the floor. It's a beautiful restaurant. But the most relevant thing is, as always, that the food is good. We return to our protagonists. Gerard grew up in Badalona and is a chef. Many years ago, he worked in Ibiza, at the famous restaurant Cipriani. Bernacca had opened the first Bottega Bernaca in São Paulo, the country where he resides. At that time, it was different, a simple wine bar with little sophistication. And he decided to open another one in Ibiza. This is how he met Barberan, who questioned what the second Bottega should be. That one, which they opened in 2015 in Ibiza, no longer exists, but it laid the foundation for the restaurant model they have today in Brazil. They got along so well that Barberan left everything and went to São Paulo with Bernacca. He turned the restaurant there around, and since then, they have opened quite a few more.

When you are in São Paulo, in the first restaurant they opened, which is the smallest of all, everyone wants to greet the Catalan chef. The regular Paulista clientele has great appreciation for Barberan. The restaurant is a dynamic and very well-utilized place. I had a great dinner there, long before I knew they would come to Catalonia. If you allow me a note before returning to Barcelona, Bernacca and Barberan are also great fans of Japanese cuisine, and they also opened another restaurant in Brazil's financial capital, Kuro. This one has a Michelin star and an excellent cocktail bar. If you ever visit Brazil, now you know, it is also highly recommended.

'Pão de queijo' and Catalan product

We return to Bottega Bernacca in Catalonia. Davide and Gerard wanted to open one in Europe. And where did it have to be? At Gerard's home, in Barcelona, the city where Davide's daughter has come to study. This is how this chef has spent months designing a menu that is mostly Italian but also largely based on Catalan produce. He is excited because here he can play with ingredients he doesn't find on the other side of the Atlantic. "Tomorrow I will have sea urchins!", he says enthusiastically. There is also a nod to his beloved Brazil, which we can see in the fact that in the bread basket, among sourdough bread and grissini, they include a hot, freshly made pão de queijo. By the way, service information: the pão de queijo is gluten-free, as it is made with cassava flour and cheese.

The restaurant is diligently run by Daphne D’Alessio, who in a few months speaks enviable Catalan. I tell her this just as she serves me a dish that also delights the other diners, a version of vitello tonnato but in this case made with tongue. I try a wine called Le Galline. It is a production within a project by Davide Bernacca in which they work with children with autism and animals. It is a sangiovese blanc de noirs. On the menu, of course, there are also Catalan wines. The meal ends with tiramisu made to order and pannacotta with dulce de leche. The restaurant is open from Tuesday to Saturday at six in the evening, in case anyone wants to go for a cocktail, a drink, or a snack. Dinner reservations start from 7 p.m. If everything goes as planned, they will soon be able to launch lunch services as well. But piano piano si va lontano.