The brand new Pötstot restaurant replaces the legendary L'Hortet del Raval in Barcelona

BarcelonaA new Pötstot (c. Pintor Fortuny, 32) has taken over at the legendary L'Hortet, which closed forever on January 23. Everything has changed, in the decor and the menu, but there's an invisible thread that links the two projects: healthy eating. If L'Hortet was a pioneer as a vegetarian, Pötstot is a pioneer in gluten-free and lactose-free food. Hence the name, which nods to the languages of northern Europe, perhaps German, and others: "We want to say 'you can eat everything,'" explain Manel Forés and Quim Viñas, the restaurant's owners, hours before the first service begins, at which point they'll be able to test everything they've been preparing. This Raval restaurant will be the second Pötstot and the fourth restaurant for Forés i Viñas (The first two were Casa Àngela, opposite the Sagrada Família), and right now they confirm that they run a group of restaurants, with all the respect that the word generates for them cluster, but in any case what they assure is that the Pötstot del Raval makes them very excited.

While in the dining room the decorator checks that everything is just as she had envisioned—white walls, plenty of warm lighting, wooden tables, many of them recovered from L'Hortet and with new legs, and cane chairs—in the kitchen the chefs are preparing some dishes from the menu. They know the croquettes will win. They prepare three types: Catalan spinach; beetroot and vegan cheese; and grapevine and black truffle. All three are coated in pea panko, which makes them crispy and allows the tender interior to shine through. None of the three dishes feature béchamel, or at least béchamel as we know it, because in appearance and taste, it's as if it were there.

"We came up with the idea of opening a gluten- and lactose-free restaurant because we had friends and family in our community who had these intolerances," explain Forés and Viñas, who add that it was the pandemic, "when we were sitting on our hands," that finally gave it shape. They contacted chef Guillem Corral, and in his home kitchen, when they could go out, they tested dishes. "The first thing we realized was that the steps in the recipes are more laborious and that the ingredients are more expensive, like the flour," they recall.

Through trial and error, they end up generating a thousand and one recipes, which can be eaten at both Pötstots. From croquettes to spicy sobrasada, which is sweet potato spread with Mallorcan seasoning; from confit leeks with mustard vinaigrette, crispy leeks (a good idea to avoid wasting the green tips of the leeks) and nuts to truffle cannelloni, lasagna or rice dishes of all kinds, including surf and turf (with Galician seaweed, crispy salicornia, chiita). For those with a sweet tooth, they also have some of the best desserts possible. Take note of the cheesecake, which is made with cashews and achieves a texture that makes it impossible to eat just one slice. The tart comes with a lemon jam, well chosen. To continue, a San José cream (without eggs, of course), coconut and mango flans and (attention!) chocolate in four textures, which will raise ovations among lovers of good chocolate.

And once here, Manel Forés and Quim Viñas know that the community that created L'Hortet will see them as different. They are, but they assure that diners who know them will return because they tell them they've eaten very well, praise their value for money, and, above all, thank them for specializing in this type of cuisine: gluten-free and lactose-free. "No ingredients containing gluten or lactose enter the restaurant doors so there's no gluten in the environment," they state to clarify their commitment.

And finally, the interesting facts, which the two owners share. "The day before we signed the transfer agreement with the two sisters from L'Hortet, Odina and Sonia, they offered us a space next door at a more affordable price, but we turned it down because it didn't have the energy we saw at L'Hortet," they say. And they emphasize precisely that energy of L'Hortet, and both take great pleasure in explaining it: "Both sisters have run a restaurant that has been a blessing for all of us, especially in the times we're living in, because they were both always there, dedicated all their hours, and established a bond with those of us who came to eat there every day." This is how they both feel about the previous phase. They are beginning a new one, with a menu based on flavorful Mediterranean cuisine that will create a consensus among those who can't eat gluten or lactose, and among those who can, because there are three valuable factors that unite all the dishes: quality, taste, and reasonable price.