It's funny when you've been in a property, let's say at friends' apartment, and you return some time later when other people live there. It's inevitable that your mind starts playing the game of differences, seeing what is there and what is no longer there. The same happens with restaurants – aggravatedly, I would say – because Barcelona's voracity for opening and closing businesses is greater than that of Saint George's dragon eating sheep. So you often go to places where you've been before, but with other tenants and other furniture. Today we are in a place where we've been when it was called Tickets, when it was called Teatro (a more modest change, as it was as if someone from the family had taken it over) and now, it's called Osteria Condal, and it's starting a new chapter. They have done extensive renovations, and if it weren't for the fact that it's on the same corner of Paral·lel, we wouldn't recognize the space. The investment has been significant. We see it in all the details, from the menus to the imposing open kitchen.

It all began twenty years ago. Encarna Castillo (Cadaqués, 1974) and Ton Mata (Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, 1970) bought a small plot on the Muntanya Negra in Cadaqués, seven thousand square meters (0.7 hectares), on which they planted vines one by one, gifted to them by winegrowers from the region. It was a shared couple's dream, to return to Encarna's native land with Ton's winemaking and enological knowledge, as he works at Recaredo with his cousins. They knew it wouldn't be easy, but they didn't imagine it would take them fifteen years to produce their first wine. Nor did they imagine they would have to accept the wild climate of Empordà, the wind, the drought, and also nature itself, with genets, foxes, badgers, wild boars, and birds that have been eating a large part of the bunches vintage after vintage. Last year, the vineyard narrowly escaped fire, as it acted as a firebreak along with the neighboring plot, which belongs to a Swiss friend named Sylvan; and it also managed to recover from a wasp attack. Today, Maiadeu, the wine that never says goodbye to Cadaqués, is an exceptional white wine, around three hundred bottles depending on the year, which is served in the country's best restaurants.“Taste it, tell me what you think,” Encarna tells me while Ton sets up a table, three chairs, and an awning in the vineyard itself. We could be on a paradisiacal island in Greece, but no, we are in Montanya Negra, green vineyards by the sea of Cadaqués with its white church, always simple and imposing at the same time. “It’s a wine we’d like to give ten more years to, but it’s also very good now,” they comment. Maiadeu is a Mediterranean wine, which gains depth and complexity over time, and has significant acidity. The grape varieties are white and grey carignan, lledoner (as they call garnacha in Empordà) white and red. “Every year we’ve changed the blend, depending on the production of the vines; this year it was 60% carignan and 40% lledoner,” says Ton, who mentions that they always indicate on the back label the day they harvested the grapes. Wine interprets Empordà

El Maiadeu is the wine with which Ton Mata and Encarna Castillo interpret Empordà. “We have made it with great respect, with an alcohol content of 12.5 degrees; depending on the year, less degrees”. In the five years they have been bottling it, they have produced a small quantity, ranging between one hundred and fifty and four hundred bottles. “The four hundred bottle one is from 2024, and we don't know if we will release it because we are not convinced, because the 2024 harvest was very complicated; we were coming from extreme drought,” they explain. They hope to check its evolution, and if they don't like it, they won't put it on the market. El Maiadeu is a wine that has been very well received, especially in the restaurants of Cadaqués, l’Empordà, Girona. “They have it in restaurants that have a connection with the territory, with Cap de Creus; in Cadaqués itself, they have it in restaurants Es Baluard, The Link, Es Racó and Sharing”, they comment. Further on in Cadaqués, at Miramar and The Fishermen, from Llançà; Casamar de Llafranc; Villamás, from S'Agaró; Celler de Can Roca; Ca l’Enric; The Cabbage dOlot, and in Barcelona, Shanghai, from the Kao family; the Dos Palillos, by Albert Raurich, who is from Cadaqués on his mother's side; the Torres Brothers; Disfrutar; the Gresca. “We know of more restaurants that would want it, but we don't even have enough for ourselves; of the 2021 vintage we only have six bottles”.

