Joan Manubens: "We've just opened Pep's Corridor bar, without a sign, without a corridor, and with its own unique menu."

BarcelonaJoan Manubens (Barcelona, ​​1987) studied hospitality and completed internships in restaurants, such as in the Hostal de la Plaza, in CabrilsHe also spent a few months with his father, Joan Manubens Figueras, at Pasillo de Pep. It was then that he realized the two were incompatible. "I only learned who my father was and what Pasillo de Pep was like when I was with him," explains Joan, who decided to dedicate himself to teaching after finishing his hospitality studies. He was head of studies and a vocational automotive teacher at the Monlau training center. when his father diedAnd he took over the restaurant. This January marks eight years since Joan started running Pasillo de Pep. The restaurant, which has no sign at the entrance and is accessed through a passageway, like the entrance to an apartment building, has turned forty-seven and is more active than ever. Its fish and seafood stews They have a loyal clientele, including the management of Mobile World Congressand have become a Barcelona legend. Joan adds that he misses teaching, which he enjoyed, and just this year he was asked to give some talks at a hospitality school, which he was thrilled about. It's another vocation he has alongside his work as a restaurateur. One of the beloved and award-winning waiters works at Pep's Corridor. Modesto Baena, who has been working for thirty-six years.

What happened during the six months you worked with your father?

— I discovered who Joan Manubens Figueras was. He was the man behind El Pasillo de Pep, and he had his own fixed ideas about how he was going to run the restaurant. He didn't do cost breakdowns; product quality and the customer were paramount, something I also prioritize. But in my father's case, he didn't care about the costs involved, and, of course, this later had consequences. We weren't compatible. Currently, the team at El Pasillo de Pep tells me I'm a mix of my father and mother: on the one hand, I'm obsessed with product quality; on the other, I'm rigorous with cost control and the restaurant's profitability.

The father also brought the restaurant in during a prosperous time.

— True, but nevertheless, in a restaurant, finances must always be kept up to date.

How the story of Pep's Corridor began. The father was a neighbor in the neighborhood.

— I lived with my uncle and grandmother in the neighborhood, yes. We grew up on Princesa Street. My uncle opened a hot dog stand on Espaseria Street. He was the first in the family to go into the restaurant business. The place was small, and my grandmother cooked on Princesa Street, and they delivered the dishes from there. Later, my father, Joan, started in the space where we are now, but back then it was small. It had six tables, a kitchen, and they served a daily menu. Since the family had opened the first establishment on Espaseria Street and both places shared the pots my grandmother cooked, my father named it El Pasillo del Pep (Pep's Alley).

You no longer live in the neighborhood.

— I was the last to do it. I don't live here because then I'd spend even more hours than I do now. We have very demanding jobs, which are hard to disconnect from, and that's why I force myself to have free time. If I lived next to Pep's Corridor or...Agullers, the other place I have in the Bornin front of Villa VinitecaI would still spend more hours than I already do, which are many.

Now that you've mentioned Agullers bar, will you be opening a third location in the neighborhood?

— Yes, Pep's Corridor bar, located right next to Pep's Corridor, with its own entrance, no sign, and no corridor, because the door is at street level. The bar will have its own wine list, featuring good wines, and is designed for enjoying an aperitif, a vermouth, or even a first drink before heading to a table in the Corridor. Until now, the bar was a large private area of the Corridor, but I've decided to transform it.

Will it be possible to eat the Pasillo casseroles at the bar?

— No, the stews will still be served in the Pasillo. At the bar, you'll be able to enjoy anchovies, calamari, and small plates. These will be dishes designed for sharing, and for a new clientele, which is the goal I'm aiming for with the opening of the bar in Pep's Pasillo. In fact, with this project, my inspiration is Alkimia and Alkostat, by chef Jordi Vilà. He's done a great job with the two restaurants, right next to each other: all the dishes come from the same kitchen, but they have different menus, and in practice, different clientele as well. You can go to Alkostat often, maybe even daily. Well, that's what inspired me to conceive and open the bar in Pep's Pasillo. Look, let me show you: we're already painting it this week. We've put in a new door, without an exterior sign, but the name is printed on it.

Will there be a bar?

— No, my partners in the Agullers restaurant, José Varela (Grupo Varela) and Juan Carlos Ninou (The ChampagneThey haven't recommended it to me, because they say a bar is always a den of thieves. So I've built a back bar, which is against the wall, meaning nobody can walk behind it. The tap will be on the back bar. The bar will have stools and tables for sitting. And it will have a capacity for 30 people, which is the same capacity as the private room. And if I ever need to close it because I have a group, well, I can close it.

Changing the subject. When you took over Pep's Corridor, was your uncle still playing professionally?

— No, my uncle sold his restaurant ten years ago. When I told him I was taking over El Pasillo, since my sister wanted to continue working as a teacher, I made one condition: that he teach me. My uncle was retired at the time and grumbled about it, but he agreed. And I was lucky! Since I didn't inherit a financially sound business, I only found out years later that it was my uncle who was talking to the suppliers and telling them to trust me. I didn't know that. And all the orders kept coming in, and well, no problem. Later I learned that it was my uncle who was going around talking to them, asking them to give me a chance.

Finally, I'd like to ask you about the specific dishes at Pasillo. What are the signature dishes, the ones you think are the most popular?

— Red prawns, grilled clams, bivalve casserole (mussels, clams, Galician razor clams), tripe, capipota (a Galician stew), noodles with lobster—these are all very popular spoon dishes. There are many others, such as sauteed langoustines with caramelized onions. And I could go on and on.