The affordable luxury of returning to Hispania

Arenys de MarMany Catalans will have visited Hispania, the iconic restaurant in Arenys de Mar. That's why I've decided to title this article about the luxury of returning. Especially if you haven't stopped in for a while. And if you've never been, it would be a forgivable sin that you can remedy (as I have), as you'll see that even if you hadn't set foot there, it's a place that connects directly and seamlessly with memories of other establishments that also made you happy. It will take you back to your childhood, to tastes that are part of the fundamental pillars of Catalan cuisine. Whether you're part of the first group or the second, going to eat and enjoy would be the best tribute to "the housewives," Paquita and Lolita Rexach, who are no longer in the daily routine but have guided their successors well, just as their mothers once did for them.

Raimon Braun and Marta Aulèstia, Paquita's son and daughter, respectively, run the business. They put their minds, their hearts, and their hours into it. It's a privilege to be able to visit one of the bastions of Catalan cuisine and enjoy it thanks to this relief. And we owe them thanks for keeping it in top shape, while greeting most of the customers by name.

We're in a restaurant that serves stewed pig's trotters with cabbage farcellets that take four hours of work. We're glad Raimon is getting going soon. He can also try a brain salad that angels sing about. Tell me how many of the 16,000 establishments in Catalonia you'll find one like it in. Or comfort food like pot-cooked meat croquettes, cod fritters, and cannelloni. You'll find tailor beans with cauliflower and black sausage, baked monkfish tail with garlic, gratin sea snails, lobster, and roasted goat shoulder. And for dessert, strawberries with cream. Because it's the season, because we're in the Maresme region, and because eating when it's time is a burst of joy.

Past, present, and future

At the exhibition Show the cards, curated by the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition at the Palau Robert, you can see the menus of our home's gastronomic temples. It's no wonder it's one of the initiatives of the World Gastronomic Region held by Catalonia this year. Some restaurants are still there, like Hispania, and others are no longer there, like Reno and Can Fabes. It was lovely to see how the exhibition visitors looked at them and remembered experiences and anecdotes. But, although nostalgia is powerful, we mustn't forget the present and the future. Like the fact that Hispania has two dining rooms: the one they always had and the glass one, which, in its own way, they built fifteen years ago.

We always have time to generate many more experiences. The brave restaurateurs who defend our gastronomic culture not only have a brutal past, as evidenced by the collection of Néstor Luján wines that Hispania has in its cellar and that the writer and journalist's widow bequeathed to them, but they also have a future. I share two reasons for optimism.

Firstly, because we miss our sofritos (fried vegetables) and most of us don't have much time to cook. It's in these homes where eating transcends the act of pure survival to become a cultural fact. There's no avocado here. No salmon. And this is something to applaud with all your ears. And secondly, because young people, children of sushi and pizza, can discover dishes that will seem as exotic as pad thai. They'll be brand new to them, even if they discover garlic soup. Take your children and grandchildren to Hispania and see what they think.

It's easily accessible by train. It's a ten-minute walk from Caldes d'Estrac station. Drink in peace. And if not, they have a large parking lot. Enjoy after-dinner conversation. Discover by looking at the photos of all those who have passed through. Look for the dedication by Gabriel Garcia Márquez. Or the one by Bigas Luna. Or the photo of the two Raimons. The singer from Xàtiva is the reason Raimon Braun is called that. Decide to be part of Hispania's history. Aim for being greeted by name and having a permanent table. You'll see there's a very diverse audience. Because going, like in all good restaurants, is a luxury, but one that's affordable for most people.