]]>

I interview Montse Molla at the family home, at Mas Molla, in Calonge. She is harvesting Claudia plums and, soon, grapes, now at the end of August. They have given a guided tour to a group of Dutch people that ends with tastings, which her mother has prepared. At Mas Molla everything is running smoothly and they are calm after the scare they had at the beginning of July. The Gavarres fire made them suffer like never before. They saw it start themselves, the three sisters, while they were picking peaches. Montse's sister, Núria Molla, went viral with a video that 3Cat broadcast in which she explained that "the Gavarres are a powder keg, that everything is dry and abandoned, that it is a shame". She also asked that we change our way of life, that we should live like our grandparents, simply.

]]>

With figs we have certainties. We know they are a fruit that arouses lively passion. If we pick them from the fig tree and eat them immediately, we will feel the summer slipping through our fingers, because figs, especially the "coll de dama" variety, mark the end of August.

]]>

Formentera concentrates in a few kilometers a surprisingly varied gastronomic offer: from Mediterranean cuisine and good rice dishes to more daring proposals, beach restaurants, establishments with decades of history, and beach bars where a cocktail can end up extending the afternoon until dinner time. Eating there is not cheap – here, "economical" is always a relative concept – but not everything forces you to make the bill the main concern of your vacation. More than a ranking, this is a guide to know where to go depending on what the day calls for.

]]>

There is a lot of gastronomic life beyond Barcelona. In the metropolitan area, less than an hour from the Catalan capital, you can find a great diversity of establishments –beach and mountain– with prices suitable for all audiences. At ARA, we offer you a selection of 13 of the best options available, whether you want to escape Barcelona without going too far or if you prefer to discover the surrounding municipalities through their bars and restaurants.

]]>

The journalist Èric Lluent (Barcelona, 1986) tries not to think too much about the distance separating him from his native Gràcia. Arriving in Reykjavík for the first time ten years ago, he is now preparing a podcast about the origins of modern terrorism, an interest that was already hinted at in La bomba del Liceu (Ara Llibres, 2026), his latest essay, which talks about the man who planted the bomb at the Gran Teatre.

]]>

Viviana Varese (Salerno, 1974) is a force of nature. A chef who has made her mark in a potentially hostile environment, that of haute cuisine, without compromising her values. She now runs the gastronomic offering of a luxury hotel in one of Italy's most exclusive corners, Passalacqua, on Lake Como. She also has a rebellious grill restaurant in Milan, Faak. She grants an interview to ARA at the Gastronomika congress, where she gave a lecture that left us stunned.

]]>

It's Friday morning, and at the Serrat Gros cheese shop, in Josa de Cadí, there's a group of hikers tasting the five cheeses made by Mercè Lagrava (Barcelona, 1963) and Raül Alcaraz (Equatorial Guinea, 1962). “We always recommend everyone to taste the cheeses before buying them. Besides, we know that getting here isn't easy, so we also put a jug of rosé wine from La Seu d’Urgell on the table,” says Mercè. She's happy, has an affable character, and says that both she and her partner are very surprised by the welcome the news of the transfer has received, which they made public at the end of July. “In a month we've received 125 emails, and also quite a few messages on our Instagram account. We've replied to everyone, and given them more information so they can look at it carefully before continuing with the interviews,” she comments.

]]>

Swimming in the sea is one of the blessings of summer. The act of slowing down, being outdoors, and cooling off is an anti-stress balm that alleviates the headaches accumulated throughout the year. Although the sea offers us multiple virtues, not all those attributed to it can be taken for granted. Regarding seawater specifically, messages are spread, especially through social networks, such as that drinking it "remineralizes," "balances electrolytes," "alkalizes the body," or even "hydrates better," but the fact is that scientific evidence does not support claims like these and, on the other hand, the risks of drinking it are well identified.The idea that drinking seawater is beneficial spread over a century ago with the French biologist René Quinton, who maintained that seawater resembles blood plasma because life originated in the sea and that it contains the chemical elements the body needs. Based on this hypothesis, Quinton developed the so-called "marine therapy." In recent times, with the popularization of social networks, the attribution of benefits to the intake of seawater – even untreated – has spread even further, but one must carefully consider who is saying it and what exactly they are saying to avoid falling into pseudoscientific practices.

