Who is Àlex Vall? A boy from a well-to-do neighborhood in Barcelona who, one day, after many years of work, decided to open his own restaurant. His story would not be understood without the figure of Hideki Matsuhisa, owner and chef of Koy Shunka, a benchmark and responsible for his appreciation for Japanese cuisine. Àlex is not a vocational chef, but the hours he dedicated to the trade brought out a talent and vocation that remained hidden.The experience in different cuisines and a scholarship from the Japanese government to work in the Asian country were the triggers for deciding, last June, to move forward with a personal project. Umo Àlex Vall is a restaurant with clear Japanese influences, located on a quiet corner of La Bonanova, where a menu adapted to the product and seasonality is served. Fire is its protagonist. There is only one service and a single bar for twelve diners. Àlex welcomes us and offers a brief explanation of where we are and what will happen during the time we will be seated at an open and comfortable bar, with street light and a very good atmosphere.Let's start! The hassun serves as an appetizer, it is a classic of kaiseki cuisine and represents elements, colors, and different cooking techniques. We continue with the calçot dofu, a taste that reminds us of our cuisine, but with clearly Japanese texture and connotations; sashimi of sea bream from Arenys de Mar; udon with prawn (thick noodle); a marvelous temaki of eel from the Ebro Delta; oshizushi (pressed sushi) of sea bass; futomaki (large and thick roll) of tuna belly, and grilled sea bream head. We pause for a moment to talk about the wine. This time, and we promise it won't happen again for a long time, we opted for an external wine. The chosen one was Julius Höfflin Vulkanstoff 2023, a light and fresh red wine, made mainly with the Spätburgunder variety, from volcanic lands of Kaiserstuhl, in the Baden-Württemberg region, in southwestern Germany. Anyway, the menu offers good options of both local and international wines, as well as a variety of sake.Highest quality

We resume the meal with the chicken skewers: one stuffed wing and the other from the tail. They remind us, very pleasantly, of classic Japanese yakitori. We add to the menu (€85) two dishes that are separate and not included: the angus rib and the fat shrimp temaki (€24). These suggestions are left out of the menu so as not to increase its price, but, despite the cost, we couldn't help but try them. The quality of the product, the presentation, and the good execution mean that we do not consider the price paid to be high. The miso soup and the choco tart conclude a surprising and very high-quality experience.Alex Vall is a calm and apparently pragmatic guy. He has created a very personal proposal, with many possibilities of becoming a benchmark in Barcelona. "At UMO you will eat well and find an atmosphere similar to what you would have at home with a group of friends. It is important that everyone is punctual so that we can all start at the same time and share the sensations that each dish provokes in us", Alex tells us, aware that his proposal is taking root and that it is being talked about. It is not mandatory to interact with the bar neighbors, but the dynamic itself invites it. We have greatly enjoyed the experience and we predict success and recognition for him. They haven't even been open a year and we are already thinking about the day we will return.

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When I enter people's homes, I always like to look at the family photos they have framed in every corner. I guess it's something we all do. It's nice to see what people's lives were like before we knew them. As children with tanned skin on the beach, at a celebration, or when they graduated from university. It has always seemed to me an act of generosity for someone to let you into their home and be part of their intimacy for a few moments. That's why, when I arrive at the Dvisi restaurant in Palamós, I'm struck by the fact that there's a photo of Jordi Simón and one of Laura Vicente right at the reception. They are individual photos, they are alone. The colors have already faded, it's noticeable that they've been on display for a few years. They correspond to the time when they were studying at the Girona Hotel School, where they met and fell in love. And at this moment, right from the start, it becomes evident that we are in a home, in a clearly family-run restaurant.

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Between Barceloneta and Poblenou, the terraces transform into authentic sea view points, where it is possible to enjoy the sea breeze while tasting Mediterranean cuisine. From the elegant Nuara terrace in front of the renovated Port Olímpic to charming corners like Bar Nuri, on Rambla del Poblenou, this route proposes four essential stops where rice, the spring atmosphere and the proximity to the sea go hand in hand.

