We don't always pay attention to our resolutions; but it's always good to sit down for a moment and consider what changes or new adventures we want to undertake during the next twelve months. In our case, of course, it's a list related to ingredients, recipes, and restaurants to discover or revisit, that will lead us to experience new flavors in a year that promises to be very gastronomic.
Our first resolution is to stay up-to-date with global trends. Many experts point out the importance that water will have in 2024, both in terms of the commitment to broths and soups in restaurants (let's not forget Jordi Vilà's new take-away escudella) and the emergence of water sommeliers (yes, each water pairs differently depending on the food!). The concern for this element also includes the selection of ingredients that require less water for their production, an idea that adds to the Km0 philosophy.
Also noteworthy is the decrease in alcoholic beverages in favor of wines, tequilas, and whiskies that do not contain it. As explained by specialized stores like Sense, recently opened in Gràcia, these are beverages that have the same taste as alcoholic ones, but have gone through a process of extracting that organic compound. 2024 could be the year to fall in love with proposals like Gnista, which is reminiscent of Ibizan herbs, or ISH's non-alcoholic daiquiris.
As for restaurants, a good resolution is to support even more small, family-owned, and enriching businesses in the city. It is also a good time to return to establishments that were going to close but, thanks to investors or new opportunities, have reopened in other locations. In this regard, don't miss a visit to the new locations of Shoronpo and Somodó Ba.
Another goal for the coming months is to leave Eixamples and Ciutats Velles in search of neighborhood restaurants that don't think about tourists. They don't, more than anything, because foreign visitors don't usually reach their streets or squares, so their menus focus on the palates of local residents. A good example is the new brasserie of the Tramendu family, geniuses of modernized Catalan cuisine.
Following Tramendu's line, it is remarkable the large number of Barcelona businesses that have recently opened a second location with a very different concept from the original. This is the case of Âme, the delicate project conceived by Pachi Rodríguez and Joey Attieh who, unlike the Albé restaurant, prefer to focus on French flavors instead of Lebanese ones. Also Varmuteo, the casual bar that Jaume Marambio and Vicky Maccarone, the couple behind the unbeatable Alapar, have opened on Vilamarí street.
We don't always pay attention to our resolutions; but it's always good to sit down for a moment and consider what changes or new adventures we want to undertake during the next twelve months.Nor should we forget the opening of Hermós Bar de Peix, the new proposal by Alexis Peñalver, creator of La Pubilla and advisor of the remodeled La Esquina, nor that of Bar Pimentel, by the always innovative Martín Pimentel, ideologue of Piel de Gallina. In the coming months, in addition, we eagerly await the new project from Arnau Muñío, leader of the fantastic Direkte Boqueria.
And, since this will be the year of the Wood Dragon, according to the Chinese horoscope, it is a good time for a last resolution: that of discovering true Chinese gastronomy, one that does not adapt to Western palates, but rather represents the true flavors of an ancient cuisine. A good place to discover it is West Street, one of the few bars in the country where you can taste biang biang noodles, or the always recommendable Melo-Jia, which has one of the best nian gao in the city.