The gastronomic novelties to devour Barcelona morning, afternoon and night

"Now everything will change because we are reopening restaurants that we have had closed throughout the pandemic, such as the Torre de Alta Mar, although initially it will only be during weekends, with midday and evening service," says Oscar Manresa, the charismatic Catalan chef and businessman. He continues: "we have to be careful because these are higher-profile restaurants and, for now, we are a bit on the lookout to see how the customer behaves, whether they go out or not, because there is desire, but also fear." This May, Manresa will unleash everything contained during the pandemic and, in addition to the opening of Torre de Alta Mar, others such as Casa Guinart, in La Boquería, or the extension of hours in the rest of his establishments, will join.

To the gastronomic novelties at street level, several are added in the heights, and many of them related to hotels. And it is that terraces are regaining their depth and form to give free rein to what they do best: pamper the client. Hence, at the Kimpton Vividora hotel they are already warming up the stoves to bring to life one of their new seasonal products, their brunch. From the Terraza de Vivi, both guests and local public will be able to contemplate the 360º views of Barcelona, in addition to enjoying their Brunch on The Terrace, which will be held every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00h to 13:00h in the heart of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter. "Our goal is to make possible the personal well-being of the guests and the Kimpton Vividora team. We want to dedicate all our effort to incorporating safety and hygiene measures while providing the service and personalized luxury experiences of a 5-star hotel'', comments Merry Antoja, general manager of the hotel.

And from one high terrace to another also in the heights, such as that of the Hotel Casa Bonay. Its famous Chiringuito returns and does so with a renovated menu, where dishes cooked in robata (a kind of Japanese barbecue) predominate, which provides a unique texture and flavor to dishes such as lacquered eel or grilled entraña with chimichurri. "And as if we have had anything in this pandemic, it has been time to think, practice and implement new ideas, we will also offer our clients six types of cocktails that we have managed to bottle from our Libertine cocktail bar," confirms Inés Miró Sans, alma mater and owner of Casa Bonay. So in addition to eating, and doing it very well, customers will also have the opportunity to pair their menu with six different proposals from one of Barcelona's most famous cocktail bars.

And without being famous yet, because it has not yet opened, it will do so next June 1, the SIPS cocktail bar arrives in Barcelona, and it does so at the hands of two internationally renowned bartenders, Simone Caporale and Marc Alvarez. A proposal of high standing in pret-a-porter format that arrives in Barcelona to shake up the cocktail scene and enjoy the city in sips.

On solid ground, another of the season's novelties in the Barcelona scene is Artesanos, the new gastronomic space that offers culinary experiences by chefs and talents from the sector who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and who will now also offer pop-up dinners on weekends.

To say that Artesanos is a restaurant falls very short. Artesanos is a project focused on giving voice and brilliance to all those experts who give soul to the kitchens of many restaurants, working together with them to design and serve unique culinary experiences, with only 20 diners per event. With a philosophy mainly focused on the product, Artesanos is made up of cooking lovers and local producers who transform high-quality organic gastronomic production into exclusive culinary experiences in a warm and relaxed atmosphere. "Artesanos is born from the need to seek alternatives that transform our consumption into a quality, conscious and sustainable food system," confirms Agustín Gámez, a 31-year-old Mexican who arrived in Barcelona 8 years ago to study Marketing and Advertising and who today is the co-founder of Artesanos.

The San Telmo Group has just embarked on what will be its penultimate gastronomic adventure with Bistró Mató, located in the space that the mythical Mató de Pedralbes occupied for so many years. Change of look and change of menu, now focused on a more typical bistro menu, with dishes and rice dishes, for the new place that also has a perfect terrace to taste the best Mediterranean gastronomy in the heart of the Pedralbes neighborhood. The macaroni a la catalana au gratin should be, in themselves, a reason for pilgrimage to the place.

Frank Sinatra already said it: Orange Is The Happiest Colour!, so this may be one of the main reasons why Dumbo Café adopts this pantone in its most vibrant version, to give a renewed personality to one of the busiest corners of Barcelona's Diagonal. The space, which occupies the place where the mythical Café San Telmo was located, has given color, that is undeniable, but also life, to this 100% sustainable corner where compostable material is used and a healthy menu with a high vegetarian percentage is served, under the motto bowls, sandwiches & coffee. Dumbo Café, which owes its name to one of Brooklyn's coolest neighborhoods, has just launched a new menu with incredible dishes like its savory pancakes, a trip to New York without leaving the Diagonal. In addition, it will now also be open until 10:30 p.m.

And although for some time now the corner occupied by Funky Bakers shines with its own light at number 10 of Paseo del Born, this curious deli model never ceases to surprise. Funky Bakers is an international bakery that took off before the pandemic and that when the quarantine arrived did not want to give up selling all the delights that were served here. Seyma Ozkaya Erpul, its founder, soon felt the need to respond to the requests of her regulars and, in just two days, set up an online store that is now consolidating itself as an exemplary delivery model based on pillars such as Km 0, quality and high doses of care.

And despite the fact that the lockdown has ended, our habits have changed forever. That is why, among the novelties of this deli, are the Happy Bags ---this is what Seyma calls each of the orders--- which they deliver at home by bike and in a sustainable way. The bags of happiness continue to complement the service carried out at the premises on Paseo del Born, which daily welcomes its regular parishioners, always patiently queuing and with a smile to buy the tastiest cakes, pastries and sandwiches in the neighborhood, accompanied by a good coffee from El Magnífico, another business also based in the Born.

The restaurant Boa-Bao has just introduced six new dishes to its menu that, in addition to whetting the appetite, invite you to discover Indonesia through its gastronomy, known for the richness of its influences, the use of spices and the balance between spicy and sweet and sour notes. The restaurant has 430 square meters inside and also has an outdoor terrace. And among its main novelties, in addition to the new dishes and the extended hours, Boa-Bao brings back some of its most emblematic dishes. It's time to celebrate, for normality and for being able to enjoy again the steamed sea bass with lime, chili, garlic and pak choy, the Dragon Bao of prawns in sweet and sour sauce with cucumber, pineapple and seaweed and the soup Eddy's Hanoi Pho, a Vietnamese beef broth with rice noodles. We won't be able to travel, but we'll always have Barcelona.

The newly released gastronomic freedom will be enlivened by the rhythms of a DJ at Dolce Vitae, the emblematic terrace of the Majestic Hotel, which also premieres a new menu designed by Nandu Jubany, the establishment's consulting chef, and David Romero, its executive chef. A proposal full of tasty autochthonous ingredients where rice dishes take on special prominence. Its menu also delves into the fresh, local and healthy concept, traced by the cuisine of this terrace for 3 years now and so many joys it has given them thanks to the acceptance of critics and the public.

Highlights include rice dishes such as vegetable, boletus and romesco, the mixed chicken and prawn or the dry lobster, cold and very tasty starters such as the Mediterranean tuna tartare and cold almond soup, the parmesan coca sablé with escalivada vegetables and XXL sardine or some vegan options such as the vegetable raf tomato tartare with buckwheat and avocado. Desserts follow the path set by the hotel's delicious pastry offer, hence the chocolate crunch, Madagascar vanilla, hazelnut and lime lemon cannot be missed. It is the perfect prelude to, after dinner, toast with one of their characteristic cocktails contemplating the city's skyline during sunset, since now we can do it!