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Robert Serna i Mundet is a guy from El Raval. He was born there, lives there, and has his business there. He is self-taught. Talent and effort opened the doors to the world of restoration for him at just twenty-two years old. Since then, he has participated in his own and others' projects, always at the forefront of prestigious kitchens.One day, walking through the old Barri Xino, he discovered a small corner on Requesens street and decided to turn it into his refuge to be happy. Cal Robert opened its doors in 2014. At first it was more of a bar than a restaurant, but eight years ago, with David's arrival in the kitchen, the project found its definitive direction: traditional Catalan cuisine with a touch of Iberian flair. Starters to share and main courses to each one's liking. A simple formula that works if the product and execution are good. The team is as important as the food, and with Marc in the dining room, a small but very efficient team is completed.There are fixed dishes and others (those on the blackboard) that change according to the seasonality of the product. Thus, neither they nor the clients get bored: every day there is something new to taste. We start the meal with some black pudding bags and some chard fritters. We continue with a dish of tripe and some meatballs that comfort us from the outside cold and confirm our success in visiting Robert. Before dessert, a hake tail in the Donostiarra style reconciles us with product cuisine. A cream millefeuille, a meringue and lemon tartlet, and a cheesecake fulfill the purpose of ending the meal.Wine deserves a very remarkable separate chapter. The menu is oral and changing. Robert explains it to us: “We only work with local wines and none cost more than nineteen euros. It makes no sense to spend twenty euros on food and order a seventy euro wine. We are looking for a wine profile with good value for money to be able to offer them at a reasonable price.” We choose a bottle of Un Onzè black wine from the Cal Cabo winery, in Sant Martí de Maldà. They have vineyards in the Corb valley. Sometimes, oil can be as important as food and drink. In the case at hand, we highlight it for its quality. It is from Nalec, the smallest town in Urgell. “My father-in-law is from Nalec. In the mornings I make breakfasts and I try to give an outlet to the oil, the wine and the sausages from there. They are very good!”The universe of Raval

Cal Robert is much more than a bar-restaurant: it is a service to the neighborhood. It collaborates with neighborhood associations and NGOs based in the neighborhood, especially with Pallapupas, the beloved hospital clowns. It has also unofficially become the bar for the Taller de Músics. The clientele comes mainly from Sant Antoni and L'Eixample, as the population of Raval is increasingly diverse and does not always match its gastronomic proposal or the establishment's budget. The average bill is around thirty-five euros per person.Robert is a Raval resident who loves his neighborhood. El Raval has life and color, but this particular universe of Barcelona is often underestimated and feared in equal measure. We take advantage of its geographical location to walk through these streets in the heart of the city. El Raval and Cal Robert show us two of the realities of our country: the diversity of our fellow citizens and the good health of Catalan cuisine. We can be happy.

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“Have you visited the wine cellar yet?” is the first thing the chef Fran López says to me when I step into Villa Retiro, the hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant in Xerta. He is referring to the Celler Cooperatiu del Pinell de Brai, one of the Cathedrals of Wine, which exemplify López's project very well, a project that transcends the walls of his restaurant and shows the chef's commitment to the territory. Now that Villa Retiro is 20 years old, it is a good time to focus on it and also celebrate it with the menu he has designed for the occasion, which could be nothing else but a tribute to the Terres de l'Ebre.

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The Basque chef Martín Berasategui (San Sebastián, 1960) is opening the restaurant Bera in the coming days on the ground floor of the Monument Hotel Barcelona (paseo de Gracia, 75), which celebrates the tenth anniversary of its inauguration this year. It will have an all-day open kitchen, designed for passers-by and also for tourists staying at the hotel, and focused on product. The goal they are working towards is for it to be a place to go for breakfast, to have a cocktail in the mid-afternoon or at night, as well as to eat and dine there. Regarding the restaurant's name, the hotel has explained that it is a play on the first two syllables of the chef's surname and also the word vera, which in Catalan means true and in Spanish would also mean near.

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Taking advantage of the fact that Rosalía is on tour this week in Barcelona, we review a list of restaurants she has visited on previous trips to the city. Some of these establishments have been so liked by the singer that she herself has shared the dishes on her social media. If you want to know what the famous Catalan singer's tastes are like, or, who knows, try your luck to see if you happen to coincide with her on a day she repeats, here is the list.

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The Terres de l’Ebre are a natural paradise. A national treasure. But, furthermore, they are also a great gastronomic enclave despite having a very low population density. In Ulldecona alone, we find two Michelin-starred restaurants: l’Antic Molí and Les Moles. Today we visit the first one, where what shines brightest is not precisely the star, but the circular economy project that sustains it, the way it positively impacts the territory, and the fact that it not only establishes itself in haute cuisine but also offers options for all budgets. "We take small steps to grow big," says its chef and owner, Vicent Guimerà. They have already taken many steps, because what they offer from their kitchen is revered and applauded by their neighbors and by those who visit it.

