Who has made thousands of Catalans happy since Poble Sec?

Sergi Planes is a tavern owner by birth, born in the Eucharistic Congress Housing, a social neighborhood built in the 1950s by the Catholic Church of the time. His father owned a tavern that primarily supported the workers who were then building the new neighborhood in the Sant Andreu district.

The Funicular building is a hundred years old (1920) and has been a tavern since its inception. Sergi's uncle, Josep Planes, was in charge for thirty-five years. Life circumstances led a young Sergi, in 1981, to embark on a successful and professionally advanced adventure at the foot of the Montjuïc Funicular, rather than in the neighborhood where he was born.

The beginnings weren't easy, but they were stimulating. Sergi's proposal was simple: quality tapas and small plates with the best ingredients. Little by little, the clientele took ownership of the tavern and pushed to convert it into a restaurant. Some of the main drivers of this evolution were the members of the Pompeya tennis club and the workers, fairgoers, and visitors of the Fira de Montjuïc. This prompted Sergi to take the plunge and dare to go a little further, but always without overcomplicating his life. New products were added to the Funicular's menu until it became one of Barcelona's treasures.

We're almost at the end of our adventure. The product and service are impeccable, just like the first day. We're seated at the table with a glass of Estrella Damm and immediately followed by a gilda and a couple of oysters. Just get there and enjoy! The menu isn't extensive, so we tried most of the offerings. Some Cantabrian anchovies, which are becoming increasingly difficult to find: large, top-quality, and a single color throughout the sirloin. We also ordered the oven-baked rooster combs; Mallorcan sardines (with sobrasada); cod carpaccio with jam and tomato and basil sorbet; pop igloo (a Galician version of pop); ravioli stuffed with foie gras and sautéed with mushrooms; a cannelloni also with foie gras and truffle; and crayfish and medium-sized prawns from the Barcelona coast.

Throughout lunch, we enjoy a bottle of Pleret from the Buil & Giné winery. Garnacha and Cariñena from two century-old vines planted in Gratallops and Bellmunt del Priorat. The label clearly defines their purpose: bottles to be shared leisurely. We take their advice.

A wonderful clientele

We take advantage of our last few drinks to chat with Sergi. He knows us; he has several copies of the ARA Domingo stacked on one of the tables, and he shows us some of our favorite items. "I started by going to the Sant Antoni Market and La Boqueria. A while later, I went to the fish market to buy the best produce, but I discovered it was better to find a trusted wholesaler," he recalls with a certain nostalgia. "Now I'm approaching seventy, and my priorities have changed. I want to enjoy my granddaughter, and I won't tell you about my daughter anymore, but you can imagine. I have a very nice group of friends with whom I can't spend as much time as I'd like. I'm open to passing on the business, but I'd like those who come to us to have the same experience we have." Everything comes to an end, and the Funicular is written. The history of our gastronomy will remember him as a passionate innkeeper who pleased thousands of Catalans who sought a moment of happiness in the simplicity of a good product. We will take advantage of the remaining days or months to thank him.