]]>

Dreta de l'Eixample. We are on Bailèn street, between Mallorca and València. Here a chick is the sheriff of the corner. It is the yellow and recognizable logo of Billy Brunch, which has three locations at numbers 113, 115, and 129. In addition, its vehicles can be seen parked, red and with the chick superimposed. Between the three locations, they serve 900 people on weekends, and about 500 during the week. The one in the middle of the corner, the one at 115, is the first one that opened, out of the six in Barcelona (then two more opened in Madrid and two in Seville). This first location, which was a resounding success, has just been expanded by adding a slide and a ball pit, red and yellow, which can be seen from the street. The pool was installed after the one in Madrid in the center of the restaurant was a great attraction. This one is more discreet, though. "Adults can go in, right?", the owner tells me, inviting me to try it. In Barcelona, it seems we don't dare as much and leave it for the kids and the influencers.

]]>

I interview the wine waitress Aina Seriñana at Es Baluard, her family's restaurant, in Cadaqués on a day in August. Aina is a great defender of Catalan wines, and together with her brother Adrià, a chef, they have turned the restaurant into a benchmark for good gastronomy. Furthermore, Es Baluard has mythical tables, which have a waiting list to get them: two are by a window and another has a balcony. From all three you can see the sea. And all three, like all, all of them in the dining room, are good for having a good meal.

]]>

Gazpacho, the preparation that is already Catalan according to the Corpus de la Cuina Catalana, is prepared with tomato, pepper, cucumber, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, a little bread (optional), vinegar, and salt. Everything is put together and blended with an electric mixer. It's easy, and the biggest difficulty is gathering the ingredients, chopping them with a knife, and blending them. However, so that we don't do anything, so that we always have everything done for us, the food industry gives it to us ready-made in tetrapaks. The cook Ada Parellada stated at the meeting with ARA readers that she would have said that such an invention would never have worked. Perhaps today industrial gazpachos have already entered a large part of Catalan homes. Which ones are the best?As always, we must read the labels. The fewer ingredients they have, the better; they will resemble homemade ones more. To continue, "the first ingredients should always be vegetables, especially tomatoes, which are the main component and responsible for a large part of their content of lycopene (antioxidant), vitamin C, potassium, and other antioxidant compounds," states dietitian-nutritionist Anna Grífols. If you read bread in the ingredients, "it is normal within the traditional recipe and should not be a cause for concern." However, there are other ingredients that can also be found in some industrial gazpachos, which are the ones to avoid. "Some partially substitute extra virgin olive oil with cheaper refined oils, such as sunflower oil, which is also healthy, but nutritionally extra virgin olive oil remains the most interesting option thanks to its content of oleic acid and polyphenols." You also need to pay attention to the amount of salt. "There are gazpachos that easily exceed 1% salt, a high amount if we consume a large glass. Whenever possible, it is preferable to choose options with less than 0.8 g of salt per 100 ml," says the dietitian-nutritionist.Vegetables, the first on the list

So, first there must be vegetables; then extra virgin olive oil and be careful with the amount of salt. But there are still other ingredients that industrial gazpachos can contain, which are the ones that must be rejected: "Some incorporate added sugar, unnecessary thickeners, flavorings or a long list of additives that have little to do with a traditional gazpacho". And it is so because "supermarket gazpacho is a processed food, which also does not automatically make it an unhealthy food". It can be healthy "if the vegetables have been blended, mixed with the usual ingredients and subjected to treatments such as pasteurization to guarantee food safety and extend its preservation". As a consequence of this process "the amount of vitamin C, which is especially sensitive to heat, can be slightly reduced, but it retains a good part of the rest of the nutrients and can even increase the bioavailability of lycopene from tomato, a carotenoid with a high antioxidant capacity," says Grífols.To finish, making gazpacho at home is simple, and there are two tricks that the Disfrutar chefs reveal so that the garlic and cucumber do not return. The garlic will not return if you blanch it three times. That is, once you have peeled the garlic cloves, submerge them in a pot with boiling water, and do so for a few seconds. You can repeat this operation up to three times, because in this way you will manage to lower the pungency of the garlic. And as for the cucumber, they say you have to peel it, chop it, remove the inner seeds and put it in salt on a plate for a while. Then the cucumber will sweat and extract water. When it has done so, rinse it well with a stream of water to remove the salt. And the two ingredients will be ready to add them together to the blender jar and blend them. A quick dish to prepare that also hydrates.

