Apriori, Tuset Street returns to the charge

In the stretch delimited by Balmes and Tuset, the tortilla restaurant Flash Flash and the Italian restaurant il Giardinetto have been sharing the symbolic heritage of the Gauche Divine and the loyalty of a militant clientele for half a century. A few meters from both, at number 19 on the same street, Apriori opened its doors just a year ago, a place that reclaims the concept of "restaurant with atmosphere"and that has the delicacy of feeding with dignity anyone who wants to have a bite and a drink before going into a nightclub in the surroundings.Four millennials (Adrià Duarte, Òscar Cugat, Inés Arroyo and Borja Lario) are the partners of a project that has lived with success since day one. Young, though amply connected, this group has turned Apriori into the new trendy spot in this busy area, trusting in their business vision and relying on their extensive network of contacts.

Duarte, who in the last ten years has combined the management of the Costa Breve nightclub with other projects linked to communication and marketing, knows well the ins and outs of the most nocturnal Upper Diagonal and is accustomed to filling venues. Cugat moves like a fish in water in the influencer ecosystem, and before Apriori created a platform that helps companies optimize their relationship with them. Arroyo, a representative of the influencer guild and founder of the sustainable fashion brand Laagam, has blown up on Instagram. As a fact, her number of followers exceeds the population of Terrassa.

Lario, the chef, trained in the kitchens of Tickets and Bodega 1900, two high-level schools whose name and ownership are no longer the same after the pandemic. Here, the young chef flees superfluous artifices, being consistent with the line of "simple dishes made with quality ingredients" proposed by Apriori.Some examples of this cuisine are stracciatella with sea urchin or scampi carpaccio with flying fish roe and pine nuts. Two clean combinations that work without the need to seek the photo with forced creativities. In Apriori's letter, some also parade classics, impeccably executed, like Russian salad, cod esqueixada, or a tender tomato and onion salad that reminds us that summer always passes too quickly.The average price, not counting wine or any drinks one might have, is around €35 per person. For breakfasts, Apriori's partners have hit the nail on the head. Teaming up with Sacha and Mantequerías Pirenaicas, croissants, sandwiches, and tortillas become infallible options. Coffees and teas are provided by another expert in the field: Cafés El Magnífico. With this small embassy of Mantequerías Pirenaicas, Flash Flash's tortillas have found competition.If Federico Correa and Alfonso Milà dressed Flash Flash in white and Giardinetto in green, the Quintana Partners studio has chosen red to give identity to the Apriori space.The interior design, an important element of the restaurant, clearly differentiates the two floors into which the premises are divided. Upstairs, the design of the mosaic tile floor, the wood, and the mirrors give the space the relaxed comfort of a cafeteria. The bar and a handful of tables, sufficiently lit both day and night, allow for breakfast, lunch, or dinner without the need to use a mobile flashlight. Downstairs, things change. There is gloom at the end of the staircase. Another bar, this time for cocktails, leads to a very red dining room that mutates intodanceflooras people finish dinner. There is less light here, and what reaches us does so through fringed lamps and the filament of the thousand bulbs that overflow the ceiling.On Wednesdays there is live acoustic music and every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, a DJ lands to make the night take off.

The nocturnal atmosphere is completed with velvet curtains, a column of mirrors, and a red neon sign displaying two words: "Lo Verdadero" (The True). An enigmatic motto that the partners seek to associate with the ambiance of Apriori, as demonstrated by the constant repetition of this idea in the restaurant's digital communication.

Undoubtedly, each generation has imagined a different definition for a matter as complex as "the true," but taking a look at Apriori's walls, covered with photographs from the 60s ---featuring American celebrities enjoying a night out--- it seems that the claim for authenticity here translates into a fanciful look at the past.

If 50 years ago, the Gauche Divine turned Tuset street into Tuset Street because they wanted the future to arrive as soon as possible, today millennials seek "the true" in black and white photos. Names change, but the desire to go out remains intact, and a well-made omelet is always appealing.

Montaigne, who was not a DJ but an influencer, already warned: "Life is undulating."