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The Left of the Eixample in Barcelona is a neighborhood with its own life, but whoever walks through it at lunchtime knows that finding a plate of Catalan cuisine among so much brunch, poke and franchise offerings is increasingly difficult. The offerings have multiplied, yes, but not always in favor of those looking for a fricandó, some well-made bravas, or a Sunday rice dish.

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The Hotel Palace has an undeniable mystique, as it is a historic enclave in the city of Barcelona. For many, it will always remain the Ritz, and in fact, when you enter, you can't help but look around to see if Xavier Cugat's chihuahua is still lurking. If we are not staying there, we can access it to use its gastronomic offerings. We can go

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Tomás de la Paz, Chilean by birth, will never forget how it all began with Gastón Acurio. “About twenty-five years ago, I showed up at the door of one of his restaurants in Peru, knocked, and blurted out: ‘I want to learn!’”. That audacity, almost unconsciously, changed his life forever. “After three months, he had already sent me to another establishment in Lima… and here I am today,” he recalls with a smile that still holds the spark of that first impulse.

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Let's imagine a good pasta al dente. A cacio e pepe, for example. With the integrated sauce. They bring it in a deep pan and put it directly on your plate with tongs. Succulent, right? Or a beautiful tomato and a mozzarella so sublime that they serve it naked. When something is perfect, the only obligation is not to spoil it. Or a bresaola made of wagyu. It shines with the marbling of the fat. On the side, a raviolo filled with ricotta, truffle and tuorlo (that is, egg yolk). One last example: an eggplant parmigiana with that intense tomato flavor that obligatorily makes you dip bread. All these are some of the dishes that can be tasted since Tuesday at Bottega Bernacca (Carrer de Bonavista, 10), the Italian restaurant that lands in the Gràcia neighborhood and that curiously, unlike what it might seem, comes to us from São Paulo, Brazil. But you will see, dear readers, that everything has a reason.

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Three days before the start of the confinement due to Covid-19, Sergi Poyatos received the keys to what was to be his home and the gastronomic meeting point for all the people of Cervelló. Let's remember how we suffered and the vital and economic consequences that the pandemic had for everyone, but at the same time we saw that the world does not stop and, in July of that same year, El Secret del Vell opened its doors in Cervelló, a municipality that originates with the castle of Cervelló in the early 10th century.However, in 1714, the Catalan defeat in the War of Succession symbolized the end of an era. Among the first consequences of the conflict was the destruction of the castle, ordered by Philip V. The construction of the road between Barcelona and Valencia, in the second half of the 18th century, favored the formation of the grouped nucleus of Cervelló and marked the beginning of the town we know today.But let's leave history for another day and focus on Sergi's cuisine. We begin the meal with a taste of acorn "morcón" elaborated according to Sergi's family's traditional recipe. Originally from Cuenca and Extremadura, every year, for four generations, they return to their starting point to do the slaughter. We continue with "escalivada" aubergines from the Agrarian Park with goat cheese, hazelnuts, and their praline, and a dish of veal tripe with "capipota" and pork trotters. We are faced with a proposal based on good product, curious, and very well cooked.The main courses are house classics: steak tartare of aged Galician beef fillet, the famous cod pil-pil in homage to a centenarian client, and a rice dish with acorn-fed pork ribs, porcini mushrooms, and black sausage from a family slaughter. We ordered the rice after seeing it was a majority dish on many tables. The rib one was sublime, but we were left with the desire to try the seafood rice with squid, clams, and red shrimp. It will be a good excuse to return. The wine that accompanied us was Abadia de Poblet, from Conca de Barberà. A Santa Teresa toast in the Catalan style and a gin and tonic ice cream with Bulldog gelatin, lemon air, and red berries concluded a great lunch.A project to reconcile

After a very demanding service, we sit down with Sergi to talk about family, the town, cooking, and secrets. “I am a thirty-five-year-old family man, I have been living in Cervelló for fifteen years and I have a total family unit. The three things I like most are being a father, being my wife’s partner, and the restaurant business. I created the project ‘El Secret del Vell’ to be able to reconcile everything”, he tells us with the demeanor and tone of a happy guy. The team is very important: Sergi, Annuar, and Àlex in the kitchen, and Danae and José Luis in the dining room. The restaurant is divided into three spaces: a dining room with seven tables, a private room for eight diners, and a very nice interior terrace.Sergi began studying Art History, but his passion was cooking. His family is in the trade and, after studying and working in various renowned kitchens, he decided to start his own project. Cooking is his passion and the house that hosts his restaurant, his devotion. It is one of the first houses that was part of the beginning of Cervelló as a town; it was called the "basket makers' house" and is dated from the year 1793.Hey! We almost forgot to tell you about the secret, but we'll leave that for when you go. Ask Sergi about it: his face lights up when he explains it. A promise: you will eat very well.