]]>

We interview Josep Anton Vendrell (Subirats, 1974), winegrower and president of the Association of Winegrowers of Penedès, at his estate, owned by the family since 1374, Masia La Bardera, in Subirats. From the macabeu vineyards he harvests, there is a privileged view of the countryside with Montserrat in the background. He tells me to observe it well because this green landscape could be lost one day. This year, the farmers are crying out to the heavens against the abusive prices they are being charged for the kilo of harvested grapes. They have been doing this for years, but this year they consider that the three press releases issued by the DO Cava have angered them.

]]>

Chef Albert Adrià explains how to make a recipe at home that requires a little over thirty minutes, and some good cherry tomatoes. The dish can be eaten as an appetizer or as a first course.

]]>

Although she has lived in Museros for thirty years and is moved by the neighbors taking the cool air on the street, the writer Gemma Pasqual (Almoines, 1967) considers herself an unashamed city dweller. The author, who was vice-president of Acció Cultural del País Valencià and is especially known for her works of youth literature, defines herself as a "pleasure-seeker" and explains that, concerning vermouth, she likes everything, even the lemon peel.

]]>

I was once talking to a film expert who told me that the settings of films set in the 60s, 70s, or 80s were not realistic. The reason is that these recreations sought objects from a single period, the one in which the action took place, and that in general this never happened in houses. Homes are like an archaeological site, there are many layers. I think about this when I enter Casa Natalia, in Sant Ferran de ses Roques, in Formentera. When you enter this restaurant, it feels a bit like you are in their home, as the establishment is full of objects that Natàlia Juan and Carles Abellán have acquired throughout their lives and travels.

]]>

We are facing one of the great families that produce wines, cured meats, cheeses, honey, and eggs from Empordà: Serraplà, with butcher shops in Figueres, Cadaqués, Besalú, and Palau-saverdera. Serraplà is the union of the Serra and Pla couple, who had three sons: Josep, Lluís, and Jordi. Each one is dedicated to a different branch of the family business. Josep, to the production of wines and cheeses; Lluís, to label design; and Jordi, to sales, behind the counter of the shops. It is precisely Jordi whom we are interviewing, on a Monday in August at the butcher shop in Cadaqués, located in the old town, which previously belonged to the Vehí family of the town.

]]>

That the iconic El Racó d'En Binu, in Argentona, was born in a hotel is no coincidence. Francesc Fortí traveled and saw that hotels could be fertile ground where a great restaurant could flourish. In fact, the hotel has not been operating for years, but the restaurant has. Catalonia is a land of good restaurants and also of great hotels – these yes, in full operation – and charming landscapes. If we put all these elements in a shaker, we will see that there are a lot of places that defend these attributes. From historic establishments to spaces that were once private and to which we can now access to have a great meal and, if necessary, to sleep there. Let's review a few.

]]>

I interview the scientist Anna Bozzano (Genoa, 1966) on a summer morning in the middle of a heatwave. We talk about the sea temperature, which is high and causes changes in the fish she studies. Bozzano arrived in Barcelona in 1992 as a final-year undergraduate student to work at the Institute of Fisheries Research. She was 26 years old, and she has never returned to Italy since. In Catalonia, she started a family, has had two daughters, and works as a promoter of fish knowledge with the project El Peix al Plat (Fish on the Plate). She has been living in Barcelona for thirty-four years, where she has lived in different neighborhoods, and now she is in Barceloneta.

]]>