The newest (tasty) in Barcelona 'right now'

The heat is on, but the speed of openings in Barcelona doesn't take its foot off the accelerator. We're thinking of sun, terraces, beaches, and rice dishes by the sea. But first, we're reviewing the best of what opened this May/June in the city because, if we stay here a few more weeks before taking our holidays, we'll need it. Places to rediscover tapas at a market bar, others for a romantic dinner with good music and even better cocktails, even places far from the always bustling Eixample that, with impeccable service and traditional dishes to share, show us that surprising things also happen in modest neighborhoods of the capital.

Casa Platos: harmony in a glass

Gràcia is always a bubbling area of Barcelona, and it is here that Barcelona's first Hi-Fi restaurant & cocktail bar has just opened: Casa Platos (calle de la Fraternitat, 37, Gràcia). A concept so far unprecedented in the city, promoted by Ot Salvans and Víctor Martínez, also responsible for Manda Huevos (Travessera de les Corts, 277). The venue is already one of the city's most talked-about openings among music lovers. There's swing, jazz, soul, and a lot of rock & roll on its background music, and a Japanese-Mediterranean proposal accompanied by fine cocktails slides onto its tables.

The concept is born from the mythical Japanese listening bars. In 1950s Tokyo, many music lovers could not afford high-fidelity sound systems or their own vinyl collections. Thus, spaces were born where music was felt with the same reverence with which a work of art is contemplated: impeccable sound, gentle volume, intimate atmosphere, and absolute attention to detail. Decades later, Hi-Fi Bars have become a trend in cities like New York, London, and Paris. But Casa Platos goes a step further. "There are already Hi-Fi coffee shops and cocktail bars. So we thought: why not a Hi-Fi restaurant?" explain its founders.

The result is a tremendously cozy, contemporary space, in line with the quiet luxury trend applied to details. The sound experience accompanies —without invading— a gastronomic experience with its own identity. Try the pigeon Wellington —the bird marinates for several hours and has a sublime buttery texture—, the hamachi crudo, corn ponzu, fermented chili oil and frozen sake kasu powder, or the soft squid noodles with their Iberian ham pil-pil, smoked eel (marbonara) and caviar.

A carefully installed professional sound system allows every musical nuance to be felt with clarity and depth even at moderate volume. Here the music envelops; it doesn't overwhelm. Jazz, soul, funk, rock, DJ sessions and soon open decks will coexist in a space designed to be enjoyed little by little.

Finca Nebot: a colonial estate in Poblenou

In an area that is like the Manchester of Barcelona, the "Indianos" after returning from Latin America built their little houses back in the city of Barcelona. The house that hosts the new Finca Nebot (Pujades street, 133, Sant Martí) rescues this colonial spirit and defends a recognizable Catalan and traditional cuisine. Chefs Alfredo Samaniego (executive chef) and Josué Dávila de León have sought inspiration beyond the memories of their own families, looking at the recipes of the Marquesa de Parabere, chef Josep Rondissoni (mentor of so many chefs) or La Teca by Ignasi Domènech, to name a few examples, authentic totems of modern Catalan cuisine.

Under the seal of the popular group No hay mañana, the new establishment does not escape some hits from the other restaurants. Among the starters, the excellent oysters bathed in an ajoblanco cream stand out. Adelaida and Rafa will assist you in the dining room with the ease typical of people who truly enjoy their profession (it shows in the attention to detail and is appreciated). The mimosa eggs, topped with salmon roe, are a necessary toll for this grandmother's cuisine that we find here in a more gourmet expression. The squid ink mollete filled with squid perhaps lacks a bit more texture, small details for a place that has just opened and is already vox populi.

Among the lifelong dishes, try the tasty rice with mushrooms and butifarra (for two) and the casserole noodles. They will make you dream of Sunday meals at your parents' house. Among the main courses, it is highly recommended to order the flamed salt-baked sea bass in front of the customer: "We only buy a limited number of pieces -Rafa details-, and when they run out. They run out." The flan for dessert served in a metallic cup as dessert and its cherry also speak of those family after-dinner conversations where company was important.

Sergio and Javier Torres set up their own stall in the Santa Caterina Market

Chefs Sergio and Javier Torres open their second joint project at Pantea Group. After the success of Eldelmar, located on the Gastronomic Balcony of Port Olímpic in Barcelona, ​​the Torres chefs take the leap with their own stall in the iconic Born market: Parada Torres (Santa Caterina Market – Parada Torres, Av. de Francesc Cambó, 16, Ciutat Vella). A 440 square meter glass venue for 150 diners, presided over by a large market stall surrounded by a bar. The best thing is to sit down and let yourself be advised. The dishes, all simple and with fresh produce, pay homage to market cuisine and grandmother Catalina in the same area where she worked and where they took them as children.

Dishes such as garlic mushrooms, white market prawns with a light batter, Russian salad with pickled Aquanaria sea bass or individual potato omelette shine. In many of the proposals, fresh produce is grilled or griddled, quickly cooked, with traditional packaging and contemporary recipes. "This is a place not to complicate life" -says Sergio Torres with a smile-, a place to enjoy with a simple beef pepito —this one with dried tomato tapenade and truffled mayonnaise accompanied by French fries—."

Inspired by traditional markets and the cuisine they learned from their grandmother, Parada Torres incorporates macaroni à la Cardenal with a recipe that the youngest Torres brother used to make when they were students "with all kinds of meat scraps that were in the fridge," both chefs explain to us. It is a close, lively, and open space to the neighborhood, which "sells" Catalan tradition and instant cooking to curious tourists or Barcelonians who come down to the Born. Fortunately, since the very day of its opening, the restaurant is packed to the brim and cold Àguila beers pass through the tables.

The owners of Oxte land in Barcelona

It will be called Papalote and is expected to open its doors after the summer, although the inauguration date has not yet been set, in the upper part of Avenida Diagonal, near Plaza Francesc Macià, but we can already tell you that it will be one of the most talked-about openings in this part of the Eixample. Chefs Kike Casarubias (from Toluca, right in the center of Mexico) and Mon Estrada (from Acapulco) are a couple and owners of the popular restaurant Oxte, in Paris, a Michelin-starred establishment that brings together French and Mexican cuisine on the same plate. The couple's new establishment promises to bring to Barcelona a proposal that has convinced gourmets and connoisseurs of the Gallic country.