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“I am a romantic”, Gerard Martí tells me. Probably because I am too, I have enjoyed his proposal so much. Gerard is a young chef, butcher, and whatever else is needed. His family runs the Casanovas butcher shop, at Carrer Calàbria, 113, in Barcelona. It is the fourth generation dedicated to it. They are aware that these are difficult times for the trade. Many artisan butchers are closing and there is no succession. The Martí family, however, have found a way to make the business profitable: combining the butcher shop with a restaurant. And the restaurant in question has turned out to be very surprising and recommendable.

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The restaurant director, Joaquim López, welcomed the diners. It was a special dinner because Xerta, the restaurant that brings a piece of Terres de l'Ebre to Barcelona, is celebrating 10 years since its opening. López is the fourth generation of restaurateurs. In fact, his parents were also among the diners at the establishment located within the Ohla Eixample hotel. The family manages another hotel, Villa Retiro in Xerta, hence the name of the establishment in Barcelona, and there, Joaquim's brother, Fran López, leads the kitchen at the restaurant.

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Carpanta is an iconic comic strip character created in 1947 by Josep Escobar to depict the essential deprivations suffered by a large part of the population in post-war Spain. Carpanta was starving, and his comics humorously and satirically narrated his attempts to find food. He almost never succeeded, but his vitality allows us to glimpse a very particular kind of happiness that enabled him to survive the misery of his own world. Escobar presents us with a famished character, but never a miserable one. He harshly criticizes a period of hardship and inequality in a space designed primarily to elicit a smile. Happiness involves a very personal perception, and Carpanta's is no exception. Therefore, with the character still present in the collective memory, we will pay tribute to him by indulging in a feast at the restaurant that bears his name.

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Congratulations. Twenty years ago, a small restaurant opened next to the Hospital Clínic. It has grown over the years, but we'll get there. Now the concept wouldn't seem innovative, but at the time it certainly was. Pepe Simôes had a bar just a few steps away and decided to open a restaurant, something well-made but informal, and call it La Taverna del Clínic. It was a pleasant place, and the menu will sound familiar because it's the model that has triumphed in Barcelona: expertly prepared tapas (nothing like a mediocre potato salad) to share. Pepe Simôes had a chef lined up, but at the last minute, the deal fell through. And that's how, 20 years ago, his son Toni took over the restaurant. And he has grown it into the landmark it is today.

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Right across from the church in Riudarenes, a town of just over 2,500 inhabitants, stands a farmhouse with stone walls and a beamed ceiling, over 300 years old, proudly displaying the flags of Girona and Catalonia. This is Restaurante Can Cordons. "We try to make dishes respecting traditional cuisine, but with a modern touch," says Pau Turon (Riudarenes, 2000), its owner for the last eight years. "We met at the Girona Hospitality School," replies Gerard Picard (Girona, 1995), the chef. "Even though I'm now in the dining room, I'm also a cook," Turon asserts. That's not all they share, as they are also big Girona fans, although Picard has a bit of a Barcelona side. "Now I'm a little more of a Girona fan than a Barça fan," he admits. Míchel's team visits Osasuna this Saturday (6:30 p.m., Movistar LaLiga).

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Barcelona's Gothic Quarter boasts one of the highest concentrations of restaurants per square meter in the entire city. Nestled between La Rambla, Via Laietana, Plaça Catalunya, and the port, the narrow streets conceal a wide variety of fare: tourist traps, fast-food chains masquerading as local cuisine, and, amidst it all, restaurants that take their food seriously. The challenge lies in finding them without getting lost, as generic offerings have taken over a neighborhood that has lost too many of its landmarks.

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Xavier is proud of his past, his present, and also the future he is building. Of the past, because he fondly remembers his early days working at the family restaurant. He still cherishes small details from that time, like the stool behind the bar. "It was gray, and I served my first coffees to customers on it when I was just eight years old." He is the second generation of Cal Moreu, in Centelles, a restaurant that his grandparents and parents opened in 1977. "It's a farmhouse dating back to 1700 that my great-grandparents bought to turn into a home and farmhouse," Xavier explains. The origin of the restaurant's name is also curious. "Before, in old Catalan, oxen were called Moreos"And there used to be a lot of them here. We said it so often, the name just stuck," he says, laughing. Today, Can Moreu is thriving: the restaurant is packed every day thanks to the excellence of its cuisine. "100% Catalan. We make stews, escalivadas, calçots... everything Catalan."

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