Which restaurant in Sants has a full house sign every day?

Secun Vidueira and Encarna Carriba arrived in Barcelona in the mid-1950s from two villages in Ourense. He was from Covelo (Viana do Bolo) and she was from Valdín (A Veiga), but despite their geographical proximity, they met in Barcelona's Plaza Catalunya (at the time, it was known as the fifth Galician province).

They came to Catalonia, like many others, to earn a living and seek a better future than what awaited them in their native Galicia. They achieved this through hard work. In 1987, they left the restaurant they ran in Hospitalet de Llobregat to settle with their sons, Secun and Joan, near Sants station.

Now, the Vidueira Carriba brothers are in charge of managing a restaurant that literally sells out almost every day. Secun leads the kitchen with talent, while Joan, an empathetic person, helps make the experience at Viduca a rewarding one.

We started the meal with some artichokes grilled at a very low temperature with Arbequina oil confit, stuffed with sautéed vegetables from the Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park and Iberian ham. Joan's ingenuity makes the next tasting called coulantrinched, a version of the Cerdanya carving with turnip greens and thrush (classics of Galician cuisine), bacon and an egg yolk that causes the effect of coulant with a liquid and creamy texture. We also added a cannelloni of oven-roasted calçots, mixed with Duroc pork ham and béchamel.

The wine list isn't extensive, but there are enough to satisfy your taste buds. Joan recommends pairing us with a bottle of Alleu, a Montsant from the family winery Vendrell Rived de Marçà.

We finished this gratifying lunch with a plate of octopus in fair, more Galician than Rosalía de Castro, and a braised goat leg that makes our stomachs feel sore. The desserts, light and easy to digest, include: bica (traditional Ourense sponge cake) soaked in orujo cream and nougat ice cream, and Santa Teresa toasts made with bread marinated with coffee and cinnamon ice cream. We accompanied the dessert with a finger of Sol y Serena Vimblanc from Molí de Rué, a fourth-generation family business rooted in Vinebre.

While we do a Juan-tonicAs you can see, his ingenuity is endless. We settle the bill and ask Joan to chat for a while. "I'm an ARA subscriber, so I know you," with this pleasant comment, he begins a conversation where he explains the basics of Viduca. "We scour the markets looking for the best seasonal produce. Then my brother's talent and what our mother taught us do the rest. We try to do things well; the best ingredient in cooking is time," says a man who goes out of his way to ensure his customers are comfortable and have a good time in his home.

Viduca is a neighborhood restaurant opened in the city. Secun and Joan honor their family heritage with a cuisine based on seasonal produce and a nod to tradition and the Galicia where their parents grew up. Since 1987, they've made many people happy, including us.